Oxford Phrasal verbs + idioms

lesson linkTEACHERS NOTES

Boost your vocabulary with idioms and phrasal verbs PHOTOCOPIABLE Oxford University Press 2014

Boost your vocabulary with idioms and phrasal verbs

Introduction

Phrasal verbs (sometimes called multi-word verbs) are extremely numerous in the English language. Although there is often a single-word equivalent to a phrasal verb, they are very commonly used in spoken or informal English, so having a good knowledge of phrasal verbs can make your spoken English sound more natural.

There are some phrasal verbs we use all the time and which we dont have a common single-word equivalent for. It is important to learn these early on, even at elementary level, e.g. break down and get up. The Oxford Essential Dictionary contains these important phrasal verbs below the main words in the entry for the verb, together with clear, simple definitions and example sentences. Most of these more basic phrasal verbs have literal meanings.

At higher levels, there are more phrasal verbs to learn and these often have idiomatic meanings, i.e. you cant work out the meaning easily by translating the individual words. The example sentences are very useful because they give a context for the phrasal verb and make it easier to understand the meaning.

Phrasal verbs are often learned as a set around a topic such as travel or else studied in groups according to the verb or particle, e.g. phrasal verbs with come or with up. Another good way to study them is to analyse a piece of spoken English from the radio or TV and check the meanings of any phrasal verbs in a dictionary.

An aspect of phrasal verbs which can be frustrating is that they dont all work in the same way grammatically. Many take an object but some do not. In many cases the verb and particle are separable but there are a number of inseparable phrasal verbs. For this reason, phrasal verb entries in the Oxford Wordpower Dictionary clearly show how to use them as well as the meaning, e.g. get sth back means that this phrasal verb takes an object (something) and the object separates the verb and particle. See page R16 in the Reference section. There are example sentences to illustrate this as well. In the Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary there is a special symbol, a double arrow, to indicate that a phrasal verb is separable, e.g. call sth off.Idioms are probably most useful to students of English who have reached intermediate level and above. As with idiomatic phrasal verbs, the meanings often have to be worked out from hearing or reading the idiom in context. Many languages around the world have idioms but you cannot assume that they are the same from one language to another!

The dictionaries give extra help by means of labels such as informal or AmE / NAmE (American English) and BrE (British English) to tell learners how and where the phrasal verb or idiom is used.



ELEMENTARY

Time 10-15 minutes individual or pair work + 15 minutes group work + optional extension/homework

Topic Very common phrasal verbs

Aims Students will encounter some commonly used phrasal verbs and practise using them in writing and speaking.

Before you start

Make photocopies of the Common phrasal verbs worksheet for each student or pair. Make photocopies of the Group activity worksheet and cut it into four sections. You will need one cut-up worksheet for each group of students. You will also need copies of the Oxford Essential Dictionary.

Procedure

Hand out a Common phrasal verbs worksheet to each student or one per pair.

Tell them to look at the phrasal verbs in the box. With a weaker group, elicit what the past simple forms of the verbs are.

Explain what they have to do. Do the first gap together as an example if necessary.

When they have finished, hand out dictionaries so that they can check their answers.

Then go through the answers with the class.

Next divide the class into groups and give each person in the group one of the four sections of the Group activity worksheet. With a weaker group, give them support to form the questions they will need to ask before they start interviewing each other.

Tell them to ask the other members of their group their questions and make a record of any yes answers. With a stronger group, tell them to ask more questions to find out extra information about any yes answers.

Conduct class feedback/discussion

Extension Ask students to write their own sentences using the phrasal verbs for homework.

Answers Common phrasal verbs 1 go away 2 went out 3 put on 4 went back 5 pick me up 6 get out of it 7 went round 8 get in



INTERMEDIATE

Time 5 minutes quiz (optional) + 20-30 minutes group work + optional extension/homework

Topic Idioms including parts of the body

Aims To learn a fun and useful set of body idioms and to practise the skill of working out the meaning of new vocabulary from contextual clues.

