Speaking: Vocabulary for Speaking B1 - Lesson 4: Common Phrasal Verbs (e.g., get up, look for)

Speaking: Vocabulary for Speaking B1 - Lesson 4

Common Phrasal Verbs (e.g., get up, look for)

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to understand and use several common phrasal verbs to make your speaking sound more natural and fluent.

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Phrasal Verbs in Daily Life

A phrasal verb¹ is a verb plus a small word (a particle) like 'up', 'on', or 'for'. Together, they create a new meaning. Native speakers use them all the time. Let's look at a short story about a typical morning.

"This morning, I had to get up² early. I couldn't find my keys, so I spent ten minutes looking for⁵ them everywhere. I was about to give up⁷, but then I found out⁶ they were in my other jacket! So, I put on⁸ my shoes, turned off⁴ the lights, and left for work."

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Your Phrasal Verb Toolkit

1. Phrasal Verb: A verb combined with a particle (e.g., on, up, for) to create a new meaning: កិរិយាស័ព្ទកន្សោម ↩
2. get up: to get out of bed in the morning: ក្រោកពីគេង ↩
3. turn on: to start a machine or light (e.g., turn on the TV): បើក ↩
4. turn off: to stop a machine or light (e.g., turn off the lights): បិទ ↩
5. look for: to try to find something you have lost: រកមើល ↩
6. find out: to discover a piece of information: ដឹង / រកឃើញ ↩
7. give up: to stop trying; to quit: បោះបង់ ↩
8. put on: to place clothes or accessories on your body: ស្លៀកពាក់ ↩
9. take off: to remove clothes or accessories: ដោះចេញ

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record_voice_over Pronunciation Focus: Stress and Linking

For most phrasal verbs, the stress is on the second word (the particle). This is very important for sounding natural.

• get UP
• turn ON
• look FOR
• give UP

We also link the words together so they sound like one word. Listen in the audio guide: "getup", "turnon".

lightbulb Grammar: Separable vs. Inseparable

Some phrasal verbs can be separated by the object, and some cannot.

Separable Phrasal Verbs

For verbs like "turn on", "turn off", "put on", "give up", the object can go at the end OR in the middle.

• Turn on the light. (Correct)
• Turn the light on. (Correct)

Golden Rule: If the object is a pronoun (it, them, me), it MUST go in the middle.
Example: "Turn it on." (Correct) / Turn on it. (Incorrect)

Inseparable Phrasal Verbs

For verbs like "look for", the object MUST go at the end.

• I'm looking for my keys. (Correct)
• I'm looking my keys for. (Incorrect)

sports_esports Practice Your Phrasal Verbs

Activity 1: What's the Meaning?

Match the phrasal verb to its meaning.

1. find out
2. give up
3. look for
4. get up

• A. to stop trying
• B. to get out of bed
• C. to discover information
• D. to try to find

(Answers: 1 -> C, 2 -> A, 3 -> D, 4 -> B)

Activity 2: Correct the Sentence

Find the mistake in the sentence and correct it.

• "Please put on it." -> Correct: "Please put it on."
• "I'm looking my wallet for." -> Correct: "I'm looking for my wallet."

task Your Vocabulary Mission

This week in Battambang, your mission is to use phrasal verbs in your daily life.

Write three true sentences about your day using three different phrasal verbs from this lesson. Make sure one of your sentences uses a pronoun object in the middle (like "turn it on").

Example: "When I get home, the first thing I do is put my bag down. Then I look for something to drink."