Teaching

Phrasal Verbs

Activities Promoting a Strategic Approach

Ken Lackman

kl+

Ken Lackman & Associates Educational Consultants

Methods and activities for more effective teaching with less preparation

Teaching Phrasal Verbs

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Contents Introduction Form: The Grammar of Phrasal Verbs Meaning: Making Sense of Phrasal Verbs Some Common Particle Meanings Activities Finding Phrasal Verbs Analyzing Phrasal Verbs in Texts Phrasal Verb Scavenger Hunt Phrasal Verb Strip Search Phrasal Verb Listen and Repeat Phrasal Verb Miming Phrasal Verb Minesweeper Phrasal Verb Bingo Phrasal Verb Battleship Phrasal Verbs on Walls Gapped Text Phrasal Verb Jeopardy Selecting Phrasal Verbs from Corpora Searches Copyright Ken Lackman 2012. This work is the intellectual property of the author. Permission is granted for this material to be shared for non-commercial, educational purposes, provided that this copyright statement appears on the reproduced materials and notice is given that the copying is by permission of the author. To disseminate otherwise or to republish requires written permission from the author.

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Introduction Most English language learners find phrasal verbs quite difficult. There are various reasons for this from the fact that they don‟t exist in their language to the myriad of meanings that one phrasal verb can appear to have. And what makes it worse is that many phrasal verbs have a metaphorical meaning that makes them hard to decipher, hard to remember and very difficult to produce when needed. Many learners tend to avoid them altogether yet, as we all know, they are quite prevalent in the language, especially in speech. Learners know this and will feel inadequate without them. In surveys of what students feel they need to be more proficient in the language, phrasal verbs usually rank quite high. In addition, phrasal verbs can be quite overwhelming for teachers. Where does one begin to teach? Student phrasal verb dictionaries usually list five or six thousand phrasal verbs and many of them have multiple different or related meanings. So expecting to present that size of lexicon in a learnable context is an overwhelming prospect for learners and teachers. The good news is that there is more order in the apparent chaos of phrasal verbs than one might think. What learners need are shortcuts, ways of breaking up that huge mass of words into learnable bits. In other words, they need is a way to categorize phrasal verbs in groups with some sort of similarity. That similarity would be represented by a defining characteristic which would help them remember that group and its members. Traditionally, this has usually been done by grouping together phrasal verbs formed from the same base verb, for example, phrasal verbs with “turn”. While this is a good idea, learning this way can still be frustrating for students. Not all phrasal verbs formed with the same base will display the meaning of that base. For example, turn around and turn over suggest the literal meaning of the main verb while turn up (to attend) seems to have nothing to do with it. But certainly the learner could more easily process and remember those phrasal verbs which fit a general semantic pattern. Further complicating the situation is the particle which follows the basic verb. Turn over and turn around feature literal meanings of the particle as well as the verb, But in the previously mentioned example, turn up (to attend), the particle does not carry its literal meaning. There is no upward movement involved when somebody arrives at a party or class. The good news is that there are many particles that share other identifiable meanings besides the literal one and once students become aware of these other meanings, they should be better able to notice and process those phrasal verbs that carry particular particle meanings. This should lead them to start associating groups of phrasal verbs according to shared particle meaning as well as the main verb meaning. The approach suggested in this document is that by raising students‟

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awareness of shared meanings of phrasal verbs, it will help them start categorizing phrasal verbs into semantic patterns. This systemization should enable them to notice, process and acquire phrasal verbs more quickly and effectively. While there are many phrasal verbs that cannot be grouped according to verb and/or particle meaning, the more effective acquisition of those that do will make the task of learning the phrasal verb lexicon that much easier.

Two-part phrasal

verbs

Three-part phrasal verbs

Intransitive

phrasal verbs

Transitive

phrasal verbs

Form: The grammar of phrasal verbs Most phrasal verbs consist of two parts, a verb and a particle. Particles can be either prepositions (at, for, to, with) or adverbs such as up, down, in, out, off, on, away, and through. This difference can be confusing to students and to teachers, too. A way to determine whether the particle is a preposition or an adverb is to think of a simple phrasal verb with it and consider whether the particle defines the verb as an adverb. For example, up defines the verb in go up, walk up, step up, etc., because it describes where or in what way the action happens. However, for the most part, it is not necessary to decide whether particles are adverbs or preposition but to merely acknowledge that they make up the second part of the phrasal verb. Some phrasal verbs have two particles and have the structure verb + adverb + preposition. These are often called thee-part phrasal verbs and verbs which fall into this category are those like look forward to, put up with, get along with, make up for, etc. These are phrasal verbs that don‟t take objects. The important thing to remember about them is that the verb and particle always stay together. For example, you can sit down on a chair but you can‟t sit on a chair down. Note that some intransitive phrasal verbs can be transitive also. Transitive phrasal verbs are much more notable mainly because of the placement of the object. With many of these constructions, the object can go between the verb and its object, while in other situations, or with other verbs, the object has to go after the particle. This is the most important aspect of the grammar of phrasal verbs and one that can cause students a lot of problems. There are four groups of these transitive phrasal verbs. 1. Separable phrasal verbs (optional object placement) These are transitive phrasal verbs that take the object between the verb and the particle or after it. There are commonly known as separable phrasal verbs. Here are some examples:

Take off your hat. Take your hat off. Put up your hand. Put your hand up. Draw someone out. Draw out someone.