Before you start

Make photocopies of the first task and cut it up into four sections, one section per group of three to four students. Make photocopies of the Sentence matching task, one worksheet per group of three to four students. You will also need copies of the Oxford Wordpower Dictionary.

Procedure

Optional lead-in: Start with a quick quiz. Read aloud the quiz questions about parts of the body. Students write the answers. Quickly check the answers together.

Divide the class into four groups. There should be three to four students in each group. If you have more students, make eight groups.

Give each group one of the cut-out sections containing three idioms and example sentences. Tell them to read the example sentences and discuss what they think the idiom means.

Hand out copies of the Oxford Wordpower Dictionary to each group and tell them to check the meanings. Explain that sometimes they will have to follow a link to a different dictionary entry (e.g. at foot, get cold feet directs you to the entry for cold1.)

Now regroup the students for the next task. This means put them in groups where there is at least one student of each of groups a, b, c and d.

Give them the Sentence matching worksheet and explain what to do. Remind them that one student in their group knows what each idiom means so if they get stuck, they need to help each other by explaining the idioms they each know.

Give them a suitable time limit and monitor them carefully.

When most have finished, check the answers together and clarify any idioms they still dont feel they really understand.

You could all have a discussion about whether any of the idioms exist in the students languages.

Extension Ask them which two parts of the body from the quiz did not appear in any of the idioms (chin and neck). Ask them to do some dictionary research and find out idioms for these parts of the body for homework.

Answers

1 j 2 b

3 f 4 i

5 k 6 a

7 d 8 h

9 l 10 g

11 e 12 c

1 feet 2 nose

3 hands 4 head

5 eyes 6 neck

7 legs 8 face

9 chin 10 ears

Quiz

Sentence matching



INTERMEDIATE

Read aloud the following quiz questions to elicit the relevant parts of the body.

1 You have two of us at the bottom of your legs and you use us for standing, walking and running. You put shoes on us.

2 You only have one of me and you need me for smelling.

3 You have two of us at the end of your arms and you need us for holding and touching things.

4 I am the top part of your body and your brain is inside me.

5 You have two of us and you need us for seeing and looking.

6 I join your head to the rest of your body. When its cold, you can put a scarf around me.

7 You have two of us and we connect your body to your feet. Without us, you would be much shorter.

8 Im the front of part of your head and I contain your nose, mouth and eyes.

9 Im at the bottom of your head and I can be pointed, rounded or square. If youre a man, you can grow a beard on me.

10 You have two of us and we are on the sides of your head. You use us for hearing and listening.



ADVANCED

Time 10-15 minutes individual work or pair work + 15-20 minutes individual or pair work + optional extension/homework

Topic Phrasal verbs connected with organizing, many of which have idiomatic rather than literal meanings.

Aims To learn a set of phrasal verbs used in everyday, colloquial English and practise the skill of working out the meaning of new vocabulary from contextual clues.

Before you start

Make photocopies of the dialogue for each student or one per pair. Make photocopies of the sentence transformation worksheets one per student or one per pair. You will also need copies of the Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary.

Procedure

Hand out the dialogue to each learner or one per pair. Give them time to read it and ask What two main topics do these women discuss? (Answer: the school play and going to the cinema). Ask extra comprehension questions if necessary but avoid going through any vocabulary at this stage.

Instruct them to find and underline the ten phrasal verbs. They can work on this task individually or in pairs.

Check that they have been able to find all the phrasal verbs. Give extra time for them to work out the meanings from the context and discuss the meanings in pairs.

Hand out copies of the dictionaries for them to check the entries. If necessary, go through the phrasal verbs as a class to clarify the meanings. You could also point out which of the phrasal verbs are separable.

Show the learners the second task. Instruct clearly and go through the example.

