Phrasal and Verb are two words which often strike fear into the heart of English learners!
They may seem difficult at first but as your English gradually improves so will your command of this part of the English language.
Phrasal verbs are an integral part of the language, especially in spoken and informal English. Therefore, it is an essential aspect to study if you wish to move past the intermediate level.
A phrasal verb is a multi-word combination of a Verb + Adverb (Look Up), Verb + Preposition (Look After) or Verb + Adverb + Preposition (Look Up To). All three of these phrasal verbs have a very different meaning to the original base verb (Look). This is what can often cause this aspect of English to be so challenging for a student.
Some phrasal verbs can have different meanings depending on the situation which can be quite frustrating. The phrasal verb Make Up has 8 different meanings!
Invent an explanation
Invent a story
Combine and form something
Prepare something
Become friends again
Work extra time
Make something from cloth
Put on Make-Up
There are hundreds of phrasal verbs in English, but in the opinion of many respected English teachers it is not necessary to study long lists of phrasal verbs. Instead it is far better to read or hear these expressions in the right context and then look them up when necessary. Then when you have learned a new one, try and use it in conversations when possible.
You may even discover you know a great number of phrasal verbs without realising it. Common ones used in the classroom are stand up, sit down, turn on/off etc.
Best of luck with using phrasal verbs in the future!