Phrasal Verbs

Description:  This song can be used to teach a variety of phrasal verbs.  This lesson plan comes with flashcards that can help students study the phrasal verbs on their own.
Before the song (choose one or more of the following):

1. Ask students if they can identify the differences among the following phrasal verbs:
1. get over (recover OR finish)
2. get by (survive a difficult situation)
3. get across (make something understandable)
4. get around (move from place to place OR avoid)
2. Explain to students that one of the most difficult aspects of the English language is that it has a number of expressions in the form of idioms and phrasal verbs.  It is important to learn to guess the meaning of phrasal verbs because sometimes one phrasal verb can have very different meanings.
1. The policeman gave him a warning.  This time, the man got off without a ticket. (avoid punishment)
2. What holidays do you get off next semester? (excused vacation)
3. The man in the train told me that the next station was where he gets off.  (leave a vehicle)
4. INFORMAL: The man said he got off on drugs and alcohol.  (finds enjoyment, often immoral behavior)

During the song (choose one or more of the following):

1. Have students complete the cloze passage OR
2. As they listen to the song and with a copy of the lyrics, have students circle the words they believe are phrasal verbs.

After the song (choose one or more of the following):

1. Have students create a “non-phrasal verb” version of the song by having them come up with “interpretations” of each line.

Example:  I’ll come along if you sit tight
Means “I’ll follow you if you stay with me”

2. Have students create sentences of their own using the phrasal verbs from the song.

Creative ideas (For more creative ideas, go to “Creative Ideas” on the homepage.)

1. Use the flashcards to have students practice memorizing phrasal verbs.  Make sure students learn sentences rather than just meanings, as phrasal verbs can be tricky!

“I’ll Come Along,” Phrasal Verbs (cloze passage)
Chorus
I’ll (1) ________________ if you (2) ___________________
Just (3) _________________ and it (4) _________________ right
Oh baby now
I’ll (5) ________________ if you (6) ________________
Just (7) _______________ and it (8) ________________ right
I’ll (9) _________________ you to set me free
Don’t (10) ________________ now—our love is real
You can’t just (11) ____________ true love _____________-
You’ve got to (12) ______________ it every day
There’s so many people who (13) ____________ love ___________-
How many times did I let it (14) _________________?
Sometimes we (15) ___________________—we are victims of fears
We (16) _____________, (17) _________________ and (18) _____________ the years
So it doesn’t (19) ______________
So it doesn’t work right
So we know we’ve (20) ___________________
(21) __________________ and never lose sight
Repeat chorus
I’ll (22) ______________ you, you can count on me
I’ll (23) ___________ you ______ if you’ll set me free

Phrasal verbs with take and put

Take take something off ” remove a piece of clothing take something on ” accept or decide to do something take something over ” take control of or responsibility for something, (a business) take to someone ” like someone who you’ve just met take something back ” admit that something you said was wrong

1   Complete the sentences with the correct prepositions.
When I take my glasses off, I can’t see a thing.
1   Julie is often tired. She has taken too much work ……………… .
2   When his father died, Simon took the family business  ……………… .
3   My parents haven’t taken ……………… my new boyfriend. He’s much older than me.
4   If he doesn’t take what he said ……………, she’ll be angry.
2   Rewrite the sentences with the correct phrasal verbs.
Mark apologised and admitted that what he had said was wrong.
Mark apologised and took what he had said back.
1   Would you like to give me your coat? ………………………………………………
2   My brother took responsibility for the family business last year. ………………………………
3   As soon as she met her, Linda didn’t like Michelle.   ……………………………………
4   Karl accepted Jane’s challenge to play in the tennis tournament. …………………………………

Put put someone off ” make someone lose interesting something put yourself out ” do something that is inconvenient for you put someone up ” let someone live in your house or flat for a while put something on ” put clothes on your body put something forward ” introduce something for discussion

