CHUYÊN
ĐỀ
ÔN
THI
THPT
QG
source
of
frustration
for
learners
about
English.
the
difficulties
Many
students
talk
verbs.
Phrasal
verbs
are
widely
used
English
by
but
native
they
speakers
have

been
of
language
learners
to
master
(Moon,
subject
1997;
of
how
Kao,
best
2001).
to
The
controversial.
Although
teaching
of
daunting
phrasal
and
verbs
difficult
has
been
for
for
learners,

itmanner
is
necessary
to
develop
understanding
our
students’
and
using
skills
inaais
frequently
used
by
native
speakers
spoken
English,
both
in
students
written
and
need
“There
is
no
specified
way

or
programmed
student
can
learn
all
in
which
adjectives,
and
idioms.
The
authors
way
to
acquire
observe
such
that
knowledge
the
only
listening”
(Al-Sibai,
2003).
MÔN : TIẾNG ANH

PHRASAL VERBS FOR NATIONAL EXAM
PREPARATION
TABLE OF CONTENTS


A. INTRODUCTION

3

I. Rationale

3

II. Objectives of the study

3
4 - 31

B. DEVELOPMENT
I. Grammatical explanation of phrasal verbs

4-7
8-16

II. Common phrasal verbs
17-25

III. Teaching procedure

26-31

IV. Exercises for selfstudy
C. RESULT OF APPLICATION


32

D. CONCLUSION

33

REFERENCES

34

1


A. INTRODUCTION
I. RATIONALE
Phrasal verbs have been the source of challenges for learners of English. Many students
talk about the difficulties they have using the phrasal verbs. While phrasal verbs are widely used
by native speakers of English, they have been found to be difficult for second language learners.
This may be caused by the following facts: There are lots of them; It’s often difficult to guess its
meaning; One given phrasal verb can have different meanings; Some phrasal verbs can be
seperated while some other can’t ; There are two word phrasal verbs and there are also three word
phrasal verbs.
Phrasal verbs form an integral part of the English language as spoken every day. They also
appear in most writing, except the very formal. Unless you are comfortable with them, you may
find yourself scratching your head and asking questions like, "What does up (or into, or down,
or under) mean in this sentence?". Apart from understanding phrasal verb usage, another reason
you should learn some is so that you sound more fluent and comfortable with the language.
Although teaching phrasal verbs has been daunting and difficult for teachers, and therefore
tedious for learners, it is necessary to develop our students’ skills in understanding and using
them.

Another reason that I choose this topic is that phrasal verbs appear in almost every English
test in general and once for the University Entrance Examination or now National School
Education Examination. In fact, the phrasal verb -related questions account for from 6 to 8 percent
of the total marks of the whole test.
Thus, in this minor study, I want to focus mainly on how to teach English phrasal verbs in
class with the purposes of both helping my students to prepare for the National School Education
Examination and giving them a good chance to practise using English language more fluently in
daily communication.
II. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The study is designed to obtain the following objectives:
•
•
•

Revise the overview of phrasal verbs
Recommend the way to teach phrasal verbs in class.
Help students to prepare for the National School Education Examination.

2


B. DEVELOPMENT
I. GRAMMATICAL EXPLANATION OF PHRASAL VERBS
A phrasal verb is a phrase or expression that consists of a verb and another word or two,
like this:
get up; hand in; take off; look forward to
• There are some types of phrasal verbs formed from a single-word verb:
•

1. verb + adverb

eg: look up
These phrasal verbs can be:
• transitive (direct object)
• intransitive (no direct object)
Examples of transitive and intransitive Phrasal verbs:
meaning

example sentence
direct
object

put off

postpone

We will have to put off

the
meeting.

turn
down

refuse

They turned down

my offer.

get up


rise from
bed

I don't like to get up.

break
down

stop
working

He was late because his car broke
down.

transitive

intransitiv
e

Separable
When this type of phrasal verb has a direct object, we can usually separate the two parts. For
example, "turn down" is separable. We can say: "turn down my offer" or "turn my offer down".
Example sentences:

They turned

They turned

3



However, if the direct object is a pronoun, we have no choice. We must separate the two parts of
the verb and insert the pronoun. Look at these examples with the verb "switch on". Note that the
last one is impossible:

