There are thousands of English phrasal verbs some common phrasal verbs, others not so common. We can only master them “little by little”. If you are a student of ESL phrasal verbs are difficult.

This section is mainly for students with an Upper Intermediate or Advanced level in English. (Students of First Certificate, Advanced, Proficiency or the top exam of the Escuela de Idiomas, Spain. There will, however be some materials suitable for PET or other lower Intermediate exams like I2 of the Escuela de Idiomas.

Fortunately, the newly invented “Pulse Smart Pen” can help us enormously, which can be viewed through Livescribe presentations. Following the method below will help you to learn English phrasal verbs, and also help improve your listening skills.

The more you listen, the better you will become. So, lets start with a list of english phrasal verbs. Each one has a short video presentation on Youtube and on our site. Simply click on the ones you don't know.

George Clooney refused our offer to perform on the videos, something about the money, so they are done by members of staff.

After the videos there are more phrasal verbs with pencasts.

B base on be off be over be taken aback beat up blow up break down (speaker: David or Chris) break in break into break off break out break out in break up bring up brush up bump into burn down

C call for call in call off calm down carry on (speaker: Chris or Alan) carry out catch on catch up catch up with check in check out cheer up clear up close down come across come down come down with come into come off come on come out come out on top come over come round come to come up with cross out cut down on cut off cut up

D dig up die out do up drop in drop off drop out

E end up

F fall out fall through figure out fill in fill up find out

G get away get off get on get over get round get through get up give in give out give up go after go down go for go off go out go through go with grow up

H hold on hold up

L lay off let down let off let out look after look at look back look down on look for look forward to look into look like look out look over look round look up look up to

M make out make up (speaker: David or Chris) make up for mistake for

O own up

P pass away pass out pass through pick up point out put back put forward put off put on put out put through put up with

R rip off run in run into run out of

S sail through see off set off settle down sit down soak up stand for stay in speak up split up

T take after take down take in take off take over take up tear up tell off think over try on try out turn down turn into

W wash up wear off wear out work out write down

The audio/visual presentation

• Listen to all the audio-visual presentation at least twice. More if you find it difficult.
• Listen again, but this time, just to the phrasal verbs you don't know.
• The Smart Pen Presentation makes it easy to do this.
• A day later, a week later, a month later and 6 months later, check to see if you still remember.
• If you do, then that's another part of English that you have mastered.

Which of your skills are you improving?

• Listening – by far the most important: Filling the sponge. The better your understanding of auditory input the easier it is to talk.
• Your pronunciation
• Your vocabulary
• Your knowledge of phrasal verbs

DEFINITION

A phrasal verb consists of a verb and a preposition or adverb that modifies or changes the meaning; 'give in' is a phrasal verb that means 'surrender', which is very different meaning from 'give'.

The word or words that modify a verb in this manner can also go under the name particle.

DIFFERENT GROUPS of English Phrasal Verbs

Intransitive verbs

Inseparable verbs

Separable verbs

With some separable verbs, the object must come between the verb and the particle:

When the Rolling Stones played Wembley, they really packed them in and there were no seats available.

(We can classify these as “Always Separated” )

With some separable verbs, the object can come before or after the particle, though when a pronoun is used it comes before the particle:

Turn the radio off.

Turn off the radio.

Turn it off.

(We can classify these as “May, or may not, be Separated” )