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Four Types

Note that there are some transitive phrasal verbs, such as the following, where the object pronoun can only go between the verb and particle.

Take off your hat. Take it off. Take off it. Put up your hand. Put it up. Put up it. Draw someone out. Draw him out. Draw out him.

2. Obligatory placement between verb and particle These transitive phrasal verbs are far less common. The object has to be placed between the verb and the particle, there is no other option.

It‟s hard to tell those two people apart. It‟s hard to tell them apart.

3. Obligatory placement after the particle These are even less common and included in this group are phrasal verbs that end with prepositions as particles. This includes both two-part and three-part prepositional phrasal verbs. In all cases, the object must come after the particle(s).

I can‟t put up with her anymore. I bumped into a friend yesterday.

4. Phrasal verbs with two objects This is very small group and all the phrasal verbs in it are three-part. One object comes after the verb and one comes after the last particle. For example:

I took him up on his offer

Many books suggest teaching four main types of phrasal verbs. The following list of represents one of the most common systems. TYPE A: Transitive/Separable I turned off the light. I turned the light off. I turned it off. TYPE B: Transitive/Inseparable I'm working on a novel. I‟m working on it. TYPE C: Intransitive/Inseparable Our money ran out. TYPE D: 3-part Transitive/Inseparable He is looking forward to his trip.

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Meaning: Making sense of phrasal verbs Other than the possession of a verb and at least one particle, what determines a phrasal verb is the fact that it is a semantic unit. Determining when a verb and particle is or isn‟t a semantic unit can be very difficult for students as well as teachers. Take, for example, eat in. When you say, we ate in that restaurant, you‟re dealing with a verb and a preposition rather than a phrasal verb. But if you say, we ate in last night, it‟s definitely a phrasal verb because it is a semantic unit. Semantically, phrasal verbs fall into two categories, those with literal meanings and those whose meanings are metaphorical. Obviously, a verb like stand up is quite literal as both the verb and the particle have their literal meanings. Likewise, to put up your hand is literal as one‟s hand is being put somewhere and that place is “up”. Yet to put someone up is metaphorical as there is no actual raising of a person upwards. However, the semantics of phrasal verbs is not as black and white as it first appears to be. There are degrees of idiomacy and some verbs which seem completely metaphorical actually do contain some literal meaning. Take, for example, the aforementioned, put someone up. While there is no upward movement involved, someone is in fact being put somewhere. This phrasal verb, like many others, carries literal meaning in the main verb. Because the vast majority of phrasal verbs are based on very basic common verbs, learners will not need much explanation in the literal meanings of those verbs. One can easily understand the meaning of give away as in giving away an object because the main verb carries its literal meaning. It also does when one takes back the object. For this reason, main verb literal meanings do not need to be a major area of focus in the teaching of phrasal verbs. Of far more importance to learners are the particle meanings. For beyond the literal, there are some clearly identifiable metaphorical meanings that are shared by numerous phrasal verbs. There are many patterns with these metaphorical meanings and understanding first, the metaphorical particle meaning, and second, the nature of the verbs that tend to go with it, will help students identify, understand and remember certain phrasal verb constructions. Take, for example, the particle “up”, when it means to approach. Once that is understood, and a phrasal verb like walk up (to) is learned, then it‟s easy to extrapolate that to other verbs describing motion or transport like, ride up, drive up, crawl up, sneak up, etc. It should be made clear that not all phrasal verbs can be easily organized around certain particle meanings. Many phrasal verbs will need to be learned in isolation and without reference to identifiable patterns. However, the goal of teaching phrasal verbs, like the teaching of any lexis, should be to point out patterns that aid acquisition whenever possible.

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Some common particle meanings

Up

move upward stand up get up lift up hang up pin up sit up increase or improve move up go up build up pile up put up cheer up complete or end use up sum up close up drink up eat up finish up approach walk up run up drive up catch up sneak up creep up appear turn up show up pop up spring up crop up shoot up Down move downward sit down take down put down fall down climb down trickle down decrease slow down turn down go down calm down push down cool down complete, end or stop close down shut down burn down break down settle down stand down Out move outward move out get out go out eat out look out venture out exclude shut out keep out leave out push out sit out miss out complete work out clean out figure out carry out wear out dry out In enter go in break in come in drop in walk in drop in include or involve throw in take in blend in stir in blend in put in arrive walk in clock in pull in check in come in drive in Off movement away set off take off dash off start off head off blast off separate, not include brush off lay off shrug off cross off seal off fence off remove take off cut off bite off chop off slice off peel off become less wear off level off cool off die off tail off fall off On touch or attach put on strap on stick on hang on slip on pull on continue keep on go on carry on hang on stay on struggle on Away move to different place walk away go away drive away send away put away throw away Back return walk back go back drive back come back shoot back fly back refer to time in past look back bring back hark back go back send back take back return something take back give back hand back write back call back fight back move backwards push back keep back stand back hold back fall back set back

