Three ways to learn phrasal verbs in English
Fact: for many phrasal verbs in the English language there are “normal” synonyms. And one more fact: carriers prefer to use phrasal verbs in their speech, and not the same “normal” synonyms.
There are no phrasal verbs in Russian. We make the right word with the help of, for example, prefixes: go out, go, go, walk. Therefore, it is very difficult for Russian students of English to memorize phrasal verbs and start using them in a proper place. And if only practice helps with correct use, then phrasal verbs can be taught in different ways.
It is a combination of a verb with a preposition, an adverb, or both. Such a combination becomes a separate semantic unit, that is, separately parts of the phrasal verb cannot be translated: meaning is formed in the bundle itself.
He becomes a separate member of the sentence, varies according to the verb. For example, “I am the person I know” , but “He look up ...”, “He look ed up ...” .
However, there is another trick. Phrasal verbs can be transitive and intransitive, and their preposition or adverb can “fall off” from the verb and occur elsewhere in the sentence. First you need to understand what transitive and intransitive verbs are. Transitive verbs have a direct complement.
We've put off the meeting for a week. - here the direct addition will be the meeting .
Intransitive verbs have no direct object.
Boromir smiled. - there is no addition, and in general it is impossible to “smile something”. That is, the verb “smile” never has any additions.
Some verbs can be both transitive and intransitive, but not so many. For example, the verb look up can mean "improve" ( to improve ), and then it will be intransitive ( After everything she had to overcome ), and can mean "to look for a word in a dictionary", and then after it the word will be added, and the verb will be considered transitive.
And now the most important thing: the transitional phrasal verbs can be divided, and the preposition arises after the addition. For example:
I want to work out our problems.
I want to work our problems out .
The value does not change.
Step one is to make sure that the verb is transitive.
Step two - look at the supplement. If it is very long, it is better to leave everything as is.
Example:
I picked up the cat up and petted it. - the addition is short, the verb can be divided.
I picked up my pet cat up and petted it. - the addition is longer, and if you divide the verb, its meaning is easily lost. Better to leave the verb as it is.
The third step, for the tempted, is to pay attention to the meaning and connotation of the verb. There is a category of verbs that convey an emotional state. That is, the action described by the verb has a strong influence on the object. In such cases, the verbs should be separated.
For example:
Her disapproval really brought him down . - if you swap the preposition and addition, the meaning disappears.
There is also a reverse situation when the verb to divide does not work, although it is transitive. In such cases, the whole meaning of the phrasal verb as a lexical unit is focused on the verb itself, and not on its complement, and if you insert an addition between the verb and the preposition, then, again, the meaning is lost. For example:
The new president took over the country. - emphasis on the fact that the president received power. The verb take over , among other things, means “to come to power”, “to take control”, so in this example it is important to keep it intact.
First you need to determine the level. It makes no sense to memorize phrasal verbs thoughtlessly, according to the list, trying to somehow grasp their meaning. One verb can have several different meanings, and if you attach another preposition to it, another heap of meanings will appear. It is better to learn verbs systematically. There are three approaches and a few practical tips for memorizing verbs.
Some verbs are very productive, they take on many prepositions and adverbs and form many lexical units. And other verbs have two or three combinations and that's all. Start learning better with productive verbs: take, make, go, turn, get . Take the verb and watch all combinations with it: take on, take down, take up, take over , etc. Then you work on these particular combinations (see practical tips below), without being distracted by other verbs.
Not the most convenient, but if you have everything in order with the morphology, then sometimes this approach is even simpler. Take the excuse, for example, out . See the meaning: from, direction from yourself. And remember the right combination, based on the value of the preposition. Take out - take out, unload, remove. Catch? All three verbs have the meaning of “moving away from you” due to the prefix in Russian. Well, in English, the prefix will play the role of the preposition. Now take the adverb - around . It means "around." Turn around - turn around, get around - go around, avoid, move. Both the verb and the preposition practically help each other with their meanings and form a new word.
This approach is commonly used in textbooks. You have a specific topic, for example, a job, and a list of verbs associated with this topic: take on, carry out, take over, step down, follow up, head up , etc. The advantage of this approach is the context. You learn the verbs that fit in a specific context, so it’s pretty easy for you to remember them.
But there are two minuses: first, the context may not be related to you. Language learning should always be related to your personal interests and needs. Agree, if you are not a marketer, you will not be interested in learning words related to marketing.
