PHRASAL VERBS

Lesson Goals:
This lesson is designed to educate high intermediate adult ELL students in phrasal verbs
definition and use. Students come from various language backgrounds. This lesson will also
connect with previous lessons on verbs and prepositions.

Objectives: Students will be able to

understand the definition of phrasal verbs
use and identify phrasal verbs in various contexts
Materials:
Laptop (powerpoint presentation)
worksheets
flash cards
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Lesson Plan:
1. Warm-Up Activity: Verb Review (5 minutes)
Instructors will show pictures of different verbs (run, sleep, sing, swim, cry, laugh) via powerpoint
Students will then identify the verb from the picture
Next, the instructors will ask students to use the verb in simple sentences (I ___, He ___, She
___, etc).
2. Presentation: Definitions Powerpoint (15 minutes)
Instructor will use powerpoint presentation to introduce the definition of a phrasal verb (verb +
participle)
Instructor will then break down and define each part of a phrasal verb (verb, then participle)
Students will be asked to define various verbs and prepositions separately
Then the students will be given examples of phrasal verbs (take off, run into, help up)
Instructor will discuss how each element of the phrasal verb (verb and participle) can have a
meaning separate from the meaning of the phrasal verb
Instructor will also discuss how different participles can change the meaning of a phrasal verb
(pick the boy vs. pick on the boy vs. pick up the boy)
Then instructor will show a list of verbs and have students define
Next, instructor will show a list of participles (prepositions) and have students define
Finally, instructor will combine verbs and participles and discuss meanings with students
3. Activity #1: Flash Card Game (10 minutes)
Students will be split into two teams
Both teams will receive flashcards with different phrasal verbs (put on, put off, put out, etc), and
the definition of the phrasal verbs on them
The first team will choose a card with the meaning of the phrasal verb and show it to the other
team. The other team will then pick the card with the matching phrasal verb. For an extra point,
the team can use the phrasal verbs in a sentence.

Finally there will be a final bonus round in which students are challenged to use as many
phrasal verbs as they can in a written story with only a two-minute time limit. Each phrasal verb
used correctly is worth an extra point.
4. Activity #2: Phrasal Verbs Worksheet (15 minutes)
Students will be given a worksheet where they will have to fill in the blanks with the appropriate
phrasal verbs from the powerpoint presentation
After the students complete the worksheet, the whole class will go over the answers together
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Resources:

Common phrasal verbs. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/phrasals.htm
Cowan, Ron. (2008). The Teachers Grammar of English. New York, NY: Cambridge University
Press.
EnglishClub. (2014). Phrasal Verbs and Other Multi-Words. Retrieved from
http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verbs-phrasal-verbs.htm
Yule, G. (1998). Explaining English Grammar. Oxford: Oxford University Press.