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Activities

Finding Phrasal Verbs

This is a surprisingly challenging but useful activity which gets learners to notice phrasal verbs in context. The challenging part of it is that sometimes the verb and particle will be split and the lack of proximity of the two makes it harder to notice that the verb is actually a phrasal one. The other thing which is difficult, even for native speakers, is differentiating phrasal verbs from verbs with prepositions. However, for the objectives of this activity, in cases where it is difficult to determine which it is, it‟s probably best to consider it a phrasal verb, particularly at lower levels. To implement this activity, you need a text which has some phrasal verbs. As they occur most often in informal writing, it‟s a good idea to consider that when looking for a suitable text. Since they do occur most often in speaking, scripts are a great place to look, like scripts of television sitcoms where the communication is meant to emulate real-life (Seinfeld, Friends, etc at www.simplyscripts.com). Once you have a text, make enough copies of it for pairs (or threes) of students. Hand the text to the students and have them read it first just for comprehension. Then, clarify what a phrasal verb is and remind them about split ones. Then ask them to go through the text and highlight the phrasal verbs. You can make it competitive to see who finds the most. When they are finished, find out who got the most and elicit their list. If you‟d like, write any debatable ones on the board and ask the class to discuss whether they are phrasal verbs or not. The main aim of this activity is form-based in that it‟s getting students to practice noticing phrasal verbs, but, once you have the list on the board, you have the option of dealing with meaning to whatever extent you‟d like. You can simply explain them all, elicit some explanations from students or, better still, give them some definitions and they have to select the phrasal verbs from the board that match them.

Analyzing Phrasal Verbs in

Texts

This activity is basically just a more advanced version of the previous activity as the students are required to analyze the phrasal verbs in texts according to certain criteria. In fact, it can be used as a follow-up to the previous activity, where first the students find the phrasal verbs and then they go over the text again and look at each one in context and analyze it. The criteria for analysis can be metaphoric vs. literal, two vs. three-part, transitive vs. intransitive, separable vs. inseparable or all or some of the above. You can actually use a chart for this (see below). The value of this activity is that it trains students to think about phrasal verbs when they notice them, which will not only lead to better acquisition but will also help them learn about usage - good for production later on. To set the activity up, give students a text and have them read it for comprehension first. Then ask them to locate some or all of the phrasal verbs, List them on the board so all students will be working with the same verbs. Then give students the criteria you want them to use for analyzing them (it could be just the chart). Students then work together and analyze

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the phrasal verbs in context according to the criteria. When they are finished, take up their answers. You can make it competitive by awarding points for each phrasal verb correctly analyzed.

Phrasal Verb Tw

o-p

art

Th

ree

-part

Tra

nsit

ive

Intr

an

sit

ive

Se

para

ble

Ins

ep

ara

ble

Lit

era

l

Me

tap

ho

ric

Phrasal Verb Scavenger Hunt

This activity is similar to the previous one but in this case the students are given a list of phrasal verb categorizations and they have to find phrasal verbs in a text which match them. This activity is motivating and challenging for the students yet it raises their awareness of the different types of phrasal verbs and, like the previous activity, trains them to analyze them as they come across them. You need to prepare a scavenger hunt sheet with the categories and point values for each, depending on how difficult you think it will be to find them. You can use similar categories as in the previous activity or you can just use the four types mentioned previously (TYPE A, B, C & D). However, an added advantage of this activity is you can also add particle form and/or meaning to the list. For lower level learners, you can simply ask them to find phrasal verbs that end in up, off, etc. For higher level learners, you can ask them to find phrasal verbs with a certain meaning of the particle, e.g., up for completion (finish up). Note that you do not have to match the categories on the sheet to existing phrasal verbs in the text. You can have one master sheet which you always use for this activity. Just make sure you let the students know that not all the categories will be represented in the text. As in the previous activities, the students should read the text for comprehension first. Then hand them the score sheet and make sure they understand all the categories. Students work in pairs and try to find as many phrasal verbs as possible to match the categories. Monitor to check for accuracy. When they are finished, elicit their answers and make corrections where necessary. Have each team count up their points to determine a winner.

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Category Phrasal Verb 1 Phrasal Verb 2 Value Points

TYPE A: Transitive/Inseparable

5

TYPE B: Transitive/Inseparable

20

TYPE C: Intransitive/Inseparable

10

TYPE D: 3-part Transitive/Inseparable

25

with on 10

with off 5

with in 15

with out 10

with ahead 25

with through 30

with with 40

with up for approach 30

with up for increase 20

with up for complete 15

with up for move upward 5

with up for appear 25

with back for return 10 with back to refer to time in past 30 with back for return something 20

with back for move backwards

15

Total

Phrasal Verb Strip Search

Like the scavenger hunt, this activity also gets the students to locate certain phrasal verbs in the text based on given criteria. However, in this case, each given criteria will target just one phrasal verb in the text. They will be taking a strip of paper with an explanation of a phrasal verb and they will have to go through the text and find one that matches the explanation. The explanation can contain form-based clues (two vs. three-part, transitive vs. intransitive, separable vs. inseparable) or meaning based consisting of a definition (by verb, particle or both) and possibly some indication of metaphoric vs. literal. See the sample set of strips below. To prepare the activity, you will need to locate phrasal verbs in a text and provide the clue strips in the same order as the phrasal verbs occur. Each one needs to be numbered and you will need at least one strip for every pair or group of students plus one extra strip. You can include the answers to the right of the strip and make two copies. One copy will be yours and then cut the answers off the other copy, which will be the one for the students. Slice up the strips on the student copy before the class. In class, have the students read the text for comprehension first. Then put the strips on your desk and divide the students into pairs or threes. Tell them how

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Sample based on

Friends script

many strips there are and ask them to write the numbers (i.e., 1 – 10) for each strip in their notebooks. Explain that a member of each team will come up and take any strip. They will have to locate the phrasal verb in the text which matches the explanation/definition. and once they think they have found it, they need to verify it with you. If they are correct, they are to write the phrasal verb together with the clue in their notebooks next to the strip number. Then they return the strip and take another one. The first group to finish, wins. You can hand your answer sheet to them at this point and let them take over the job of verifying. You should let students know that if they pay attention to the numbers, it will make it easier for them to find the phrasal verbs as the numbers are in order. It means that if, for example, they find 3 and 5, they will know that 4 is in between.

