Mastering English Speaking with Essential Phrasal Verbs

Introduction

What's the most important skill in the English language? Speaking! In this lesson, we will explore 10 common phrasal verbs that you can use to enhance your English speaking skills. My name is Maddie from POC English, and I'm excited to guide you through these essential expressions.

Background or Problem Statement

Context

Phrasal verbs are integral to everyday English conversation. They consist of a verb combined with a preposition or adverb, creating a meaning different from the original verb. Understanding and using these phrasal verbs can significantly improve your fluency and comprehension.

Problem

Many English learners struggle with phrasal verbs because their meanings aren't always intuitive. This article addresses this challenge by breaking down 10 commonly used phrasal verbs, providing examples, and showing you how to incorporate them into your speech.

Main Content

Key Point 1: Catch Up

To "catch up" means to get up to date with something or someone. For example, after a vacation, you might need to catch up on your emails. "I need to catch up with my emails after being on vacation."

Key Point 2: Turn Down

"Turn down" means to refuse or reject something, often an offer. For instance, you might turn down a job offer if the salary isn't sufficient. "She turned down the job offer because it didn't pay enough."

Key Point 3: Run Into

To "run into" someone means to meet them unexpectedly. For example, you might run into an old friend at the grocery store. "I ran into an old friend at the grocery store yesterday."

Key Point 4: Come Across

"Come across" means to find something by chance. For instance, you might come across an interesting article while browsing the internet. "I came across this interesting article while browsing the web."

Key Point 5: Bring Up

To "bring up" means to introduce a topic in a conversation. For example, you might bring up an important issue during a meeting. "I didn't want to bring up the issue during the meeting."

Actionable Advice

• Step 1: Write sentences using each phrasal verb to practice their meanings.
• Step 2: Combine sentences into paragraphs to create a coherent text.
• Step 3: Practice speaking these sentences and paragraphs aloud to improve fluency.

Summary

• Catch Up: Get up to date with something or someone.
• Turn Down: Refuse or reject an offer.
• Run Into: Meet someone unexpectedly.
• Come Across: Find something by chance.
• Bring Up: Introduce a topic in a conversation.
• Example: "Yesterday, I decided to catch up on my emails after being on vacation for a week. While going through my inbox, I ran into an old friend's email, which I hadn't seen in years. It was unexpected to come across his message among the others. Feeling nostalgic, I decided to bring up the idea of meeting for coffee."

Main Content

Key Point 6: Look Forward To

"Look forward to" means to anticipate something with pleasure. For example, you might look forward to seeing a friend. "I'm looking forward to seeing you again next week."

Key Point 7: Speak Up

"Speak up" has two meanings: to speak louder and to express your opinion. For example, you might need to speak up in a meeting to share your thoughts. "Can you speak up? I can't hear you."

Key Point 8: Put Off

To "put off" means to postpone something. For instance, you might put off doing your homework to play outside. "They decided to put off the meeting until next week."

Key Point 9: Hang Out

"Hang out" means to spend time with someone socially. For example, you might hang out with friends at the park. "Do you want to hang out tonight?"

Key Point 10: Go Through

To "go through" means to experience a difficult situation. For example, you might go through a tough time after failing an exam. "She's going through a tough time right now."

Actionable Advice

• Step 1: Write sentences using each of the new phrasal verbs.
• Step 2: Combine these sentences into paragraphs to create a story.
• Step 3: Practice speaking these paragraphs to improve your conversational skills.

Summary

• Look Forward To: Anticipate with pleasure.
• Speak Up: Speak louder or express your opinion.
• Put Off: Postpone something.
• Hang Out: Spend time with someone socially.
• Go Through: Experience a difficult situation.
• Example: "I'm really looking forward to the weekend when I can hang out with my friends at the park. Last time we had to put off our gathering due to bad weather, and I didn't say anything, but this time I'll speak up."

And that's it! I hope you've enjoyed this lesson. Remember, the key to mastering these phrasal verbs is to practice using them in sentences, paragraphs, and texts. Happy learning!