John sw

John sw

John sw

John sw
Separable or inseparable?
Many dictionaries tell you when a phrasal verb is separable. If a dictionary writes "look
(something) up", you know that the phrasal verb "look up" is separable, and you can say "look
something up" and "look up something". It's a good idea to write "sthg/sby" as appropriate in your
vocabulary book when you learn a new phrasal verb, like this:
• get up
• break down
• break sthg off
turn sthg/sby down
2. verb + preposition
eg: look after
This type of phrasal verb is also called a "prepositional verb".
Because a preposition always has an object, all prepositional verbs have direct objects (if they are
transitive).
Examples of prepositional verbs:
prepositional
verb


meaning

example sentence

believe in

have faith in the
existence of

I believe in

God.

look after

take care of

He is looking after

the dog.

talk about

discuss

Did you talk about

me?


wait for

await

John is waiting for

Mary.

direct object

4


Prepositional verbs cannot be separated. That means that we cannot put the direct object
between the two parts. For example, we must say "look after the baby". We cannot say "look the
baby after":

Who is looking af

Who is looking th
It is a good idea to write "something/somebody" in your vocabulary book when you learn a new
prepositional verb, like this:
• believe in something/somebody
• look after sthg/sby
This reminds you that the verb needs a direct object (and where to place it).
3. verb + adverb + preposition
eg: look forward to
This type of phrasal verb is also called a "phrasal-prepositional verb".
Examples of phrasal-prepositional verbs:
phrasalprepositional verb


meaning

example sentence

get on with

have a friendly
relationship with

He doesn't get on with

his
wife.

put up with

tolerate

I won't put up with

your
attitude
.

look forward to

anticipate with pleasure

I look forward to


seeing
you.

run out of

use up, exhaust

We have run out of

eggs.

direct
object

Because phrasal-prepositional verbs end with a preposition, there is always a direct object. And,
like prepositional verbs, phrasal-prepositional verbs cannot be separated.
Examples:

5


It is a good idea to write "something/somebody" in your vocabulary book when you learn a new
phrasal-prepositional verb, like this:
• get on with somebody
• put up with sthg/sby
• run out of something
This reminds you that the verb needs a direct object (and where to place it).

Summary:

There are 4 types of phrasal verbs:

Type 1: Separable Phrasal Verbs (Transitive)
The object may come after the phrasal verbs or it may separate the two parts:
• You have to do this paint job over.
• You have to do over this paint job.
When the object of the phrasal verbs is a pronoun, the two parts of the phrasal verb must be
separated:
•

You have to do it over.

Type 2: Inseparable Phrasal Verbs (Transitive)
The parts of these phrasal verb cannot be separated. The objects always come after the phrasal
verbs:
•

"Who will look after my estate when I'm gone?"

Type 3: Intransitive Phrasal Verbs
These phrasal verbs are not followed by an object:
•

"Once you leave home, you can never really go back again."

6


Type 4: Three-Word Phrasal Verbs (Transitive)
These phrasal verbs are made up of three parts:

•

"My brother dropped out of school before he could graduate."

II. COMMON PHRASAL VERBS
These are lists of common phrasal verbs most of which are used in English course books. They
are also useful for preparing for the National School Education Examination

Separable Phrasal Verbs ( Transitive)
No

Verb

1

blow up

explode

The terrorists tried to blow up the railroad station.

bring up

mention a topic

My mother brought up that little matter of my prison
record again.

3


bring up

raise children

It isn't easy to bring up children nowadays.

4

call off

cancel

They called off this afternoon's meeting

5

do over

repeat a job

Do this homework over.

6

fill out

complete a form

Fill out this application form and mail it in.


7

fill up

fill to capacity

She filled up the grocery cart with free food.

find out

discover

My sister found out that her husband had been
planning a surprise party for her.

2

8

Meaning

Example

7


9
10
11
12

13
14
15

give away

give something to
someone else for free

The filling station was giving away free gas.

give back

return an object

My brother borrowed my car. I have a feeling he's
not about to give it back.

hand in

submit something
(assignment)

The students handed in their papers and left the
room.

hang up

put something on
hook or receiver


She hung up the phone before she hung up her
clothes.

hold up

delay

I hate to hold up the meeting, but I have to go to the
bathroom.

hold up
(2)

rob

Three masked gunmen held up the Security Bank this
afternoon.

leave out

omit

You left out the part about the police chase down
Asylum Avenue.

look over

examine, check


The lawyers looked over the papers carefully before
questioning the witness.
(They looked them over carefully.)

look up

search in a list

You've misspelled this word again. You'd
better look it up.

make up

invent a story or lie

She knew she was in trouble, so she made up a story
about going to the movies with her friends.

make out

hear, understand

He was so far away, we really couldn't make
out what he was saying.

pick out

choose

There were three men in the line-up. She picked

out the guy she thought had stolen her purse.

pick up

lift something off
something else

The crane picked up the entire house. (Watch
them pick it up.)

point out

call attention to

As we drove through Paris, Francoise pointed out the
major historical sites.

put away

save or store

We put away money for our retirement. She put
away the cereal boxes.

put off

postpone

We asked the boss to put off the meeting until
tomorrow. (Please put it off for another day.)