1 A transitive inseparable phrasal verb which means to flirt with someone hit on

2 A transitive separable phrasal verb which means to allow someone to enter by

pressing a button which unlocks a door electronically buzz in

3 A transitive separable phrasal verb which means to request a date with someone ask out

4 An intransitive inseparable phrasal verb which means to continue go on

5 An intransitive inseparable phrasal verb which is an invitation to someone to

enter somewhere come in

6 A phrasal verb used as an adjective to indicate how people are waiting. lined up

7 An intransitive inseparable phrasal verb with a particle that indicates a

downward movement sit down

8 An intransitive separable phrasal verb which means to remove something from

where it was with some force pull out

9 A metaphorical phrasal verb used to tell someone to stop talking. shut up

10 A phrasal verb consisting of a verb and preposition which means to be going in

the direction of a place head for

11 An intransitive inseparable phrasal verb used to indicate when someone is

visiting someone else’s home.

come

over

12 A literal phrasal verb which means “to assemble” put

together

13 An intransitive inseparable phrasal verb which means to remain at a place,

usually for social reasons hang out

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Excerpt from “Friends” Script

Monica Gets a Roommate

Monica: Joey, stop hitting on her! It's her wedding day! Joey: What, like there's a rule or something? (The door buzzer sounds and Chandler gets it.) Chandler: Please don't do that again, it's a horrible sound. Paul: (over the intercom) It's, uh, it's Paul. Monica: Oh God, is it 6:30? Buzz him in! Joey: Who's Paul? Ross: Paul the Wine Guy, Paul? Monica: Maybe. Joey, wait. Your 'not a real date' tonight is with Paul the Wine

Guy? Ross: He finally asked you out? Monica: Yes! Chandler: Ooh, this is a Dear Diary moment. Monica: Rach, wait, I can cancel... Rachel: Please, no, go, that'd be fine! Monica: (to Ross) Are, are you okay? I mean, do you want me to stay? Ross: (choked voice) That'd be good... Monica: (horrified) Really? Ross: (normal voice) No, go on! It's Paul the Wine Guy! Phoebe: What does that mean? Does he sell it, drink it, or just complain a lot?

(Chandler doesn't know.) (There's a knock on the door and it's Paul.) Monica: Hi, come in! Paul, this is.. (They are all lined up next to the door.) ...

everybody, everybody, this is Paul. All: Hey! Paul! Hi! The Wine Guy! Hey! Chandler: I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name. Paul, was it? Monica: Okay, umm-umm, I'll just--I'll be right back, I just gotta go ah, go ah... Ross: A wandering? Monica: Change! Okay, sit down. (Shows Paul in) Two seconds. Phoebe: Ooh, I just pulled out four eyelashes. That can't be good. (Monica goes to change.) Joey: Hey, Paul! Paul: Yeah? Joey: Here's a little tip, she really likes it when you rub her neck in the same spot

over and over and over again until it starts to get a little red. Monica: (yelling from the bedroom) Shut up, Joey! Ross: So Rachel, what're you, uh... what're you up to tonight? Rachel: Well, I was kinda supposed to be headed for Aruba on my honeymoon, so

nothing! Ross: Right, you're not even getting your honeymoon, God.. No, no, although,

Aruba, this time of year... talk about your- (thinks) -big lizards... Anyway, if you

don't feel like being alone tonight, Joey and Chandler are coming over to help me

put together my new furniture. Chandler: (deadpan) Yes, and we're very excited about it. Rachel: Well actually thanks, but I think I'm just gonna hang out here tonight. It's

been kinda a long day. Ross: Okay, sure.

Written by: Marta Kauffman & David Crane

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Phrasal Verb Listen and

Repeat

This activity has students writing questions with phrasal verbs and their classmates have to answer the question and use the same phrasal verb in the answer. It is a very simple activity but it‟s very useful because it gets students to use phrasal verbs in context, in writing and speaking, and, more importantly, it gets them to notice them during exposure. To set up the activity, provide students with a list of phrasal verbs so there is at least one per student. For small classes, you can allow more than one phrasal verb per student. The phrasal verbs can be ones that you are reviewing from a previous class or ones that you‟ve just clarified in that class as this activity serves as good controlled practice. Get each student to choose a phrasal verb – you can have them come up and tick one from the board. Then each student composes a sentence in question form using their phrasal verb. Stress that it must be a question that their classmates can answer, e.g., “Who do you take after, your mother or father?” You can have students working together so that they can help each other with their sentences. Monitor to check their sentences for accuracy. When all students are finished, have them mingle and ask other students their question. Remind them to listen for the phrasal verb and repeat it in their answer, e.g., “I take after my father.” If you had students choosing more than one phrasal verb, you would have had them composing more than one question to ask. This can be a great activity for higher level learners who are practicing phrasal verbs that can be separated by an object pronoun. The phrasal verb would not be separated in the question, e.g., “Have you written down these phrasal verbs?” and the answering student would have to insert the object pronoun in the correct place in their answer, e.g., “Yes, I have written them down.” For a big challenge, you could include some phrasal verbs that were inseparable in the mix.

