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LSA 1

Helping lower level learners understand and use phrasal verbs.

Simon Richardson

Word Count: 2494


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Contents

Introduction Page 3

Analysis of Phrasal Verbs Page 3

Learner Problems and Solutions for Teachers Page 7

Conclusion Page 12

Bibliography Page 13

Appendices

1) New Cutting Edge Intermediate, Cunningham and Moor, P.78

2) Adapted from Teaching Collocation: Further Page 14


Developments in the Lexical Approach, Lewis, P.45
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Introduction

Learners of English have problems with phrasal verbs as they are not singular

in part, can take different forms and have levels of idiomaticity. This causes

significant comprehension issues, particularly for lower level learners, who will have

encountered prepositions of place and time and are less comfortable with processing

language in lexical chunks. I am not satisfied that the way phrasal verbs are

approached in course books and in the classroom is appropriate for the learner, as they

are often separated, leading to confusion. As a result, learners are often not only afraid

to use phrasal verbs, limiting their vocabulary accordingly, but they do not recognise

them, as they habitually process words individually, something that I have observed

being the case in my own classroom experience. For these reasons, I have decided to

limit my scope to A1-B1 (Elementary Mid-Intermediate) learners in order to focus

on how phrasal verbs should be presented so as to make them easier to understand,

process and use.

Analysis of Phrasal Verbs

Meaning and Use

To begin with, it is important to present a clear definition of what a phrasal

verb is. Dave Willis cites Nattinger and DeCarricio in defining a phrasal verb as a

variation of polyword (multi-word verb) that often has a singular equivalent

(Nattinger and Decarricio in Willis, 2009). I feel that viewing a phrasal verb as a

polyword is a useful one, as the connotative meaning of this clearly implies that it is a

singular piece of vocabulary, rather than a dividable lexical item. Looking at a range

of phrasal verbs allows us to see that there are clear degrees of meaning. Thornbury

labels these as literal, semi-idiomatic and very idiomatic (Thornbury, 2002, P.116).
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Clearly this is an important observation, and it is true that phrasal verbs can

communicate a literal meaning, where the individual meanings of the verb and

particle remain intact, in contrast with other phrasal verbs that carry a completed

altered, idiomatic meaning. However, semi-idiomaticity does also exist, in which the

phrasal verb retains the literal notion implied by the action of the verb and the

direction of the preposition, although there is only conceptual movement or direction

in the context.

Meaning

Literal meaning.

E.g. Put the cup down over there. The speaker is asking the listener to place the cup

on something.

Semi-idiomaticity.

E.g. The comedian put down the heckler. There is a notional idea of direction, as the

verbal action of a putdown is to lower the status of somebody else. However, there is

no physical change.

Full idiomaticity

E.g. We had to have the dog put down. The dog has been injected so as to kill it,

because of its being in poor health. There is no physical or notional idea of direction

that might give learners a clue as to the meaning.


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Use

While it is the case that phrasal verbs are used with a higher frequency in

spoken English than in written, it is not appropriate to attribute informality to phrasal

verbs as a whole. Indeed, while a lot of phrasal verbs do have single verb close

equivalents in meaning, some do not and would be used in academic essays.

Furthermore, context plays a role in deciding the appropriacy or formality of a phrasal

verb. Consider the following:

Change in appropriacy dependent on context

E.g. these studies are largely based on self-description

(http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21428590.200-political-divides-begin-in-the-

brain.html, 2012) The phrasal verb is appropriate in a formal context and there is no

satisfactory alternative.

E.g. II Based on what?? A challenge to an idea or decision that could be seen as

aggressive or rude. A polite alternative is available (Could you explain the basis of

your decision, please?)

Colloquial, regardless of context

E.g. I think Im going to throw up. The speaker is replacing be sick with a

colloquial term here. This would not be considered appropriate in polite company.

Appropriacy dependent on status

E.g. I rocked up at ten oclock An employee would be being inappropriate using

the phrasal verb here. Arrive would be appropriate language.


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E.g. II You cant just rock up at 10 oclock and expect everything to be OK In this

situation, an employer is highlighting a lack of punctuality in a disciplinary situation,

which would be considered formal. However, the language used here is appropriate.

Form

Phrasal verbs are formed with a verb followed by a particle (adverb or

preposition). The verb tense is alterable, whereas changing the preposition either

creates a new phrasal verb with a different meaning, or presents an impossible

combination with no meaning. Phrasal verbs can be two or three part, the latter having

two particles. In addition, they can be separable or inseparable.

Phrasal Verb Example Comments


Type
1) Transitive, 1) He put the pen With transitive separable phrasal verbs, the verb
separable down and particle are separated when a pronoun
replaces a direct object. The object or pronoun
2) He put down the can not appear before the verb.
pen

3) He put it down
2) Transitive, 1) He looked at the As above, the phrasal verb requires a direct object
inseparable girl or pronoun, but these appear after the particle.

