Phrasal Verbs
Complete the sentence: “To succeed in a busy job, you need to ___ with everything happening around you.”
keep up
EXTRA:
Talk about other phrasal verbs with “keep” and give examples in your life.
Sort the following: “be on cloud nine,” “sick and tired,” “look on the bright side,” “have never been better,” “ups and downs” into positive and negative.
Positive: be on cloud nine, look on the bright side, have never been better
Negative: sick and tired, ups and downs
EXTRA: Share a story about a time you experienced one negative and one positive emotion using the idioms in your answer.
Fill in the gap and justify your choice: “They served us apple pie for ____.” [desert/dessert]
dessert
EXTRA:
Remember more natural habitats besides a desert.
What’s the antonym for “spotless”? Use both words to describe places in your city.
filthy
EXTRA:
Name three more adjectives for cleanliness and rate yourself or your home on a scale.
For what type of product is “biodegradable” used? Why is it important?
Eco-friendly, breaks down naturally
EXTRA:
Remember three more adjectives used for environmentally positive or negative products.
Which is the odd one out? Explain why.
take over, take after, take control, take up
take control (not a phrasal verb)
take over - To begin to control something or become responsible for it, often replacing someone else
take after - To resemble an older family member in appearance, personality, or abilities
take control - To gain the power to make decisions about something or direct how something functions
take up - To become interested in a new activity and spend time doing it, or to occupy space or time
EXTRA:
What other “take” phrasal verbscan you remember?
Explain the idiom “under the thumb”. Then, describe a situation where you or someone you know felt this way.
Controlled or dominated by someone
EXTRA:
Do you ever need a shoulder to cry on?
Choose the correct word: “We were given a [receipt/recipe] at the restaurant after paying.”
receipt
EXTRA:
The wine perfectly [complements/compliments] the flavors of the grilled salmon, making the meal much more enjoyable.
Which adjective best describes a completely new discovery?
groundbreaking
EXTRA:
Name three more adjectives that can describe innovation or uniqueness.
Complete: “Portable electronic devices are becoming more common because…”
EXTRA:
Name five more technology adjectives and explain which device fits each.
Create a short story using “put off,” “put together,” and “put up with”.
put off - To delay or postpone something until a later time, often because you do not want to do it now, or to cause someone to feel dislike or lose interest
put together - To assemble or combine things to produce something, such as collecting ideas or constructing an object
put up with - To accept or tolerate an unpleasant situation or person without complaining .
EXTRA:
What other "put" phrasal verbs can you remember?
Fill in the missing word: “After the disagreement, they decided to ___ the air.” Explain it.
clear
EXTRA:
Do you need to clear the air with people you see eye to eye?
Give the differences, context, and your own sentences for “fun” vs “funny.”
fun = enjoyable, funny = amusing/makes you laugh
EXTRA:
Think about other adjectives related to entertainment. Describe a movie you watched, using all appropriate adjectives.
Complete the sentence: “The castle is very _____; it was built over 800 years ago.”
ancient
EXTRA:
Name three adjectives to describe historical buildings.What is the oldest building you've ever seen?
Who is described as a “techie” or “computer nerd”? Compare the connotations (are the words positive or negative?).
Someone who knows a lot about computers and electronic equipment
Techie is more positive
EXTRA:
How can you call fans of other activities?
Match the definitions to the phrasal verbs:
1) refuse a) work out
2) cancel b) call off
3) compare prices c) count on
4) plan carefully d) shop around
5) depend on e) turn down
1e 2b 3d 4a 5c
EXTRA:
Discuss any phrasal verbs from the list that can be used to discuss challenges — give personal examples.
Create a story using “break someone's heart,” “fair-weather friend,” “one in a million” and “love at first sight.”
EXTRA:
Can you remember any other idioms about relationships?
What’s the difference between “stationary” and “stationery”? Give context sentences.
stationary = not moving; stationery = writing materials
EXTRA:
Explain the difference between “accept” and “except”.
Define “reliable”. Use it in a sentence and compare with “dependable”.
able to be trusted; comparison in context
EXTRA:
Name 4 more positive and negative personality adjectives, decide which of them are the most and the least important at your work.
Express your opinion about some recent product, discovery or research using "obviously", "apparently" and "definitely".
EXTRA:
Which of the words is the closes synonym to "certainly"?
Use “call off” and “count on” in one paragraph describing a work situation and their relationship.
call off - to decide that a planned event will not take place
count on - to depend on someone or something, especially in a difficult situation
EXTRA:
- Can you remember a situation when somebody you had counted on let you down?
Describe a scenario for “go around in circles”. Why is this metaphor used, and what real life situations illustrate it?
Discussion of indecisive meetings, circular arguments
EXTRA:
Give examples from your professional or personal life where you felt you or others were “at a dead end” or “back to square one”—use those idioms.
Explain when to use “principal” vs “principle” — give sentence examples for each.
principal = most important, person; principle = rule or belief
EXTRA:
What's the difference between “possibility” and “opportunity”?
Discuss the nuanced differences between “rational” and “reasonable”.
rational = logical, reasonable = fair, correct
EXTRA:
Is sensible or sensitive a synonym to the words above?
Which of the words is an odd-one-out: “portable,” “durable,” “flimsy,” “flexible”?
flimsy is a negative characteristics
EXTRA:
Create a review of a gadget, using some of the words.