Phrasal Verb Miming

This activity has students miming the two (or three) parts of a phrasal verb. Their partners have to correctly guess the verbs and particles that they mime. It can be a great activity to introduce a group of phrasal verbs that might consist of verbs that students know but the actual meaning of the phrasal verb is not known. It‟s a good way to get students to think of the literal meaning of the verbs and particles and then to see if the meaning of the phrasal verb has any relation. Provide groups of students (2 – 6) with identical sets of small cards or pieces of paper with phrasal verbs written on them in a simple context, e.g., “take off your hat.” They keep them face down and divide them up so each person in the group has roughly the same number of cards. Tell the groups they will be competing to see who can mime the most phrasal verbs but they are to mime the literal meaning of the verb and the literal meaning of the particle. They should not mime the rest of the context. You can clarify how they are to mime by giving an example, i.e., mime a phrasal verb for them to guess. For example, if it is give away, mime giving something to someone and then walk away, to demonstrate away. Tell them to focus on

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those that are most easily mimed as the idea is to do as many as possible. If someone is miming one and the other students can‟t seem to guess it, tell them it‟s okay to move on to the next one. When someone in their group actually guesses a phrasal verb, it‟s placed face up in the centre. Start the activity and end it at any point before or just after one group has finished. Get each group to count how many they mimed to find a winner. If the phrasal verbs are new to the students, clarify them after the miming. Then once you have done that, or if you were just reviewing previously taught phrasal verbs, have the students discuss each phrasal verb in regards to how metaphorical it was. You can ask them put them in two piles, if you want, metaphoric and literal. Then get some feedback.

get up to wake up

get down to get depressed or sad.

give back to return something

give up to surrender

give out to distribute something

give away to reveal a secret

break down to fall apart emotionally

break out to escape

break in

to use something until it

is OK.

come across to find

take on to start something new

take off when an airplane leaves

the ground

turn on to switch on a radio

turn back to change direction and

return

turn into to transform (change into

something else)

put up to raise prices

put on to gain weight

go through to search for something

in something

Phrasal Verb Minesweeper

This game is based on a popular computer game where players have to locate mines located in a field comprised of a grid. But in this case, the “mines” are verb + particle combinations that do not exist. The point of this game is not that the students learn the meanings of all the phrasal verbs on the board but that they think about what verb and particle combinations are likely and which are unlikely. They will also learn that certain verbs, e.g., get go with a lot of particles and certain particles (e.g, up) go with a lot of verbs. This is basically an awareness raising activity and how much you deal with meaning in it is up to you.

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To set this activity up, you will have to prepare two sets of grids with verbs along one axis and particles along the other. The particles you use will depend on the level of students and what you‟ve done before. For most students below advanced level, you‟ll probably want to stick to just the most common particles. The same goes for the verbs - you may want to stick to basic ones, again, depending on the level of your students. Then make the first grid consisting of five to eight squares across and down. Write the particles in the top row and the verbs in the left column. Put the particles in alphabetical order. Make two copies of this grid, of which one will remain blank other than the top row of particles and the left column of verbs. Then take a phrasal verb dictionary and look up each verb and find out if it is used with each particle. If it is, put a check mark in the intersecting square on one of the grids. If it is not, put a X in the square. You should be able to complete this grid in about 5 minutes. Once you‟ve finished one grid, do another one with a different set of verbs (you can keep the same particles), and make two copies again. Finish one of the copies in the same way as before. So, now you should have Grid A, blank and filled-in, and Grid B, blank and filled-in. Before you go to class, photocopy a blank Grid A for half the class and a filled-in Grid A for the other. Do the same for Grid B. This is if you have chosen to have each student playing against another student. If you plan to have them work in pairs and competing against another pair, it means you will need one blank Grid A for half the pairs, one filled-in Grid A for the other pairs and likewise for Grid B. Once in class, separate the students into As and Bs. Then give the As a filled-in Grid A and a blank Grid B. Give the Bs a filled-in Grid B and a blank Grid A. Tell them not to let their opponents see their filled-in grid. Pair them up so As are playing against Bs. The As will start by choosing a square on their opponent‟s grid that they think represents a verb + particle combination. They indicate their choice to their opponent and if they are correct, the opponent tells them how many squares with mines (the Xs) are touching that square (horizontally, vertically or diagonally). They write that number in the square. Then their opponent does the same. As the game progresses, the players will start to figure out where the mines are likely to be. If a player accidentally chooses a square that has a mine (X), their opponent tells them they‟ve hit a mine and they forfeit two turns, i.e., their opponent gets to take three turns in a row. The winner will be the player(s) who finds all the mines first. Although this game is meant only to make students aware of verb + particle combinations, you can deal with the meaning of some of the phrasal verbs. When the students have finished, choose a few from both grids and say a definition of one. Students work together with their opponents and try to find a phrasal verb that matches the definition. They write it down in their notebooks together with the definition. After you have given all the definitions, get the students to read back them with the corresponding phrasal verbs to see if they‟ve matched them correctly.