16

17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24

8


25

put on

put clothing on the
body

I put on a sweater and a jacket.
(I put them on quickly.)

put out

extinguish

The firefighters put out the house fire before it could

spread. (They put it out quickly.)

read over

peruse

I read over the homework, but couldn't make any
sense of it.

set up

to arrange, begin

My wife set up the living room exactly the way she
wanted it. She set it up.

take down

make a written note

These are your instructions. Write them down before
you forget.

take off

remove clothing

It was so hot that I had to take off my shirt.

talk over


discuss

We have serious problems here.
Let's talk them over like adults.

throw
away

discard

That's a lot of money! Don't just throw it away.

try on

put clothing on to see
if it fits

She tried on fifteen dresses before she found one she
liked.

try out

test

I tried out four cars before I could find one that
pleased me.

35


turn down

lower volume

Your radio is driving me crazy! Please turn it down.

36

turn down
(2)

reject

He applied for a promotion twice this year, but he
was turned down both times.

turn up

raise the volume

Grandpa couldn't hear, so he turned up his hearing
aid.

turn off

switch off electricity

We turned off the lights before anyone could see us.

turn on


switch on the
electricity

Turn on the CD player so we can dance.

use up

exhaust, use
completely

The gang members used up all the money and went
out to rob some more banks.

26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34

37
38
39
40

9



Inseparable Phrasal Verbs (Transitive)
No

Verb

Meaning

Example

1

call on

ask to recite in class

The teacher called on students in the back row.

2

call on
(2)

visit

The old minister continued to call on his sick
parishioners.

come

across

find st by chance

3

4

5
6
7

I came across my friend’s lost pen while arranging
my locker.

I am counting on you to submit the assignment by
tomorrow morning.

Count
on

rely on or depend on
something or someone

get
over

recover from sickness or
disappointment


I got over the flu, but I don't know if I'll ever get
over my broken heart.

go over

review

The students went over the material before the
exam. They should have gone over it twice.

go
use up; consume
through

They country went through most of its coal reserves
in one year. Did he go through all his money
already?

8

look
after

take care of

My mother promised to look after my dog while I
was gone.

9


look
into

investigate

The police will look into the possibilities of
embezzlement.

10

run
across

find by chance

I ran across my old roommate at the college
reunion.

11

run
into

meet

Carlos ran into his English professor in the hallway.

settle
on


choose or decide

I thought on which career to take, and I finally
settled on civil engineering.

take

resemble

My second son seems to take after his mother.

12

13

10


after
14

turn
into

Her child turned into a beautiful woman.
become

15
touch
on


mention something
briefly during a
discussion or a speech

The professor touched on the students’ attendance in
the meeting, but he did not go into much detail.

11


Intransitive Phrasal Verbs
No

Verb

Meaning

Example

1

break
down

stop functioning

That old Jeep had a tendency to break down just when I
needed it the most.


catch on

become popular

Popular songs seem to catch on in California first and
then spread eastward.

come
back

return to a place

Father promised that we would never come back to this
horrible place.

come in

enter

They tried to come in through the back door, but it was
locked.

come to

regain
consciousness

He was hit on the head very hard, but after several
minutes, he started to come to again.


come
over

to visit

The children promised to come over, but they never do.

drop by

visit without
appointment

We used to just drop by, but they were never home, so
we stopped doing that.

eat out

dine in a restaurant

When we visited Paris, we loved eating out in the
sidewalk cafes.

get by

survive

Uncle Heine didn't have much money, but he always
seemed to get by without borrowing money from
relatives.


get up

arise

Grandmother tried to get up, but the couch was too low,
and she couldn't make it on her own.

go back

return to a place

It's hard to imagine that we will ever go back to
Lithuania.

go on

continue

He would finish one Dickens novel and then just go
on to the next.

go on (2)

happen

The cops heard all the noise and stopped to see what
was going on.

14


grow up

get older

Charles grew up to be a lot like his father.

15

keep
away

remain at a
distance

The judge warned the stalker to keep away from his
victim's home.