3   Complete the sentences with the correct form of the phrasal verbs.
The idea that Mary put forward was the best.
1   Rachel didn’t want to go out with Steve. His smoking ……………… her ……………… .
2   Carol is very kind. She always ……………… herself ……………… for other people.
3   Tina ……………… Tom ……………… last month while he looked for a new flat.
4   Maria decided to ……………… her black dress ……………… for the party.
4   Rewrite the sentences using the correct form of the phrasal verbs.
The film Titanic made Sue lose interest in going on a boat. (put off)
The film Titanic put Sue off going on a boat.
1   You don’t need to go to any trouble for us. (put out)
You …………………………………………
2   You’d better wear a coat, because it’s raining. (put on)
You’d better …………………………………
3   My parents let my cousin live with them for a few months. (put up)
My parents …………………………………
4   Brad is always suggesting fantastic new ideas. (put forward)

Brad …………………………………

PHRASAL VERBS

BREAK:

1. BREAK AWAY – escape from someone / stop being part of a group. Ex: A group of employees broke away to set up a new company.
2. BREAK DOWN – a machine that stops working / start crying. Ex. His car broke away on his way to work. / She will break away as soon as she knows the news.
3. BREAK IN – enter by force (without permission, usually to steal something)
4. BREAK OUT – escape from prison
5. BREAK UP -  end a romantic relationship

CALL

1. CALL BACK – return a phone call
2. CALL FOR – need a particular action. Ex.: This calls for a particular celebration!/ They called for an investigation about the affair.
3. CALL OFF – cancel. Ex. The game was called off because of the bad weather.
4. CALL ON – visit someone for a short time. Ex. I`ll call on John while I`m in New York.
5. CALL OUT – say something in a loud voice / ask someone to help you. Ex. I had to call a doctor in the middle of the night. / I think I heard someone calling out from outside the room.
6. CALL UP – to phone / to ask someone to join a group.

COME

1. COME ABOUT – say how or why something happens.
2. COME ACROSS – to discover by chance
3. COME ALONG – to invite someone to go somewhere
4. COME AROUND – visit someone at their house / become conscious again / agree to a plan you were against
5. COME BACK – return to a place / become fashionable again / start to happen again
6. COME DOWN – fall on the ground / pass a tradition to others
7. COME IN – enter / become available
8. COME OFF – happen as planned / stop using medicine or  drugs
9. COME OUT – leave a place / publish ,available to buy /  information given to someone
10. COME OVER – move towards someone to speak / express something clearly
11. COME TO – become conscious again
12. COME THROUGH – receive a message
13. COME UP – happen without  expecting

CUT

1. CUT BACK – reduce the amount of money that is being spent on something
2. CUT DOWN – eat, drink or use les
3. CUT IN – interrupt someone
4. CUT OFF – stop providing, the supply of something / top talking to someone
5. CUT OUT – remove something by cutting / stop eating or drinking / stop working (electricity)
6. CUT UP – cut something in small  pieces
7. CUT IT OUT –stop doing something that annoys you. Cut it out, you two!

GET

1. GET ALONG – have a friendly relationship
2. GET AROUND – do something that you intended to do / deal with a situation, problem
3. GET AWAY – escape from a difficult situation
4. GET BACK – return from a place
5. GET BACK TO – start doing something again or talking to someone again
6. GET DOWN – make someone feel unhappy
7. GET IN – enter / be elected
8. GET INTO – become interested in an activity / become involved in a difficult situation
9. GET OFF – leave a bus, train,…/leave a place in order to start a journey
10. GET ON – a bus, train,…/ continue doing something / deal with something successfully
11. GET OUT – move out / leave a place
12. GET OUT OF – stop a habit / avoid doing something you should do
13. GET OVER – recover from an illness / find a solution to a problem
14. GET THROUGH – finish something you were doing / succeed in a competition
15. GET TOGETHER – begin a romantic relationship / prepare or arrange something / collect things
16. GET UP – stand up

EXERCISES – Complete with a suitable phrasal verb:
BREAK

1. He ___________________________ the company computer system and stole some top secret records.
2. At the age of 19 he ____________________ from his family and start living by himself.
3. She ________________________ into tears whenever she we talk about the accident.
4. The thieves __________________________ through the window kitchen last night.
5. He started drinking after his marriage ___________________________.