2) He looked at her
3) Intransitive 1) The storm blew No object is taken with this type of phrasal verb.
over
4) Three-part 1) I get on with him As with 2.
(transitive,
inseparable)

Phonology

Phrasal verbs carry stress at sentence level, as do single word verbs. They are

pronounced as one word when the particle begins with a vowel. In the case of

intransitive phrasal verbs, the particle carries the stress regardless of this join.

E.g. When do you get up? becomes /wen gedp/


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However, with transitive, inseparable phrasal verbs, the verb carries the stress and the

particle is unstressed.

E.g. He looked at the girl becomes /h lkt g:l/

In the above instance the object also carries stress, but this is not the case if there is an

object pronoun. This becomes important with transitive, separable phrasal verbs, as a

pronoun between the verb and particle results in the verb and particle both carrying

stress, where an object between the verb and particle results in the particle being

unstressed.

E.g. He turned the light on becomes /h t:nd latn/ , whereas He turned it on

becomes /h t:ndn/

Learner Problems and Solutions for Teachers

Meaning and Use

As phrasal verbs do not appear in a lot of other languages, learners can fail to

notice them, rather assuming that the meaning of each part is literal, leading to a

mistranslation of phrasal verbs that have a level of idiomaticity. It is important to

introduce the idea of lexis appearing as chunks rather than individual items. Michael

Lewis writes that The reason learners find unseen reading so difficult is because they

dont recognise the chunks they read every word as if it were separate from every

other word (Lewis, 2000, P.56) I believe this problem is exacerbated by course

books not introducing phrasal verbs early enough, meaning that learners are

unfamiliar with them and can not recognise them in intermediate level texts, where

they may be semi or completely idiomatic. Scott Thornbury states that The ability to

deploy a wide range of lexical chunksdistinguishes advanced learners from


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intermediate ones. (Thornbury, 2002, P.116). He goes on to divide the factors that

make up lexical competence in to frequent exposure, opportunities to memorise and

consciousness-raising. However, I believe that this idea could be altered if learners

were introduced to the principles of recognising and recording lexis in chunks from an

Elementary level. Further to this, the existence of these levels of idiomaticity leads me

to believe that, while it is useful for teachers to be aware of, learners would perhaps

benefit from understanding that phrasal verbs, as polywords, are all idiomatic,

regardless of whether they could be literally translated. Clearly, there can be a

problem when a learner encounters a familiar phrasal verb, but with a different

meaning. E.g. He put the pen down is different from He put the dog down.

Therefore, learners also need to be aware that phrasal verbs, as well as having more

than one part, can have more than one meaning. This could also be introduced through

a text in which the same phrasal verb appears multiply, and learners are encouraged to

either match definitions or replace the phrasal verbs with synonyms.

In Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching, Richards and Rodgers

describe an approach known as The Lexical Approach in which lexis becomes the

primary focus of a lesson, with new vocabulary being stored as a lexical unit. This

idea is explored by Michael Lewis, who writes about lexical notebooks as a way of

recording vocabulary in chunks. Doing this encourages learners to look at language

syntactically (as part of a sentence), but Lewis also notes that they need to be

organised in some way (Lewis, 2000, P.43). Bearing this in mind, it is important not

only to introduce learners to the concept of recording lexical chunks, but also to group

these lexical chunks in to contexts, situations or themes. I feel that this would be more

beneficial than paradigmatic grouping, in which learners record long lists of co-

hyponymous nouns, as they are then being encouraged to think in terms of real-life
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situations. Gairns and Redman refer to this, stating that teaching a set of idioms

that are notionally related such as idioms associated with parts of the bodywould

seem to be a sure recipe for confusion (Thornbury, 2002, P.127) Furthermore,

recording larger chunks allows learners to focus more on the variety of objects that

collocate with phrasal verbs. I feel this is something that is not addressed

appropriately in course books. An example of this can be seen in New Cutting Edge

Intermediate, where a Wordspot exercise encourages learners to focus on a

delexicalised verb. Some of the focus is appropriate, but the phrasal verb section of

the focus merely lists some different particles that can attach to the verb, creating a

phrasal verb, rather than addressing object or meaning. (Appendix 1) To address the

distinction between this method of recording and the lexical notebook method, I have

outlined the suggested format for a lexical notebook entry in Appendix 2. New

learners at low level should be introduced to this method from day 1, as it will

become a fossilised method of recording vocabulary, allowing them to achieve

Thornburys idea of lexical competence more quickly.