2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

10
11
12
13


12


16

17
18
19
20

keep on
(with
gerund)

continue with the
same

He tried to keep on singing long after his voice was
ruined.

pass out

lose consciousness,
faint

He had drunk too much; he passed out on the sidewalk
outside the bar.

show off


demonstrate
haughtily

Whenever he sat down at the piano, we knew he was
going to show off.

show up

arrive

Day after day, Efrain showed up for class twenty
minutes late.

wake up

arouse from sleep

I woke up when the rooster crowed.

13


Three-Word Phrasal Verbs (Transitive)
No

Verb

Meaning


Example

1

break in
on

interrupt (a
conversation)

I was talking to Mom on the phone when the
operator broke in on our call.

2

Break up
with

end a romantic
relationship

I think he's going to break up with me.

3

catch up
with

keep abreast


After our month-long trip, it was time to catch up
with the neighbors and the news around town.

4

check up
on

examine,
investigate

The boys promised to check up on the condition of the
summer house from time to time.

come up
with

to contribute
(suggestion,
money)

After years of giving nothing, the old parishioner was
able to come up with a thousand-dollar donation.

6

cut down
on

curtail (expenses)


We tried to cut down on the money we were spending
on entertainment.

7

drop out
of

leave school

I hope none of my students drop out of school this
semester.

8

get along
with

have a good
relationship with

I found it very hard to get along with my brother when
we were young.

9

get away
with


escape blame

Janik cheated on the exam and then tried to get away
with it.

get rid of

eliminate

The citizens tried to get rid of their corrupt mayor in the
recent election.

get
through
with

finish

When will you ever get through with that program?

12

keep up
with

maintain pace with

It's hard to keep up with the Joneses when you lose
your job!


13

look
forward to

anticipate with
pleasure

I always look forward to the beginning of a new
semester.

14

look down
on

despise

It's typical of a jingoistic country that the citizens look
down on their geographical neighbors.

15

look in on

visit (somebody)

We were going to look in on my brother-in-law, but he

5


10
11

14


wasn't home.
16

look out
for

be careful,
anticipate

Good instructors will look out for early signs of failure
in their students

17

look up to

respect

First-graders really look up to their teachers.

18

make sure

of

verify

Make sure of the student's identity before you let him
into the classroom.

19

put up
with

tolerate

The teacher had to put up with a great deal of nonsense
from the new students.

run out of

exhaust supply

The runners ran out of energy before the end of the
race.

21

stand up
for

defend yourself

(verbally)

You should stand up for yourself.

22

take care
of

be responsible for

My oldest sister took care of us younger children after
Mom died.

23

talk back
to

answer impolitely

The star player talked back to the coach and was
thrown off the team.

24

think back
on

recall


I often think back on my childhood with great pleasure.

25

walk out
on

abandon

Her husband walked out on her and their three children.

20

III. TEACHING PROCEDURE
15


This seminar is applied for Grade 12 students in my classes to study for the National Examination
for GCSE within 5 periods

Period 1.

1. GRAMMATICAL EXPLANATION OF PHRASAL VERBS
2. Practice

Decide the type of the phrasal verb in each of sentences below:
1. My parents stood by me when I was arrested for hitting a policeman. (stand by)

2. To be honest, I think he's making it up. I don't think he was attacked. (make up)


3. She's your younger sister. It's normal for her to look up to you. (look up to)

4. I can't hear the music. Can you turn it up? (turn up)

5. Don't worry, she'll be here. You know that she always turns up late. (turn up)

6. Before you see the dentist, please fill in this form with all your details. (fill in )

7. My teacher always used to pick on me at school because I had ginger hair. (pick on)

16


8. Robert, you've said enough. Can you please shut up now! (shut up)

9. He's a nice guy, I get on with him really well. (get on with)

10. Although it's very noisy, I can put up with the noise. It doesn't affect me. (put up with)

11. After my parents died, my grandparents brought me up. (bring up)

12. I stayed up until 3 in the morning to finish this report. (stay up)

Answer:

1. type 2

7. type 2


2. type 1

8. type 3

3. type 4

9. type 4

4. type 1

10. type 4

5. type 3

11. type 1

6. type 1

12. type 3

17


Period 2.

1. Separable Phrasal Verbs

2. Practice: Phrasal verb Cards

18



Period 3.

1. Inseparable Phrasal Verbs
2. Practice: Inseparable phrasal verbs exercises
19


Exercise1. Decide whether the Phrasal verbs are separable or inseparable. Choose the correct
sentences.
1.

get on →
They got on the bus.

They got the bus on.

2.

look up →
Look up the words in a dictionary.

Look the words up in a dictionary.

3.

look after →
Dennis looked after his brother.