CALL

1. I will ___________ you __________ within an hour.
2. Can you ___________ me ______________ later?
3. The party was planned for next month but they had to __________ it _________.
4. Did anyone _____________________ his name?
5. This work _____________________ a high level of concentration.

COME

1. While I was cleaning the room, I ________________________ an old album of photos.
2. Do you have any idea how this incident _________________________?
3. I`m going to the movies tonight. Would you like to __________________________ ?
4. It`s strange _____________________________ to a place were you used to live?
5. A lot of trees __________________________ during the storm last Sunday.
6. I knocked on the door and  I was told to _______________________.
7. I have a book on how to ______________________ drugs.
8. His new book has just ____________________________ in the bookstores.
9. Do you think this red wine stain will ____________________ of my shirt?
10. Have your exam results ____________________________ yet?

CUT

1. Water and electricity were ______________________ due to no payment.
2. Kids love _________________________ pictures from old magazines.
3. We are having to ______________________ investments this year.
4. The company will _______________________ working hours.
5. I don`t know what was wrong with the car. It just ____________________ as I was crossing the street.

GET

1. Eight years ago I _________________________ with a girl from New Zealand.
2. I tried phoning him earlier but I didn`t __________________________.
3. I didn`t think he would _______________________ his wife`s death.
4. She is trying to _____________________ of doing the washing up again.
5. John____________________ the bus and ran towards us.
6. What time did you _________________________ last night?
7. As I was ___________________________ the car, my wallet fell off my pocket.
8. The whole audience ______________________ and started clapping the actors.
9. Don`t worry about the problem. We will ______________________ it somehow.
10. Vicky and Ellen seem to ______________________ much better these days.
11. How did you suddenly _____________________________ journalism?
12.  All this uncertainty will really ______________ him_____________.
13. If you ____________________ of a routine, it is very difficult to _________________ into it.
14. How did Angelina Jolie _________________________ from the crowd?
15. Can you give me some minutes to _______________ all my things ____________________?
16. We had to ______________________ some technical problems before filming could start.

Some phrasal (compound) verbs in English

come
come by                        Mr. Smith comes by here every morning.
come in                         Please come in; the door is open.
come to                        When he came to, he realized that he had been hit on the head.
come up                        An emergency came up, so he had to go home.
eat
eat breakfast                Sandra eats breakfast at 7:00 a.m.
eat lunch                      Sandra eats lunch at 12:30 p.m.
eat dinner                     Sandra eats dinner at 6:30 p.m.
eat supper                    Sandra eats supper at 6:30 p.m.
figure
figure out                      Have you figured out the correct answer?
get
get after                        The teacher got after me because I was late to class again.
get back                        When did you get back from vacation?
get better                       I hope you get better soon.
get by                            We are just barely getting by financially.
get down                        Kitty, get down from the table!
get dressed                    I must take a shower and get dressed.
get drunk                       If you’re driving, you must not get drunk!
get here                         What time did you get here?
get in                             Khadijah, please get in the car.
get married                    She got married last summer in Las Vegas.
get on                            Get on the bus and go to school.
get out                           The dog got out of the yard.
get over                        I hope she gets over her ex-boyfriend soon.
get ready                       Get ready!  The movie starts in ten minutes!
get sick                         Alicia got sick yesterday, so she left work early.
get there                        What time did they get there?
get through                    I hope I get through the semester without catching a cold.
get together                    He and his friends get together for pizza and beer every Friday after work.
give
give away                        She gave away her old clothes.
give back                        Please give back my pencil.
give in                             Don’t give in to temptation.
give out                           My brakes gave out on Trans-Mountain Road. / Please don’t give out my phone number.
give up                            I give up.  I am quitting school.
go
go away                            Go away!  Leave me alone!
go by                                We must go by the information that’s available.
go in                                  Go into the bedroom and turn right.
go out                                Let’s go out to eat tonight.
go to bed                           We went to bed at 10:00 last night.
go up                                Go up the stairs and turn to the left.