In the language classroom, introducing new lexis to lower level learners can

be done effectively using a language from a text method. This would be particularly

effective, as language is presented authentically and within a sentence, allowing for

effective chunking. It is also an inductive method, therefore allowing learners to

notice new lexis and its form. A text is presented to learners with sentences

containing new lexical items highlighted to promote noticing, and they are

encouraged to recognise the form and deduce the meaning. Meaning can be checked

with a definition matching exercise (sentential, rather than focussed solely on the

phrasal verb), and form can be checked with questions that refer directly to the

distinction between transitive and intransitive verbs: Is there an object? Controlled


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practice involves completing sentences or gap fills using sentences from the original

text. This can be followed by a freer practice, where learners are encouraged to

respond to questions containing the phrasal verbs. Viewing phrasal verbs as part of

larger lexical chunks can yield vital information about the meaning and use, while

also demonstrating the appropriacy or formality of the item. In addition, the language

from a text approach allows a teacher to appropriately select material according to

level, making this appropriate for all lower levels.

Form

With inseparable phrasal verbs, it is easy for learners to recognise them once

they have been introduced to the existence of the verb + particle form, but as we have

already discovered, not all phrasal verbs are inseparable. A problem for learners can

be that they find a phrasal verb more difficult to realise the further away the particle is

from the verb in a sentence.

E.g. Put the pen down is easier to recognise than He dropped the next-door

neighbours children off

While the latter example is less common, it is a possibility in written and spoken

language, which would cause difficulty for the learner. Clearly then, learners need to

be made aware that some phrasal verbs can be separated, while others can not.

Separability can be effectively shown through sentence jumble and remodelling

exercises. I would present these as kinaesthetic activities; learners are presented with

sentences that have been cut up in to individual words and are asked to either order

them or remodel an existing sentence (displayed on the whiteboard). Alternatively,

learners could be asked to complete an exercise where each new lexical item is placed

in to three or four sentences and they have to decide whether the sentences are correct
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or incorrect. I would include the question after each item: So, can we split this

phrasal verb? This question alone is effective, as it draws learners attention to the

idea of separable and inseparable, something they should be encouraged to record in

their lexical notebooks.

Phonology

In terms of pronunciation, lexis is often dealt with on a word-by-word basis,

but this would be counter-intuitive when teaching language in chunks. Learners may

find difficulty locating and producing correct stress on polywords, but if the teaching

of stress in general is sentential rather than word-level, then learners can become

aware that a phrasal verb always carries stress within a sentence, which is a useful

starting point. A useful exercise for this involves learners marking stress on sentences

and beating it out as they read the sentence aloud. This gives a very clear indication of

the stress-timed nature of the English language, which may be a very difficult skill for

learners with a syllable-timed L1 (Spanish, for example). It also encourages learners

to notice the recurring stress patterns of separable and inseparable phrasal verbs. An

example is as follows:

When do you get up in the morning?

He jumped at the chance to go fishing

I believe that rhythmic drilling aids understanding as well as fluency, as it encourages

learners not only to focus on natural stress, but also to prioritise important words as

those which carry more meaning.


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Conclusion

In carrying out research for this assignment, I have decided that phrasal verbs

should not be hidden from lower level learners. Rather, they should be taught as they

occur alongside singular words as part of lexis, and that lexis as a whole should be

taught and recorded in lexical chunks. My future teaching of this area of the language

will definitely reflect this, as well as the principle of drawing learners attention to the

fact that polywords all carry a certain level of idiomaticity, meaning that they should

be looked at contextually rather than as individual words.


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Bibliography

Lewis, M. 2000, Teaching Collocation, Heinle

Richards, J.C and Rodgers, T.S. 2012, Approaches and Methods in Language
Teaching, Cambridge University Press

Thornbury, S. 2002, How to Teach Vocabulary, Pearson Longman

Willis, D. 2009, Rules, Patterns and Words, Cambridge University Press

Materials

Cunningham, S and Moor, P. 2011, New Cutting Edge Intermediate, Pearson


Longman
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Appendix 2

Format for a lexical notebook entry

PHRASAL VERB
(pronunciation and translation)

Meaning (in English)

Example sentence

Nouns / Adjectives that collocate with the phrasal verb

G: Grammatical information (separability, form after collocative noun)

F: Favourites (Learner likes / is likely to use these sentences or chunks)

Working Example (Spanish learner)

Take your clothes off


/tek j klzf/ - Quitarte su ropa

Meaning: Remove what you are wearing.

E.g. He took his clothes off before bed.

Nouns: Hat, shirt, tie (items of clothing) Adverbs: Slowly / quickly

Grammar: Can split: He took his hat off / He took off his hat

Favourites: Wait, while I take my clothes off Take off your clothes!... I need to take
these off so I can pay for them.

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