Tag: Phrasal Verbs

master-phrasal-verbs-toefl

Top 3 Reasons To Master Phrasal Verbs

What are Phrasal verbs?

Phrasal verbs are phrases that have a verb and another element, typically either an adverb, as in break down, or a preposition, for example, sleep in, or a combination of both, such as break up with.

What kinds of phrasal verbs are there?

There are four different kinds of phrasal verbs. Some of them have prepositions or adverbs that can move and change position, falling right after the verb, or at the end of the sentence. In addition, some phrasal verbs require objects while others do not. 

Examples of Phrasal Verbs in Sentences: 

(preposition moves around)

  • I called up Joanna/ I called Joanna up.  To call up, means to give someone a ring or to call someone, but in an informal way. 
  •  I handed in a paper/ I handed a paper in.  To hand in a paper means to submit a paper to a teacher or a professor.
  •  I checked out a book/ I checked a book out. To check out means to take a book from the library for a scheduled period of time.

More Examples of Phrasal Verbs in Sentences:

(preposition doesn’t move around)

  • I bumped into Jim. (To bump into means to meet someone by chance on the street). 
  •  She got over the illness quickly. (To get over means to recover from).
  • He picked on me about my strange outfit. (To pick on means to make fun of).

3 Reasons to Master Phrasal Verbs for TOEFL

Phrasal verbs are a useful tool to use on the TOEFL speaking exam because they often provide students with a much more efficient, exact way to communicate their opinion about a topic or to clearly express an idea.  

Reasons #1 For Using Phrasal Verbs on TOEFL 

phrasal verbs help you communicate more efficiently and accurately

  • Phrasal verbs are more efficient and express ideas with greater precision. 

Sometimes, when you say something in English without using a phrasal verb, it could take 5-6 words to say it, while a phrasal verb could express the same idea in merely a few words. 

Let’s look at some examples: 

First, let’s analyze a sentence without a phrasal verb: 

One of the most disappointing experiences of my life was when my partner decided to finalize our relationship.

We can create the same sentence with a phrasal verb: 

One of the most disappointing experiences of my life was when my partner broke up with me.

The sentence with the phrasal verb expresses the idea much more efficiently and in a more exact, natural way.  The sentence with the phrasal verb is also shorter and expresses the idea faster. 

Let’s study another example: 

A sentence without a phrasal verb:

  • I enjoy being with my friends so that we can talk about what we have been doing and share our experiences with each other.

The same sentence with two phrasal verbs:

  • I enjoy hanging out with my friends and catching up with them about their recent adventures. 

There is nothing wrong with the first sentence, but it takes longer to express and doesn’t sound as natural and fluent as the second sentence.  

Since you only have 45 seconds on the first part of the TOEFL speaking exam, it is important to express yourself and provide details and reasons to support your arguments.  Therefore, the more efficient and natural you sound when you give your reasons, the better you will score on the exam.  If you try to say something using a long complex sentence, sometimes it takes you too long to communicate your idea, you waste time, and then your score drops because you didn’t have enough time to justify your argument. 

Reason #2 for Using Phrasal Verbs on TOEFL Speaking

Phrasal verbs help you expand your vocabulary and improve your ability to communicate with a wide range of words.  

When you learn another language, it is useful to study vocabulary, synonyms, and phrases.  

For the TOEFL speaking exam, your score will increase if you paraphrase what the professor explained in the lecture.  You can use a wide range of phrasal verbs for academic purposes to do this.  

Here are a few examples:

The professor points out that stink bugs invade homes over the winter months.  (To point out means to clarify or show).  This is a phrasal verb that you could also use in your writing and TOEFL essays because it is used in academic papers and in more formal English.  

Another example of a phrasal verb is, “to consist of,” which means to be formed by or made up of.  To describe a study that a lecturer mentions, you could say, “The investigation consisted of a series of trials with a control group of rats.” This phrasal verb is also commonly used in academic English, which is truly the kind of English you need to hone for the TOEFL speaking exam.  

Also, when you describe research, you can use “carry out,” a wonderful phrasal verb that is used consistently in academic research papers.  For example, “A team of scientists carried out a study in Norway about global warming.”

So, therefore, the greater variety your response is in terms of rich, academic vocabulary, the higher you will score.  Therefore, it is important to study phrasal verbs used in academic contexts and also collocations for research and writing reports. 

Here are a few collocations (words that naturally fit together and that are commonly used together) you should be aware of when it comes to talking about research:

  • To carry out research (to DO research not Make)
  • Research indicates that….(research shows that…)
  • The professor provides a full explanation of the historical account of the battle (a complete explanation)
  • The professor provides a rationale for his argument (a justification for his argument)
  • The lecturer makes the case for his new theory of environmental protection (defends their position)

Reason #3 for Using Phrasal Verbs for TOEFL Speaking

If you want to sound as natural and as fluent as possible, it is a great idea to incorporate phrasal verbs into your spoken English.  

Although they are tricky, you can’t run and hide from them because they will inevitably find you and you eventually will find them. 

So, take some steps forward to start using them in your day-to-day conversation.  

Set up a routine to review phrasal verbs and how they are used in sentences.  You can use the Anki application for reviewing phrasal verbs with spaced repetition, a brain-based learning methodology. 

The first thing to do is download the Anki application to your desktop.  Then, you can download some phrasal verb decks to study.  Once you see this screen, click on “Get Shared Decks.”

