PHRASAL VERBS-1 (REVISION)

Good morning.

Today we begin the revision of a series of 3 Daily Vitamins about phrasal verbs that were originally created in October of 2004. First we are going to give you some tips on how to learn phrasal verbs; we will then look at the grammar of phrasal verbs and, finally, we will look at a phrasal verb word group, including a suggestion from one of our Daily Vitamin readers.

Remember that a phrasal verb (for example look up) is a verb made up of two parts: a verb (look) and an adverbial particle (up). 

Many English students feel frustrated or overwhelmed by phrasal verbs. This is understandable because there are many different phrasal verbs and they often look very similar, or one phrasal verb can have many different meanings. This can make it difficult to remember what they mean. However, if you apply some of the learning strategies and study ideas that we have seen in other Daily Vitamins when you learn phrasal verbs, you will see that these verbs are not so difficult after all!

Following are some ideas to help you begin learning phrasal verbs more effectively:

1) Phrasal verbs have a meaning. Try to associate the verb with its meaning. For example: put on, try on and take off are all phrasal verbs associated with clothes. Write or say sentences related to clothes using these phrasal verbs:

-I put on my clothes in the morning
-She tried on a new dress in the shop.
-I take off my shoes when I get home.

2) Learn groups of phrasal verbs related to a topic or meaning. For example, there are phrasal verbs related to telephoning, to clothes (see 1 above), to inviting people, to airport travel, to name just a few word groups. When you are learning new phrasal verbs, try to group them around a topic.

If you have any questions about today's Daily Vitamin, please post your comments by clicking on the "Add a Comment" button in the Daily Vitamin section on our website (www.ziggurat.es).

Have a great day!