Secondly, the language is a living organism, it is constantly changing. If the rules of grammar are still relatively unshakable (although it is possible to argue here), then phrasal verbs appear and disappear with incredible speed, therefore in textbooks you can sometimes find verbs that have practically ceased to be used in lively speech.
Phrasal verbs cannot be taught in isolation. They need to be remembered in context. Since the memory of all works in different ways, you have to find a way that suits you best.
If you remember visually better, then try to link the verb with the picture. You can write a verb on a sticker and stick it on the subject with which the action is connected, or you can find a suitable picture on the Internet. Memorize one verb per day, and at the end of the week look at all the pictures and remember each verb.
If it is easier for you to memorize information by ear , then songs will help you out. Find texts of your favorite songs and listen, singing, this can be done, for example, in our free section “Songs” . Find phrasal verbs in the text and first try to determine their meaning based on the text of the song. If something is not clear, look in the dictionary, translate the verbs, and then sing the song again: now you will better understand the meaning.
If you have the best developed tactile memory , then you can try as many as two ways. Some verbs can "show." Learn the verb look around ? Look around and say the verb out loud. Then the action will be associated with the verb.
Some students say that they are helped by the letter, they say, “I will prescribe twenty times and remember.” Do not prescribe the verb twenty times. Make a story out of them! Ask yourself a time limit, for example 14 days. In 14 days you will learn 14 verbs. On the first day, you choose a verb and write one sentence with it. On the second day, you write the first sentence from memory and add the second, but with a new verb. By the end of the period, you will write 14 sentences with different phrasal verbs from memory. And if you also make up a story yourself, then due to personalization, remember the used verbs faster.
Also, of course, all the advice to read, listen and watch. News sites and journal articles will always contain the newest phrasal verbs. Talk shows, entertainment programs and films will also give you the opportunity to practice perception of lively speech and see how to use phrasal verbs correctly. This is in our section "Video Puzzles" (20 phrases per day can be collected for free).
Readers of the blog give a coupon for 500 rubles for the purchase of a subscription, which includes 8 types of training and weekly newsletters about English grammar and vocabulary.
And for unlimited and perpetual access to all features of the site there is an “All Inclusive” tariff (the discount does not apply).
There are no phrasal verbs in Russian. We make the right word with the help of, for example, prefixes: go out, go, go, walk. Therefore, it is very difficult for Russian students of English to memorize phrasal verbs and start using them in a proper place. And if only practice helps with correct use, then phrasal verbs can be taught in different ways.
What is a phrasal verb?
It is a combination of a verb with a preposition, an adverb, or both. Such a combination becomes a separate semantic unit, that is, separately parts of the phrasal verb cannot be translated: meaning is formed in the bundle itself.
How does the phrasal verb work in a sentence?
He becomes a separate member of the sentence, varies according to the verb. For example, “I am the person I know” , but “He look up ...”, “He look ed up ...” .
However, there is another trick. Phrasal verbs can be transitive and intransitive, and their preposition or adverb can “fall off” from the verb and occur elsewhere in the sentence. First you need to understand what transitive and intransitive verbs are. Transitive verbs have a direct complement.
We've put off the meeting for a week. - here the direct addition will be the meeting .
Intransitive verbs have no direct object.
Boromir smiled. - there is no addition, and in general it is impossible to “smile something”. That is, the verb “smile” never has any additions.
Some verbs can be both transitive and intransitive, but not so many. For example, the verb look up can mean "improve" ( to improve ), and then it will be intransitive ( After everything she had to overcome ), and can mean "to look for a word in a dictionary", and then after it the word will be added, and the verb will be considered transitive.
And now the most important thing: the transitional phrasal verbs can be divided, and the preposition arises after the addition. For example:
I want to work out our problems.
I want to work our problems out .
The value does not change.
How to learn to separate verbs?
Step one is to make sure that the verb is transitive.
Step two - look at the supplement. If it is very long, it is better to leave everything as is.
Example:
I picked up the cat up and petted it. - the addition is short, the verb can be divided.
I picked up my pet cat up and petted it. - the addition is longer, and if you divide the verb, its meaning is easily lost. Better to leave the verb as it is.
The third step, for the tempted, is to pay attention to the meaning and connotation of the verb. There is a category of verbs that convey an emotional state. That is, the action described by the verb has a strong influence on the object. In such cases, the verbs should be separated.
For example:
Her disapproval really brought him down . - if you swap the preposition and addition, the meaning disappears.