Then, you can find popular decks by searching for “Phrasal Verbs.”  If you want exam prep specific decks, you can find “TOEFL Barron’s” or “Essential TOEFL IBT vocabulary.”

Then, you can download one of the decks that has great reviews and that has sample sentences so you can study the phrasal verb in context.  Some of the decks even have audio to practice pronunciation. 

Then, you can begin studying some common phrasal verbs on a daily basis while waiting for a bus or while riding a train or even while going to the bathroom.  Instead of opening your social media apps, you can open the Anki app and study for 5 minutes a day.  

Another great option is to take my phrasal verbs email course. You will feel much more confident expressing yourself and will find yourself sounding more natural as well.  The course has a video, where I explain what each phrasal verb means and I give you a few example sentences so that you can practice pronunciation.  Then, I give you an audio dictation to practice the phrasal verb.  The course is a fantastic way for you to improve your fluency and your ability to use phrasal verbs effectively.  

which phrasal verbs do you know?
Common phrasal verbs you should know for TOEFL

 

the verb get in English

The Verb Get in Spoken English: Key Expressions

One of the most commonly used verbs in English is the verb “get.”  Many of my students come to me looking confused by the verb “get.” They realize it is used constantly in spoken English with prepositions, nouns and adjectives, but they aren’t quite sure how to use “get” confidently when they speak English.  I wrote this post to help my English language students understand how to use “get” just like Native English speakers when they speak English. 

How-To-Use-The-Verb-Get

Get for Personal Change 

#1: We use “get” to describe a change of state or a transformation

Get is used to describe a change and the word “become” is a synonym for the way “get” is used in many of these cases. You can use the verb to describe a change of emotions or a state of being. For example, “I got really  tired yesterday after lunch.” or “I get angry when I watch the news.” You might hear, “I usually get fat in the winter” or “I get skinny in the summer,” both examples show some type of physical change. 

Also, when you go through the transformation of being a single person to getting married, you would use “get married” to describe the change in relationship status.  The same would be true for divorce because we “get divorced,” but I want to stay positive here and focus on all of the love in the air.  

 

how to use the verb get

 

Get for Friendship

#2 We use “get” for describing common activities with friends. 

When I first came to Spain, I noticed people commonly said, “Let’s take a coffee.”  They were directly translating from Spanish, where the verb “take” is employed for drinks, coffee, and snacks.  However, Native English speakers use “get” to invite someone for a coffee. For example, “Would you like to get a coffee?” or informally, “Wanna get a coffee?”  In this case, “want + to” is strung together in spoken English and pronounced “wanna.”  In addition, my students also ask for ways to talk about meeting up with their friends. For informal encounters with friends, you can use “get together.”  “I am going to get together with my friends after work.” Or, it can be used as a noun and you can say, “We are going to have a little get together with some of our friends,” which is like a small gathering of people.  

 

 

Get for Work

#3 We use “get” to describe hiring, firing, and promotions.

When we improve our position at work, we get a promotion.  It is always great news when this happens and we tend to call our closest friends and family members and tell them about the promotion we got.  On the other end of the spectrum, if we get fired, we have to share some unfortunate news to our family and friends because we lost our job.  Even this could be the worst turn of events in our life, we could get hired at a different company and as one door closes, another door opens.  

 

Get for Travel

#4 We use “get” for transportation and for moving from one place to another. 

You can get a bus or get a train or a plane. You can also get a taxi or a boat.  When you enter these vehicles, you “get on” them.  You get on a bus when you enter and step inside.  The same applies to planes, trains, and cars. 

We often use “get” informally, but oftentimes there are more exact words for these same actions.  For example, you can get a cab or you can hail a cab, which would be a more specific way of describing waving a cab down.  You can also “catch a bus” or “board a plane,” which is just like getting a bus or getting on a plane.

It is always better to be as specific as possible to describe what you are doing and where you are going when you travel, but when in doubt, use the verb “get” and when you reach your destination you could consider getting a hotel for the night and staying a few days in a warm, exotic place.

 

Get for Illness and Recovery   

#5 In English, we use get to describe all sorts of ailments and illnesses. 

As I write this blog, we are experiencing one of the worst pandemics in history (The Coronavirus: COVID 19).   Everyone around me is staying inside to avoid the disease from spreading even more.  In this case, nobody wants to get sick.  People are afraid of getting ill and getting the virus.  People who have the virus often get a fever and they sometimes get a dry cough.  The good thing is that a high percentage of people who get ill from the virus also get over the illness and recover.  Despite this fact, the rising death toll is shocking and disturbing.  I hope we get through these tough times not only as a country, but as a global community as well. 

You can read and learn more about phrasal verbs with Get here.

You can read about how to use “got it” to show you understand something here.

In conclusion, there are so many great ways we can use “get” to improve our fluency.  I didn’t even mention using get to talk about obtaining items at the store.  Many times, we ask someone, “What did you get?” instead of “What did you buy?” So, consider incorporating this important verb in your life, your English lexicon, and your daily routines.  When you get up tomorrow morning, consider getting a cup of coffee and adding a little “get” into your life. 

I invite you to add a comment to the comments section. How do you use “get” in other ways in English? Don’t hesitate to ask any questions you have about using this verb correctly!

 

TAKE THE GET QUIZ NOW!

Get for Fluency

Take this quiz and see if you know how to correctly use the verb "get" accurately in spoken English.