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away back down in off on out up

came

talk

look X X X

pass X

pick X X X X

throw

write X

work X X

away back down in off on out up

give X X

turn

meet X X X X X X X

cut X

make X X X X

keep

push

move

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Phrasal Verb Bingo

This version of bingo is great for getting students to try to determine the meaning of phrasal verbs based on their parts, specifically the verbs and the particles. To do this, the phrasal verbs that are used in this activity should be ones that students, for the most part, are not that familiar with. The phrasal verbs will be on the bingo cards and clues about the meaning of each one will be given by the teacher. The students will have to look at the phrasal verbs on their card and choose the one that they think matches the meaning. This can be made easier for students by having them work in pairs. To prepare for this activity, make a 5 X 5 or 4 X 4 grid on a full sheet of paper and copy it so there is one copy per each student (or pair, if they are going to work together). Then, if using a 5 X 5 grid, list 25 phrasal verbs on the board and give each student a bingo card. For 4 X 4, you‟ll need 16 verbs. Students are to write the verbs in the spaces in random order and without looking at what other students are doing. Write the list of phrasal verbs on a piece of paper for yourself. When students are ready, choose any phrasal verb from your list and give them a definition of it, referring to particle meaning, if you can. For example, if the phrasal verb was run out you could say, “You have no more of something – everything has gone away”. Then write a brief note of your explanation next to the phrasal verb, e.g. “everything has gone away.” Note that for higher level students and more obscure phrasal verbs you can let the students know how metaphoric each phrasal verb is to give them another clue about the meaning. Students look over their cards and if they think they have found a phrasal verb that matches the definition, they write the definition under it. Keep going in this way until a student claims to have bingo. Then get the student to read their phrasal verbs and definitions to check. Students can correct their guesses at this point. If a bingo was not achieved, you can keep going. If it was, keep going and the player/team that won can try for another bingo (4/5 in a row vertically horizontally or diagonally). You can also have students play this game in pairs. The advantage is that they will likely discuss their choices before deciding and this extra cognitive activity will aid acquisition and help clarify some of the patterns, especially with particle meanings. Note that you can also use this activity to review any phrasal verbs that you have already taught, although there will be less speculation about meaning and more focus on getting the students to actually remember what the verbs mean.

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Phrasal Verb Battleship

This is another awareness raising game that is good for verb + particle recognition. It‟s quite similar to Minesweeper but the setup and play of the game is different. This game is based on a popular board game where each player has a certain number of battleships located in a body of water and their opponent has to determine where they are. The objective of this phrasal verb version is quite basic as it is meant only to get learners familiar with verbs and particles which are used in phrasal verbs and which ones go together. Meaning can be dealt with after the game is played, to whatever extent the teacher wishes. Because its focus is on verb and particle recognition it‟s quite suitable for lower level learners. To prepare the game, you‟ll need to set up two game boards, each one with a minimum of eight verbs and eight particles. You should have some verbs that go with virtually all the common particles, like get and some that don‟t, like make, which doesn‟t go with on, down, etc. You can quickly get a list by going through a phrasal verb dictionary. You can use the same set of particles for both grids and if you list them in alphabetical order, it will make it easier to go through the dictionary and set the game up. Once you‟ve chosen the two sets of eight verbs and particles, write them onto two grids like the one below. Label the grids, “A” and “B”. You can put both grids on the same paper as you‟ll need to provide each student in the class with a copy of each. Then make a Teacher‟s Copy of each grid (two separate pages) and it is on these sheets where you indicate which verb/particle combinations are not possible in the appropriate squares.

away back down in off on out up

take

make

go

come

work

get

put

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away back down in off on out up

take

make NO NO NO NO NO

go

come

work NO NO NO

get

put

Hand out the grids to the students and divide the class into As and Bs on two sides of the room. Give each group a copy of the Teacher‟s Copy for their grid and all students use it fills in the squares on their grid that do not represent phrasal verbs. Then instruct the students on putting their battleships on their grids. They are to have a battleship that is two squares long, another that is three and one that is four (see sample below). The ships cannot go diagonally or touch each other and they cannot cover a square with a “NO” in it. Each individual student in the group should choose their own placement for their battleships.

away back down in off on out up

take x x x x

make NO NO NO NO NO

go x

come x x x

work NO NO NO x

get

put

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When all the ships have been placed, pair up each A with a B. One student goes first and says a verb and particle combination from their partner‟s grid. If their partner has a ship covering that square, they say “Yes” and the asking student makes an X on that square on their version of their partner‟s grid. It means that they‟ve found a part of a battleship. If they didn‟t hit a square with part of a ship, their partner says “Sorry” and they indicate there is nothing there with a “0” or simply a dash “-“. If they happened to mention a verb and particle combination that doesn‟t exist, their partner says “That‟s not a phrasal verb” and they write “NO” on their grid. However, they must miss a turn (their partner will take two turns in a row). Then their turn is over and it goes to their partner. Play continues like this until someone finds all the other‟s battleships. If you want to deal with meaning after the game, choose a few important and level-appropriate phrasal verbs and give the students the meaning. They have to find the verb on their grids (opponents can now work together) and tell you what it is. For lower levels, you can help them by telling them which grid (A or B) and even which particle (or verb) is featured.