Dennis looked his brother after.

4.

turn on →
He turned on the light.

He turned the light on.

5.

ask out →
Henry asked Jenny out.
20


Henry asked out Jenny.

6.

hand in →
Hand in your homework on time.

Hand your homework in on time.

7.

check in →
We checked in at our hotel.


We checked at our hotel in.

8.

mix up →
We mixed up the numbers.

We mixed the numbers up.

9.

give up →
They gave up smoking.

They gave smoking up.

10.

grow up →
He grew up in North Carolina.
21


He grew in North Carolina up.

Answers
1.

turn on → He turned on the light., He turned the light on.


2.

hand in → Hand in your homework on time., Hand your homework in on time.

3.

get on → They got on the bus.

4.

look up → Look up the words in a dictionary., Look the words up in a dictionary.

5.

grow up → He grew up in North Carolina.

6.

check in → We checked in at our hotel.

7.

give up → They gave up smoking., They gave smoking up.

8.

ask out → Henry asked Jenny out., Henry asked out Jenny.

9.


mix up → We mixed up the numbers., We mixed the numbers up.

10.

look after → Dennis looked after his brother.

Exercise 2. Complete the following sentences one of the given adverbs or prepositions
1. He continues to call …………………….. his old colleagues.
at in
on
2. It took me quite some time to get………………………. my breakup with Nancy.
on
over off
3. I need to go ……………………. the documents again before I can arrive at a decision.
out over on
4. He has already gone ……………………. all his money.
over through
after
5. Jane has agreed to look ………………… my baby when I am gone.
Please select 2 correct answers
after at
for
6. The officer said that he would look ………………………. the matter.
into at
after
7. I ran ……………………. an old friend of mine yesterday.
22


across

at
on
8. I ran …………………… Mary at the super market.
into after at
9. I look forward …………………….. hearing from you.
to
for
of
10. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw my old boss waiting ……………………. tables.
at
on
with

Answers
1. He continues to call on his old colleagues. (call on = visit)
2. It took me quite some time to get over my breakup with Nancy. (get over = overcome, recover)
3. I need to go over the documents again before I can arrive at a decision. (go over = review)
4. He has already gone through all his money. (go through = use up)
5. Jane has agreed to look after my baby when I am gone. (look after = take care of)
6. The officer said that he would look into the matter. (look into = investigate)
7. I ran across an old friend of mine yesterday. (run across = find by chance)
8. I ran into Mary at the super market. (run into = meet)
9. I look forward to hearing from you. (look forward to = anticipate with pleasure)
10. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw my old boss waiting on tables. (wait on = serve)

23


Period 4:


1. Intransitive Phrasal Verbs
2. Practice:

Test your understanding of the Intransitive Phrasal Verbs by answering these questions
1. Could you _______________ later? We haven't talked to each other in ages.
A.drop by
B. go ahead
C. grow up
2. I'm not sure if the new iPhone is _______. It doesn't seem as popular as the older models.
A. dropping by
B. going ahead
C. catching on
3. Could you _______________ a sec? I'm talking to my mom on the other line.
A. move in
B. hold on
C. end up
4. This is a nice place. When did you _______________?
A. die out
B. go ahead
C. move in
5. My car keeps _______________. I'm tired of taking it to the mechanic again and again.
A. catching on
B. ending up
C. breaking down
6. People's interest in Game of Thrones isn't going to _______________ any time soon.
A. end up
B. grow up
C. die out
7. Where did you ____? Your accent is different from most people I know from around here.
A. grow up

24


B. end up
C. die out
8. They ______________ with the building project despite warnings from safety inspectors.
A. ended up
B. went ahead
C. moved in
9. You were living in Laos for a while, weren't you? When did you _______________?
A. grow up
B. get back
C. hold on
10. We _______________ having dinner at the new Japanese place downtown.
A. ended up
B. dropped by
C. caught on
11. She should be here by now. When is she going to _______________?
A. take off
B. show up
C. watch out
12. Get to bed so we can _______________ early in the morning.
A. set off
B. slow down
C. speak out
13. You're going too fast. You need to _______________.
A. slow in
B. slow up
C. slow down
14. If you don't _______________, no one will.

A. speak in
B. speak out
C. speak around
15. Our plane _______________ in two hours.
A. takes off
B. takes up
C. takes in
16. I tried making beef stew for the first time. It didn't _______________ well.
A. turn out
B. turn in
C. turn off
17. I was so tired that I got home and just _______________.
A. passed in
B. passed on
C. passed out
18. I don't trust him. You should _______________.
C. watch off
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