Phrasal Verbs – SS1 English Lesson Note (Third Term)

A phrasal verb is a group of two or three words made up of a verb followed by a particle (a preposition or an adverb), with a meaning that differs from its separate words.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. define a phrasal verb and identify its particle;
2. explain why phrasal verbs are called idiomatic expressions;
3. match common phrasal verbs with single verbs of the same meaning;
4. use phrasal verbs with one or two particles in sentences;
5. state the rules for answering summary questions in WAEC.

What is a phrasal verb?

A phrasal verb is a group of two or three words that begins with a verb and is followed by a particle.

• Structure: verb + particle (two words), or verb + two particles (three words).
• Particle: the short word after the verb. It can be a preposition or an adverb.
• Meaning: the group gives one new meaning that the separate words do not give.
• Example: “run down” means disparage.

What is a particle?

A particle is the short word, a preposition or an adverb, that follows the verb in a phrasal verb.

• Common particles: on, off, up, down, out, in, after, into, across, of, with, for, to.
• Preposition as particle: “look after” (look after the baby), “look into” (look into the matter).
• Adverb as particle: “find out”, “take off”, “give up”.

Why are phrasal verbs called idiomatic expressions?

Phrasal verbs are called idiomatic expressions because their meanings cannot be worked out from the words that make them up.

He ran down his opponents.

• “Run” alone means to move quickly on foot.
• “Down” alone shows direction towards a lower place.
• Joined as “run down”, the two words mean “disparage” in this sentence.
• The meaning of the whole group must therefore be learnt as one unit.
• Many phrasal verbs can be replaced by a single verb of the same meaning, as the tables below show.

What are phrasal verbs with one particle?

A phrasal verb with one particle is made up of a verb and a single particle, such as “call on” or “put on”.

Examples in sentences

1. The Constance family called on my parents last week.
2. Lolade put on her best gown for the party.
3. The police will look into the missing money.
4. Please take off your shoes before you enter the room.
5. The nurse looked after the patient all night.
6. I came across my old primary school photograph yesterday.

What are phrasal verbs with two particles?

A phrasal verb with two particles is made up of a verb and two particles, such as “feel up to” or “watch out for”.

How do we use phrasal verbs correctly?

Phrasal verbs are used by keeping the verb and particle together and choosing the particle that gives the meaning you want.

• Change the particle, change the meaning: “look after” means tend, but “look into” means investigate.
• Change the tense on the verb only: call on, called on, calling on.
• Some can be split: “She put on her gown” and “She put her gown on” are both correct.
• Some cannot be split: say “look after the baby”, not “look the baby after”.
• Prefer the single verb in formal writing: “investigate” is more formal than “look into”.

Reading comprehension: what are the rules for summary writing?

There are two approaches to summary writing: the précis and the question-answer type. For WAEC, we look at the rules for the question-answer type.

1. Read the passage two or three times and make sure you understand it before attempting the questions.
2. Keep your answers as short as possible. You will be penalised for wordiness.
3. Write your answers in your own words. Lifting (copying from the passage) attracts zero.
4. Do not include extraneous material in your answers.
5. Write your answers in sentences and number them. Answers in phrases will attract a penalty.
6. Make sure your answers are error-free. Grammatical errors will also be penalised.
7. Avoid ambiguous expressions. Be as clear as possible.

Evaluation

1. What is a phrasal verb?
2. Why are phrasal verbs called idiomatic expressions?
3. Give a single verb with the same meaning as each of these: put on, look into, take off.
4. Use “call on” and “make up for” in sentences of your own.
5. State four rules for answering summary questions in WAEC.

Assignment

Look up the meanings of the following phrasal verbs in your dictionary and use each in a sentence:

1. Do away with
2. Feel up to
3. Get on with
4. Come forward with
5. Watch out for
6. Stand out from
7. Face up to
8. Lash out at
9. Lash out on
10. Lose out on