Doing this task in pairs will allow students to discuss which phrasal verb to choose and any necessary changes to the sentence but it can also be done individually.

When they have all finished, check the answers as a class.

Extension Ask the students to write three questions to ask their classmates, using the phrasal verbs. Give them sentence starters if necessary. For example, Has anyone ever talked you into doing something? Can you remember a time when you got out of doing something? When was the last time you pencilled in an arrangement?

Answers Exercise 1

1 let me off = let sb off sth 2 sorted out = sort sth out 3 roped John in = rope sb in 4 get away with = get away with sth 5 put him down = put sb down for sth

6 talk him into = talk sb into sth 7 rounding up = round sb up 8 got out of = get out of sth 9 pencil it in = pencil sth in 10 get back to you = get back to sb



Answers Exercise 2

1 He has pencilled in the appointment for the 28th. 2 I have rounded up (or roped in) a few people to help us decorate the hall. 3 Alison didnt want to apply for the job but Hannah talked her into applying. 4 James got out of cleaning the windows because he is afraid of heights. 5 Ill put you down for the trip. 6 I havent got the exact figures now but Ill get back to you. 7 They have sorted out the refreshments. 8 The boys got away with being rude to the teacher. 9 Washing the car is my job but my dad let me off this weekend. 10 I didnt really want to join the choir but Jenny roped me in (or talked me into it).

lesson linkWORKSHEET

PHOTOCOPIABLE Oxford University Press 2014Boost your vocabulary with idioms and phrasal verbs

WORKSHEET

Elementary Common phrasal verbs Use phrasal verbs from the box to complete this conversation between two friends. Be careful some of the verbs need to be in the past simple tense. If youre not sure what the verbs mean, use your dictionary to check. Each verb is used once.

get in get out of something go away go back go out go round pick somebody up put something on

Louisa: Hi Sandy, did you have a nice weekend?

Sandy: Yes, thank you. It was lovely. John and I decided to (1)__________________________ for the weekend.

Louisa: Oh, where did you go?

Sandy: We went to Bristol. Its a really fun city. On Saturday night we (2)__________________________ to an expensive restaurant.

Louisa: That sounds nice.

Sandy: Yes, but John forgot to (3)__________________________ a tie.

Louisa: Oh no! What did you do?

Sandy: We just (4)__________________________ to the hotel to get one so it was OK. How about your weekend?

Louisa: Well, you know Anna has a new boyfriend

Sandy: Has she? Another one?!

Louisa: Yes, and I didnt really want to meet him but she offered to (5)__________________________ from the gym so I couldnt (6)__________________________ it.

Sandy: So you (7)__________________________ to Annas house on Saturday night

Louisa: No, Friday night. We had dinner together then went to a nightclub and I didnt (8)__________________________ until 4 a.m.!

Sandy: It sounds like you had a good time. Is the boyfriend nice?

Louisa: Yes, he is and I also met his very handsome friend!



WORKSHEET

a Find someone who

got in late last night.

is going round to a friends house this weekend.

b Find someone who

went away for a weekend last year.

puts their clothes on quickly in the morning.

c Find someone who

went out last weekend.

has picked up a friend in their car this week.

d Find someone who

got out of doing some work this week.

is going back to their country this year.

Elementary Group activity



WORKSHEET

Intermediate

a pull a facekeep an eye on somebody/somethingget cold feet

Example sentences1 She pulled a face when she tasted the soup.2 Could you keep an eye on my bags while I get a trolley to put them in?3 He was going to do the parachute jump but then he got cold feet.

b have a head for somethingturn your hand to somethingkeep a straight face

Example sentences1 She has a head for business so Im sure shes going to make a lot of money.2 Alex is amazing. He can turn his hand to almost any sport.3 I couldnt keep a straight face when she forgot the words of the song!

c play it by earhave your eye on somethingpull somebodys leg

Example sentences1 I dont know how long the interview will take so well just have to play it by ear.2 Ive got my eye on some shoes I saw at half price. 3 No, of course he isnt quitting his job hes just pulling your leg.

d stand on your own two feetturn your nose up at somethingoff the top of my head

Example sentences1 Now Im 18, I think I need to earn some money and stand on my own two feet.2 I cant believe she turned her nose up at your home-made cake! 3 I cant remember the name off the top of my head. Ill have to check my diary.



