Introduction

to phrasal
verbs: the
particles up &
down
GRAMMAR

LEVEL NUMBER LANGUAGE

Intermediate B1_1062G_EN English
Goals

■ Learn what phrasal verbs

are
■ Learn phrasal verbs with
up and down
■ Practise using phrasal
verbs

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Do you think you will need to look up
some words in this lesson?

Will you give up if it gets difficult?

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Preview and warm-up

This lesson is about phrasal verbs. You are going to learn about these verbs and
practise using them.

We should give up fast food.

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What is a phrasal verb?

■ Phrasal verbs consist of a verb and a preposition or an adverb.

■ Phrasal verbs have completely different meanings to their separate parts.
Instead of phrasal verbs we can usually use another verb or phrase in their
place.

I need to look up a word in my

dictionary.

My car has broken down!

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Phrasal verbs with up

■ Below are some phrasal verbs with up, with their meanings next to them.

Phrasal verb Meaning

Back up To support or help someone.

Break up To end a relationship.

Bring up To raise children.

Cheer up To make someone happier.

Get up To get to your feet from a chair or bed.

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Phrasal verbs with up

■ Here are some more phrasal verbs with up.

Phrasal verb Meaning

Give up To stop doing something permanently.

Grow up To change from a child into an adult.

Look up To find information in a book.

Put up To build or raise something.

Take up To start doing a new activity.

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Fill in the gaps

Use the phrasal verbs below to fill in the gaps.

grow up look up get up cheer up give up

1. I really want to _______________ smoking this year.

2. When I don’t know a word I _______________ it
_______________ in the dictionary.
3. I played my mum’s favourite song to
_______________ her _______________ when she was
sad.
4. I _______________ in the countryside but now I live
in the city.
5. I _______________ at 7 every morning.

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Fill in the gaps

Fill in the gaps with the correct phrasal verb.

Make sure to put it into the correct tense.

1. I was _______________ by my mother and

father.
2. I bought some new curtains so I need to
_______________ them _______________ tonight.
3. I expect my best friends to _______________
me _______________ in an argument.
4. I would like to _______________ running this
year.
5. John and Alice _______________ because he
moved away to go to university.

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Write a single word verb or phrase with the same meaning as
the phrasal verb.

1. Break up End a relationship

____________________________________________________
2. Bring up ____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________
3. Give up ____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________
4. Put up ____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________
5. Take up ____________________________________________________

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Complete the sentences

Complete the sentences so they are true for you. Then compare
your sentences with the rest of the class and teacher.

1. I would like to give up _______________ because…

2. When I don’t know a word I look it up…

3. _______________ always backs me up in an argument.

4. I get up at _______________ during the week and _______________

at weekends.

5. I grew up in _______________. It is…

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Discuss

? ? ? ?? ?
? ? ? brought
? you? up?
Who
?
?
? ? ? ?
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Cheer up!

What kind of things cheer you

up when you’re feeling sad?
What do you do to cheer your
friends up when they’re sad?

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Taking something up

Is there any new activity or hobby that you would like to take
up in the next year?

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Phrasal verbs with down

■ Below are some phrasal verbs with down, with their meanings next to them.

Phrasal verb Meaning

Break down To stop working.

Come down (with) To become ill.

Cut down To reduce.

Hold down To keep a job.

Kneel down To go onto your knees.

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Phrasal verbs with down

Here are some more phrasal verbs with down.

Phrasal verb Meaning

Let down To disappoint.

Look down on To think someone is less important than you.

Settle down To start living a quiet, family life.

Take down To take apart or remove.

Turn down To reject.

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Fill in the gaps

Use the phrasal verbs on the right to fill in the gaps.

Change the tense if necessary.

come down

hold down
1. I decided to move to the countryside and
_______________. let down

2. He couldn’t _______________ a job because he

settle down
always got up too late.
3. She _______________ the job offer because it turn down
was too far from home.
4. I _______________ with the flu a few days ago
and I haven’t got out of bed since.
5. You promised you would be home by 10
and now it’s 12 – you’ve really _______________
me _______________.

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Match the synonyms together

remove

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Replace the phrases

Replace the phrases in bold with a phrasal verb.

I had a terrible day today. First my car stopped

working on a busy road and my wife had to come and
drive me to work. Then I met my colleague who always
thinks he is better than me – he makes me so angry,
and he laughed about my poor car. He came into my
office and told me to remove the picture of my
children which was on the wall, and then he told me I
should reduce how much chocolate I eat, just because
he saw one wrapper in the wastepaper bin. He did
offer to drive me home after work but I rejected him –
I didn’t want to listen to him all the way home!

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Fill in the gaps

Fill in the gaps with the correct form of one of the phrasal verbs.
Then answer the questions.

1 Has your car ever _______________?

2 Do you know anyone who _______________ other people?

3
When do people _______________? For example, in church.

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Cutting down

Is there anything you want to cut down on?

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Game

■ Say a phrase from the

lesson.
■ Your classmates have to
guess which phrasal verb
has the same meaning.

reject stop doing something build end a relationship

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Reflect on the goals

Go back to the second slide of the lesson and check

if you have achieved all the goals of the lesson.

yes no

_______________________________ _______________________________
_______________________________ _______________________________

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Reflect on this lesson

Think about everything you have seen in this lesson.

What were the most difficult activities or words? The easiest?

+ _______________________________
_______________________________

+ _______________________________
_______________________________

– _______________________________
_______________________________

– _______________________________
_______________________________
If you have time, go over
the most difficult slides again

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25 www.lingoda.com
Exercise p. 8 Exercise p. 18
1. give up, 2. look up, 3. cheer up, 4. look down on – believe you are better or
grew up, 5. get up more important, break down – stop
working, take down – remove, cut down
Exercise p. 9 – do less, kneel down- get down on your
knees
1. brought up, 2. put up, 3. back up, 4.
take up, 5. broke up
Exercise p. 19
Exercise p. 10 broke down, looks down on me, take
down, cut down, turned him down
Accept any good answer
Exercise p. 20
Exercise p. 17
1. broken down, 2. looks down on, 3.
1. settle down, 2. hold down, 3. turned kneel down
down, 4. came down, 5. let down
Answer key
Homework

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 Complete the sentences

Complete the sentences with your own ideas.

1. Some people find it hard to hold down a job because _______________.

2. I was brought up by _______________.

3. The last illness I came down with was _______________.

4. _______________ let me down when he/she _______________.

5. I would like to settle down in _______________.

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Writing

Write a short story using as many of the phrasal verbs as you

can.

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