A phrasal verb is a verb plus a small word called a particle (usually a preposition or adverb). Together they make a new meaning. 'Get' means obtain or receive. 'Get up' means rise from bed or from a chair. 'Put' means place. 'Put on' means to put clothes on the body. The particle changes the meaning — you cannot just use the verb alone. 'She get up at six' would be wrong; the meaning is 'rises from bed', which needs 'up'. Phrasal verbs are everywhere in English, especially in daily life. At A2, the most important phrasal verbs describe daily routines (get up, go to bed), body actions (sit down, stand up), and everyday tasks (turn on the light, put on a coat). This lesson shows how to teach these essential phrasal verbs as chunks, so students can talk about their daily lives using natural English.
Before you start — think honestly about your own teaching and experience.
Look at the examples. Answer each question before reading the explanation — this is how your students will learn too.
I rise at six. (possible, but formal and unusual)
I get up at six. ✓ (natural, everyday)
I sit on the chair. (possible, describes position)
Please sit down. ✓ (natural request — action of sitting)
I remove my coat when I come home. (possible, formal)
I take off my coat when I come home. ✓ (natural, everyday)
I activate the radio. (unnatural)
I turn on the radio. ✓ (natural)
In each pair, both forms are grammatically possible but the phrasal verb is the natural everyday choice. Why?
English has single-word verbs for many actions (rise, remove, activate, extinguish, enter, exit) — but speakers use phrasal verbs in daily life instead (get up, take off, turn on, turn off, come in, go out). The single-word verbs sound formal or scientific in everyday speech. A student who says 'I rise at 6 and then remove my pyjamas' sounds strange, even though every word is correct. 'I get up at 6 and then take off my pyjamas' sounds natural. This is not a grammar rule but a style rule — phrasal verbs belong to everyday speech, single-word verbs to formal writing. Students need both, but at A2 level, the phrasal verbs are the priority because they are the ones used in real conversation.
turn ON the light (start it working)
turn OFF the light (stop it working)
turn UP the volume (make louder)
turn DOWN the volume (make quieter)
turn AROUND (change direction)
put ON a coat (place on the body)
put OFF the meeting (delay to later)
put OUT the fire (extinguish)
put UP with noise (tolerate)
put AWAY your books (store properly)
One verb — turn, put — becomes many different actions depending on the particle. Why is this a challenge for students?
Many common verbs combine with many different particles to make many different phrasal verbs. 'Turn' alone generates at least five everyday phrasal verbs: turn on, turn off, turn up, turn down, turn around. 'Put' generates even more. The verb alone tells you very little — the particle does most of the meaning work. Students who know only the verb 'turn' cannot understand 'turn off the lights' or 'turn down the music'. Teaching phrasal verbs means teaching the verb + particle combinations as separate units, not as a verb that students then add particles to. 'Turn on' is one chunk; 'turn off' is another chunk; they happen to share the word 'turn' but they are different phrasal verbs. At A2 level, focus on the most common meaning of each particle: ON starts things, OFF stops them, UP increases, DOWN decreases.
Some phrasal verbs — you can put the object in the middle OR at the end:
I put on my coat. ✓
I put my coat on. ✓
But with pronouns (it, them, him, her), only the middle position works:
I put it on. ✓
I put on it. ✗
Other phrasal verbs take no object at all:
I got up at six. ✓ (no object — got up just means 'rose')
I got up my bed. ✗
And some always need a particle after the object:
I look after my sister. ✓
I look my sister after. ✗ (this verb cannot be split)
These rules about where to put the object are one of the trickiest parts of phrasal verbs. What is the safest strategy at A2 level?
Phrasal verbs follow different patterns for the object position. Some can be split (put on a coat / put a coat on), some cannot be split (look after the baby — not 'look the baby after'), some take no object (get up, sit down). For A2 students, the safest strategy is to learn each phrasal verb with its typical object pattern, as part of the chunk. Teach 'put on your coat' and 'put your coat on' together so students see both positions. Teach 'sit down' with no object. Teach 'look after someone' with the object after 'after'. With pronouns, remind students: the pronoun always goes in the middle — 'put it on', 'take them off', 'turn it off'. This is one of the few hard rules and is easy to drill.
| Phrasal verb | Meaning | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| get up | rise from bed; stand up | I get up at six every morning. | No object for 'get up' (rise). Very common in daily routines. |
| go to bed | begin sleeping for the night | The children go to bed at nine. | Fixed phrase. 'Go to sleep' is similar but more specific. |
| wake up | stop sleeping; become awake | I wake up when I hear the rooster. | Different from 'get up' — you can wake up and stay in bed. |
| sit down | move to a sitting position | Please sit down — the lesson is starting. | Used as a request or instruction. No object needed. |
| stand up | move to a standing position | Everyone stood up when the head teacher entered. | Opposite of 'sit down'. Often used as instruction. |
| turn on | start something working (light, radio, tap) | Can you turn on the light, please? | Splits with nouns: 'turn on the light' or 'turn the light on'. With pronouns: 'turn it on'. |
| turn off | stop something working | Don't forget to turn off the lights. | Opposite of 'turn on'. Same splitting rules: 'turn it off', not 'turn off it'. |
| put on | place clothes or objects on the body | Put on your coat — it's raining. | Splits with nouns; with pronouns, must split: 'put them on', not 'put on them'. |
| take off | remove clothes from the body | Take off your shoes before coming in. | Opposite of 'put on'. Same splitting rules. |
| come in | enter | Please come in and sit down. | Common invitation. No object — just 'come in'. |
| go out | leave a building; also: attend a social event | She goes out every Friday evening. | Opposite of 'come in'. 'Go out with friends' is very common. |
| put off | delay to a later time | We put off the meeting until next week. | Different meaning from 'put on'. Particle matters — the particle carries the meaning. |
NOTE 1 — Particle changes the meaning: The particle (on, off, up, down, in, out) is the key to the meaning. 'Turn on' and 'turn off' are opposites. 'Put on' (clothes) and 'put off' (delay) are completely different actions. Students must learn verb + particle as a single unit — the particle is not optional or interchangeable.
