English Vocabulary | 5 steps to learn phrasal verbs easily

Have you given up on studying phrasal verbs?

Then you may have been approaching them the wrong way.

Hello and welcome everyone, this is Minoo at  Anglo-Link.

As I continue to see many of you struggling with phrasal verbs,

in this short video, I'm going to share with you the best way I think is the way to approach learning them.

I've divided this lesson into two parts.

First, we'll look at why we need to learn phrasal verbs.

And then secondly, how to learn them effectively.

A quick reminder to check out my complete online course at Anglo-Link.com

where you will find more lessons and exercises  on phrasal verbs and many other topics.

So now, let's dive into the lesson!

So, do we need to study phrasal verbs?

Yes, we do.

Why?

Because they're an important part of English vocabulary.

And we need to know them in order to be able to understand daily English conversations and informal writing.

Remember that we do not often see phrasal verbs in formal writing.

But do we need to use them?

Not really.

We can express ourselves quite clearly without using phrasal verbs because they all have a non-phrasal synonym.

For example, don't think that your English will sound better if you say:

I gave up smoking. Instead of: I quit smoking. Or: I stopped smoking.

So, now let's look at how to study them effectively.

Remember that phrasal verbs  are like any other item of vocabulary.

You need to learn them gradually and in context.

You must avoid making long lists of these verbs with their translation into your own language. 

So, what should we do instead?

I'd like to recommend five steps.

Step 1. When you see or hear a phrasal verb you do not understand, write it on a flash card.

I'd recommend you use a flash card app.

There are many good ones online.

As I've just mentioned, it's best to build up your knowledge of phrasal verbs slowly and gradually as you hear and see them in context.

Do not memorize long lists of these verbs.

And step 2 is to look up the verb in an online dictionary.

Now don't panic if you see that the same phrasal verb has several different meanings.

For example, 'go off' has four different meanings.

The first meaning is 'to be activated'. For example,

an alarm goes off.

The second meaning is 'to go bad'.

Food or drink can go bad. For example, the milk has gone off.

The third meaning is when you begin to dislike someone or something.

Like saying: I've gone off this drink.

I don't like it anymore.

And the fourth meaning is when something stops operating.

For example, you can say: The lights have just gone off.

So, what is step 3?

Step 3 is to choose two of the meanings that you find useful for you,

and write them on your flash card.

Also, make sure that you write a good example sentence for each of these two meanings.

You can always add the other meanings if and when you come across them in other contexts.

Step 4. As you continue to discover and explore more and more phrasal verbs,

create separate folders for each root verb. For example,

one folder for phrasal verbs with 'go', and  another folder for phrasal verbs with 'come'.

And finally, step 5.

Each time you add a new phrasal verb to one of your folders,

make sure that you review all the other verbs  you have already put in that folder.

As you know, these verbs can be easily forgotten or confused with each other.

So, regular revision is extremely important!

So, what will you notice using this method?

Firstly, you will begin to see, hear, and immediately understand the verbs that you've studied more often.

And this shows that your main objective is being achieved:

Your listening comprehension is improving!

And secondly, like any other item of vocabulary,

as you begin to hear and understand these verbs immediately in new context,

you will begin to slowly, but surely start to use them reflexively yourself.

Well that's the end of this lesson.

For more lessons to practice phrasal verbs,  you can check out this playlist.

And also remember to check out my complete online  course for lessons and exercises on all topics.

And please make sure you subscribe to know when  my next lesson is available.

Thanks a lot for watching, and I look forward to seeing you in my next lesson.

Goodbye for now.