Phrasal Verbs on Walls

This is a great activity to find out what students know or remember of phrasal verbs. Thus you could use it as a warmer to start a class on phrasal verbs or you could use it after you‟ve taught some phrasal verbs to see which ones they remember and which ones they can add that are similar to ones they‟ve learned. It‟s a fun activity that has students racing around the classroom while brainstorming as many phrasal verbs as they can think of. To set up this activity, you‟ll need to first decide if you‟re going to give students the verb and have them brainstorm particles with it or the other way around. The latter is a better idea when you want them to focus more on particle meaning. For example, if they know that “UP” can mean approach, then they could come up with “run up”. “walk up”, “drive up”, etc. You‟ll need at least 6 different particles or 6 verbs, if you decide to go that way. Then write each particle (or verb) on the top of a sheet of paper. The larger the sheet of paper, the longer the brainstorm can go on and the more contributions will be possible. When in class, stick the papers on the walls around the classroom. Then give each pair of students (or group of three) a different coloured marker. Explain that they will be writing verbs that go with the particles (or the other way around) on the sheets and the team that contributes the most to the sheets will win – that‟s why they have different coloured markers. Stipulate that they cannot write something that someone else has written and they cannot write two in a row in their colour (they can return to a paper after someone else has written something). Then stand back and start the game. After you‟ve stopped the game, go over each sheet and cross off any contributions that do not form phrasal verbs. Then have each team count up its contributions to see who won. You can deal with meaning of some of them if you want. One way to do it is to point out a sheet and give them the

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meaning of a phrasal verb on the sheet and see if they can guess which one that it is. You could have them working in pairs and they write down your definition and the verb they think it is. Then after 10 or so, you can stop and elicit the meanings and verbs and the pairs can check their answers (this can be competitive also).

Gapped Text This activity is designed to get students to focus on particle meaning. You create a gapped text where the gaps represent phrasal verbs that make some sense according to their particle meaning. Then after the gap, you supply a clue about the particle meaning. The activity should help students remember the particle meanings and also phrasal verbs whose meaning is somewhat logical. After clarifying particle meaning with students, you can have them fill out these gap-fill exercises in class. You can have them working in pairs so they can discuss their ideas for each space. After they have finished, check their answers by first asking them which particle matches the meaning for each space. For students intermediate and above, you can have them create their own gap fills in the same way. Put them in pairs and when each pair is done, they can ask another pair to try to guess the words in the gap. If they write their answers on a separate sheet of paper, the students who wrote the gap-fill can have another pair attempt it afterwards. This way the students have a chance to work with all the texts. The nice thing about this activity is that the students are verifying the answers for other students.

Yesterday when I _______________ (made an upward movement) it looked like it was

going to be a nice day. It was early, the sun had just ______________ (made an upward

movement) but unfortunately I had to go to work. I was standing waiting to

___________________(make an inward movement) to the bathroom because my girlfriend

was in there ___________________(attaching) her makeup. Then I heard her turn the

doorknob and she said that the door wouldn’t open and that she couldn’t

_______________(make an outward movement). I didn’t know what to do at first but then I

got a screwdriver and ________________ (detached) the doorknob. I am happy that I was

able to free her from the bathroom because the same thing happened to my previous

girlfriend and she was so angry afterwards that she __________________(ended) with me.

Phrasal Verb

Jeopardy This activity is based on the popular game show Jeopardy, where

contestants choose the category and difficulty level of their questions. Its classroom application is a fun and challenging game, which can be used to focus on groups of phrasal verbs based around the same verb or based around the same particle. For example, students could choose from categories based on either the verb or its particle (i.e. “I‟ll take „put‟ for $100” or conversely, “I‟ll take „off‟ for $100”). It‟s best to get students to work in teams of two or three as it gives them an opportunity to discuss possibilities before answering questions. Also, making decisions about which question to answer and how to answer it will give students communicative practice. You can make it more competitive and involving if you allow other teams to offer answers to questions answered incorrectly. I usually establish an order for answering them (team with their hand up first or next team to the left/right) and award them half points if they are correct.

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Although preparation of the questions does take some time, once you have created them, you can use the game whenever you teach those phrasal verbs again. Alternatively, you could get the students to write the questions. Once you‟ve decided on the categories, split them up among the teams and get each team to use phrasal verb dictionaries to write 3 – 5 questions of increasing difficulty for each verb/particle. Then, when playing the game, each group is not allowed to choose a question that they wrote. While students are choosing their phrasal verbs from the dictionaries, you should monitor to make sure they‟ve chosen ones which are appropriate. If you or your students are setting up a jeopardy game based around the particles, try using a corpora search to find a list of phrasal verbs ending with a particular particle. The instructions for doing that are below. If you are focusing on one particular particle meaning, you‟ll need to select from your corpora results only those phrasal verbs that fit that meaning.

get

give

break

bring

come

take

turn

put

go

to get out of bed, usually in the morning up

to return something back

to end a relationship up

to return something back

something returns also a memory which returns back

to remove clothes off

to move a switch to make some-thing work (esp. electricity) on

to raise up

to continue on

to leave (esp. for holiday) or escape away

to stop doing something or surrender up

to fall apart (emotionally also) or stop working down

to care for a child until it is an adult or introduce a new topic up

the cost or an amount becomes less down

when an airplane leaves the ground off

to change direction and return to where you came from. back

to gain weight on

to explode or make a sudden noise (alarm) off

recover over

to distribute out

to escape from a place or situation out

to produce for sale, esp. something new out

to find across

to gain control of something, esp. a corporation over

to come or appear up

to delay or postpone off

when a fire dies or electricity stops working out

continue or progress or form a friendly relationship on

to reveal a secret away

something unpleasant like war or disease happens suddenly out

to cause about

something unexpected happens up

to say some-thing then say that you didn’t mean it (retract)

back

to transform (change to something else) into

to be discouraged off

to review over

get depressed or sad down

to surrender to something in to

to use something like shoes until they are OK in

to introduce an idea or something produces profits for you.