NOTE 2 — Object position rules: Some phrasal verbs take no object (get up, sit down, come in). Some take an object that can go in the middle or at the end (put on your coat / put your coat on). With pronouns (it, them, him, her), the object MUST go in the middle ('turn it off', not 'turn off it'). At A2 level, drill the 'pronoun in the middle' rule firmly — it catches students out constantly.
NOTE 3 — Phrasal verbs are the natural everyday form: English has single-word alternatives for many phrasal verbs (rise, remove, activate, extinguish, enter, exit) — but these sound formal or unusual in daily speech. For describing daily routines and ordinary actions, the phrasal verb is almost always the right choice. Teach students to notice when a single-word alternative sounds too formal for the situation.
NOTE 4 — Opposites come in pairs: Many everyday phrasal verbs have clear opposites: get up / go to bed, sit down / stand up, turn on / turn off, put on / take off, come in / go out. Teaching them in opposite pairs helps memory and gives students the full range immediately.
NOTE 5 — Start with daily routine: The best way to teach phrasal verbs at A2 is through daily routines. 'I get up, I wake up, I put on my clothes, I go out, I come in, I sit down, I stand up, I turn off the light, I go to bed.' A single day uses almost all the most important phrasal verbs — which makes them easy to practise in context.
Phrasal verbs are one of the hardest features of English for learners, and also one of the most important for sounding natural. Many students at B1 and even B2 level avoid phrasal verbs — using single-word formal verbs instead — because they are not confident about the meanings or the patterns. This makes their English sound strangely formal. Teaching the most common phrasal verbs early, as chunks attached to daily-life situations, prevents this avoidance and gives students the tools for natural conversation. At A2 level, focus on the 10-15 highest-frequency phrasal verbs and drill them repeatedly in context. A small set used confidently is far more useful than a long list half-remembered.
Teach phrasal verbs through physical action. Call out a phrasal verb — 'sit down', 'stand up', 'put on your jacket', 'take off your shoes' — and students do the action. This fixes the phrasal verb to the movement, making it memorable and natural. Later, students can give each other instructions using the phrasal verbs.
Complete each sentence with the correct phrasal verb. Think about the action and which particle fits.
Each sentence has an error with a phrasal verb — wrong particle, missing particle, or wrong word order. Find the error, write the correct sentence, and explain.
Use this sequence directly in class — guided discovery, no textbook needed. Tap each step to mark it done.
STEP 1 — What is a phrasal verb? (4 min): Write 'get up' on the board. Ask: what does it mean? Students will say 'rise from bed'. Then write 'get' alone — what does this mean? Something different (obtain). Establish: a phrasal verb is a verb + a small word that together make a new meaning. The small word (particle) is essential — you cannot just use the verb alone.
STEP 2 — Daily routine drill (6 min): Work through a typical day using phrasal verbs. 'I wake up. I get up. I go to the bathroom. I put on my clothes. I come into the kitchen. I sit down at the table. I eat breakfast. I go out. I go to school.' Students repeat. Then students describe their own day using as many phrasal verbs as possible. This fixes the phrasal verbs in the context of real routines.
STEP 3 — Opposite pairs (5 min): Teach the opposite pairs: get up / go to bed, sit down / stand up, turn on / turn off, put on / take off, come in / go out. For each pair, have students act out both actions. Physical action fixes the meaning vividly. Drill until each pair is automatic.
STEP 4 — The pronoun rule (5 min): Write on the board: 'Can you turn on the light?' Students read aloud. Then write: 'Can you turn the light on?' Both are correct. Then write: 'Can you turn on it?' Cross this out and write 'Can you turn it on?' Explain: when the object is 'it', 'them', 'him', 'her', it must go in the middle. Drill this rule with five examples.
STEP 5 — Give instructions with phrasal verbs (5 min): In pairs, students take turns giving each other instructions using phrasal verbs: 'Stand up. Turn around. Sit down. Put on this jacket. Take off your jacket.' The partner must do the action. This is fun, physical, and forces active retrieval. End with: 'Which phrasal verbs do you still find hard?' — identifies what needs more practice.
Use directly in class — copy, adapt, or read aloud. No printing needed.
For each strategy, choose the option that best describes where you are now.
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