WORKSHEET

Intermediate Sentence matching Work together to match the sentence beginnings numbered1-12 with a suitable ending.

Help each other by explaining the idioms you have studied.

1 My sister asked me to keep

2 Its really time to leave home and stand

3 I think Louise was pulling

4 Jack is a useful friend because he can turn

5 The show may be sold out so well just have to play it

6 I dont want to climb that tower. I really dont have a

7 I saw him pull

8 It was really funny but I managed to keep

9 I dont know exactly how much it costs but off

10 My brother definitely has his

11 On the day of his wedding, he got cold

12 My wealthy cousins turned their

a head for heights!

b on your own two feet.

c noses up at staying with us and went to a hotel instead.

d a face when he smelt the food cooking in the kitchen.

e feet and told his friends he couldnt do it.

f your leg when she told you she was getting married!

g eye on an expensive new car!

h a straight face.

i his hand to lots of jobs around the house.

j an eye on the children while she went to the bank.

k by ear and maybe do something else.

l the top of my head Id say around 30.



WORKSHEET

Advanced Exercise 1

In this dialogue two friends are talking about an event. Find and underline ten phrasal verbs connected with organizing events and meetings. Try to work out what they mean from the context, then check the definitions in the dictionary.

Annabelle: Hi Sarah

Sarah: Oh, hi Annabelle. Looking forward to the childrens school play tomorrow?

Annabelle: Well, yes, but Ive been working night shifts at the hospital so the head teacher let me off organizing the music this year. I hope shes OK.

Sarah: Oh dont worry shes sorted out a large team of helpers.

Annabelle: Good. I said Id help with tea and coffee in the interval.

Sarah: Me too. And shes roped John in to check tickets and take money on the door.

Annabelle: Thats good. I dont see why he should get away with doing nothing every year.

Sarah: And you know Alan? Shes put him down for stacking all the chairs at the end of the evening.

Annabelle: Seriously?! How did she talk him into doing that?

Sarah: Well, as I said, shes doing well with rounding up volunteers.

Annabelle: Yes, thats brilliant. Now, while youre here why dont we set a date for going to the cinema like we said we would.

Sarah: OK, let me get my diary. I was supposed to be babysitting on Friday but Ive got out of that so shall I pencil it in for then?

Annabelle: Yeah, Fridays probably fine. I can get back to you tomorrow on that.

Sarah: OK, thats great. See you in the morning.

Annabelle: Bye for now.



WORKSHEET

Advanced Exercise 2

Rewrite the following sentences using a phrasal verb from the box. The new sentence means the same as the original. You may change other words in the sentence if necessary. Sentence 1 has been done for you.

sort something out talk somebody into something

put somebody down for something rope somebody in

pencil something in get out of something

get away with something get back to somebody

let somebody off round somebody up

1 He has provisionally written the appointment down in his diary for the 28th. (Answer: He has pencilled in the appointment for the 28th.)

2 I have organized a few people to help us decorate the hall.

3 Alison didnt want to apply for the job but Hannah chatted with her and persuaded her to apply.

4 James was supposed to clean the windows but he didnt have to do it because he is afraid of heights.

5 Ill write your name on the list for the trip

6 I havent got the exact figures now but Ill contact you again.

7 They have organized the refreshments.

8 The boys werent punished for being rude to the teacher.

9 Washing the car is my job but my dad allowed me not to do it this weekend.

10 I wasnt keen to join the choir but Jenny convinced me to join.

Documents

Oxford Phrasal verbs + idioms