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

Speaking: Vocabulary for Speaking B1

Common Phrasal Verbs

What you will learn: 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.

Phrasal Verbs in Daily Life

A phrasal verb is a verb + a small word (like 'up', 'on', or 'for') that creates a new meaning. Native speakers use them constantly. Let's see some in a short story.

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

Your Phrasal Verb Toolkit 🛠️

get up

to get out of bed

"I get up at 6 AM."

look for

to try to find something

"I'm looking for my phone."

find out

to discover information

"I found out the meeting is cancelled."

give up

to stop trying; to quit

"The puzzle was too hard, so I gave up."

put on

to place clothes on your body

"Put on your jacket. It's cold."

turn off / on

to stop / start a machine or light

"Please turn off the TV."

Grammar: Separable vs. Inseparable

Some phrasal verbs can be separated by the object, and some cannot. This is an important rule.

Separable Phrasal Verbs

For verbs like "turn on", "turn off", and "put on", 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, him), it MUST go in the middle.
- Correct: "Turn it on."
- Incorrect: Turn on it.

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)

Pronunciation Tip

🗣️ Stress and Linking

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

• get UP
• turn ON
• look FOR

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

Practice Your Phrasal Verbs 🎯

Activity 1: Match the Meaning

Match the phrasal verb to its meaning.

1. find out → C. to discover information
2. give up → A. to stop trying
3. look for → D. to try to find
4. get up → B. to get out of bed

Activity 2: Correct the Sentence

Find the mistake in the sentence and correct it.

• Sentence: "Please put on it." → Correction: "Please put it on."
• Sentence: "I'm looking my wallet for." → Correction: "I'm looking for my wallet."

Vocabulary Review

• Phrasal Verb | កិរិយាស័ព្ទកន្សោម
  A verb combined with a particle (e.g., on, up, for) to create a new meaning.
• get up | ក្រោកពីគេង
• look for | រកមើល
• find out | រកឃើញ
• give up | បោះបង់
• put on | ស្លៀកពាក់
• turn on / turn off | បើក / បិទ

Your Vocabulary Mission ⭐

This week, 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").