There is also a reverse situation when the verb to divide does not work, although it is transitive. In such cases, the whole meaning of the phrasal verb as a lexical unit is focused on the verb itself, and not on its complement, and if you insert an addition between the verb and the preposition, then, again, the meaning is lost. For example:
The new president took over the country. - emphasis on the fact that the president received power. The verb take over , among other things, means “to come to power”, “to take control”, so in this example it is important to keep it intact.
How to learn all this?
First you need to determine the level. It makes no sense to memorize phrasal verbs thoughtlessly, according to the list, trying to somehow grasp their meaning. One verb can have several different meanings, and if you attach another preposition to it, another heap of meanings will appear. It is better to learn verbs systematically. There are three approaches and a few practical tips for memorizing verbs.
Approach one: verb
Some verbs are very productive, they take on many prepositions and adverbs and form many lexical units. And other verbs have two or three combinations and that's all. Start learning better with productive verbs: take, make, go, turn, get . Take the verb and watch all combinations with it: take on, take down, take up, take over , etc. Then you work on these particular combinations (see practical tips below), without being distracted by other verbs.
Approach two: by preposition or adverb
Not the most convenient, but if you have everything in order with the morphology, then sometimes this approach is even simpler. Take the excuse, for example, out . See the meaning: from, direction from yourself. And remember the right combination, based on the value of the preposition. Take out - take out, unload, remove. Catch? All three verbs have the meaning of “moving away from you” due to the prefix in Russian. Well, in English, the prefix will play the role of the preposition. Now take the adverb - around . It means "around." Turn around - turn around, get around - go around, avoid, move. Both the verb and the preposition practically help each other with their meanings and form a new word.
Approach the third: on a subject
This approach is commonly used in textbooks. You have a specific topic, for example, a job, and a list of verbs associated with this topic: take on, carry out, take over, step down, follow up, head up , etc. The advantage of this approach is the context. You learn the verbs that fit in a specific context, so it’s pretty easy for you to remember them.
But there are two minuses: first, the context may not be related to you. Language learning should always be related to your personal interests and needs. Agree, if you are not a marketer, you will not be interested in learning words related to marketing.
Secondly, the language is a living organism, it is constantly changing. If the rules of grammar are still relatively unshakable (although it is possible to argue here), then phrasal verbs appear and disappear with incredible speed, therefore in textbooks you can sometimes find verbs that have practically ceased to be used in lively speech.
Practical tips: how to remember it all?
Phrasal verbs cannot be taught in isolation. They need to be remembered in context. Since the memory of all works in different ways, you have to find a way that suits you best.
If you remember visually better, then try to link the verb with the picture. You can write a verb on a sticker and stick it on the subject with which the action is connected, or you can find a suitable picture on the Internet. Memorize one verb per day, and at the end of the week look at all the pictures and remember each verb.
If it is easier for you to memorize information by ear , then songs will help you out. Find texts of your favorite songs and listen, singing, this can be done, for example, in our free section “Songs” . Find phrasal verbs in the text and first try to determine their meaning based on the text of the song. If something is not clear, look in the dictionary, translate the verbs, and then sing the song again: now you will better understand the meaning.
If you have the best developed tactile memory , then you can try as many as two ways. Some verbs can "show." Learn the verb look around ? Look around and say the verb out loud. Then the action will be associated with the verb.
Some students say that they are helped by the letter, they say, “I will prescribe twenty times and remember.” Do not prescribe the verb twenty times. Make a story out of them! Ask yourself a time limit, for example 14 days. In 14 days you will learn 14 verbs. On the first day, you choose a verb and write one sentence with it. On the second day, you write the first sentence from memory and add the second, but with a new verb. By the end of the period, you will write 14 sentences with different phrasal verbs from memory. And if you also make up a story yourself, then due to personalization, remember the used verbs faster.
Also, of course, all the advice to read, listen and watch. News sites and journal articles will always contain the newest phrasal verbs. Talk shows, entertainment programs and films will also give you the opportunity to practice perception of lively speech and see how to use phrasal verbs correctly. This is in our section "Video Puzzles" (20 phrases per day can be collected for free).
And if you want to pump up English in a complex, come to us
Readers of the blog give a coupon for 500 rubles for the purchase of a subscription, which includes 8 types of training and weekly newsletters about English grammar and vocabulary.
And for unlimited and perpetual access to all features of the site there is an “All Inclusive” tariff (the discount does not apply).
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/410299/