in

to get an idea up with

to resemble after

to refuse, usually an applicant who is not qualified down

to insult down

to search in something through

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carry

work

look

set

come

take

turn

pass

go

to lift something and remove it from somewhere

out

to calculate or solve esp. a problem

out

to try to find something that is lost

for

to leave esp. begin a journey

off

to enter or arrive

in

to remove from somewhere

out

to lower esp. sound or heat

down

to give something to someone in a lower place

down

to continue

on

to continue

on

to make an effort to improve something. esp. skill

on

to expect something good

forward to

to start a plan or trip

out

a memory returns

back

to review

up

to go to bed

in

to distribute

out

to start something else

on

to do a task

out

to exercise

out

to search for information, usually in a book of facts

up

to establish, esp. business

up

something breaks and a part becomes separated from it

off

to start doing something new, esp. hobby

up

to leave a road or path and take another one

off

to faint or sleep from drinking to much alcohol

out

to become bad, esp. food (e.g. milk)

off

something reminds you of something in the past

back

to get rid of something, esp. weight, by work or exercise

off

to take responsibility for something or someone

after

to delay or make more difficult

back

expression used to encourage someone to do something

on

to begin to like something or someone

to

to show up for an event

out

to go from generation to generation

down

something dates back to a time in history

back

to succeed in a difficult job or task

off

to build up energy or emotion, esp. to get upset

up

to have a poor opinion of some-one or something

down on

something is fixed in a surface so it doesn’t stick out

in

to encounter a difficulty

up against

to write, esp. in a notebook

down

to become disloyal

on

to fail to take advantage of a situation

up

to agree to something, esp. a plan

along with

Selecting Phrasal Verbs from

Corpora Searches

This activity provides an easy way for students to practice analyzing phrasal verbs ending with certain particles that are semantically related. For example, a corpus search can produce a list of the most common verbs that go with a particle, such as “up”, but since the corpus search is done only by form, different meanings of the particle will be included in random order. It‟s a useful challenge for students to look over the lists and select phrasal verbs that are related by one particular particle meaning. Not only will students learn to process phrasal verbs for particular meanings but they will end up becoming aware of the most common verbs used with that particle and, more importantly, the most common verbs used with that particle MEANING. For example, students looking for verbs that go with “up” for approaching will notice a number of verbs for transport and general motion. This knowledge is useful in itself but it will also help them process

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any new phrasal verbs that have the same feature, e.g., a verb of motion and the particle up. From the corpora extract below, the following phrasal verbs could be chosen with some sense of approaching: come up, go up, back up, pull up, step up, walk up, catch up, roll up, move up, drive up. This is from 50 samples. If you were to look at the top 200, more examples would show up like: run up, ride up, sneak up, creep up and crawl up. To set up the activity, go to the BYU corpus website and obtain a list of verbs that go with a particular particle. The instructions for doing that are printed below. Once you‟ve got the list printed and photocopied for your students, you‟ll need to decide which particle meaning you want to focus on. If, for example, you were using “up” for approaching, let the students know that and then hand out the photocopies. Students work in pairs or threes and choose from the list only those phrasal verbs that mean to approach in some way. You can make it competitive to see who can find the most. Once they‟ve finished, find out who got the most and get their list on the board. Erase any that are incorrect and add any that can be provided by other groups. If you‟d like, you can spend some time clarifying meaning of any that the students might not understand. Then you could give them the definitions and they would have to tell you (or write down) the phrasal verbs that match each definition that you give them.

1. Go to http://corpus.byu.edu/ and choose either the British or American corpus.

2. Login with your username and password (top right). 3. Under SEARCH STRING type your particle in the WORD(S) box. 4. Next to COLLOCATES, set the number for the number of spaces before your particle at 1 (the first box) and set the second box to 0. 5. In the POS LIST box, choose verb.BASE. 6. Hit SEARCH and the list will show up on the right. You can also set the number of examples that you want. The bar that says “HIDE OPTIONS” will normally say “CLICK TO SEE OPTIONS”. When you click it, it will change to “HIDE OPTIONS” and will reveal “# HITS”. Beside that, where it says “FREQ”, it will be set at100. That is the default but you can change it, for example, if you set it at 200, you will get 200 items. 7. Highlight the list by dragging the cursor over it with your mouse. Then choose the copy command, open up a word document and paste the list there. If you want, you can delete the column with the little boxes, which will make the list smaller in size and more manageable.

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Top verbs preceding Up

1 MAKE 5127

2 END 5078

3 PICK 4279

4 COME 4032

5 WAKE 3271

6 GET 3006

7 SHUT 2722

8 SET 2628

9 SHOW 2342

10 GROW 2141

11 GO 2138

12 GIVE 2115

13 STAND 1992

14 LOOK 1912

15 OPEN 1128

16 TAKE 1102

17 WIND 1085

18 BACK 1033

19 ADD 1015

20 SIGN 925

21 PUT 924

22 PULL 876

23 LINE 871

24 CLOSE 787

25 HOLD 733

26 KEEP 713

27 CLEAN 696

28 BUILD 662

29 TURN 614

30 BRING 610

31 HURRY 569

32 STEP 537

33 WALK 524

34 HANG 505

35 LIGHT 500

36 BREAK 499

37 SIT 492

38 CATCH 490

39 POP 442

40 BEAT 418

41 ROLL 406

42 FILL 404

43 MOVE 401

44 LISTEN 390

45 WARM 387

46 FOLLOW 351

47 RISE 347

48 CALL 330

49 DRIVE 330

50 SPLIT 325