Phrasal Verbs

1. Introduction

This is a mini game to learn English phrasal verbs.

A phrasal verb is a pair of words that go together and act like a verb. For example, "give up" is a phrasal verb meaning to give up. Phrasal verbs are usually made up of a verb + preposition. For example, "take on", meaning to take responsibility for something, is made up of the verb "take" and the preposition "on". Often the meaning of a phrasal verb can be different from the meaning of the component parts. For example, throw up means throw up which would be quite difficult to deduce from just 2 parts. Because of these subtle meanings, phrasal verbs can be a difficult area for language learners.

The purpose of this game is to help students learn and practice a set of phrasal verbs in an easy and engaging way. It is hoped that students will be able to understand the meaning of pictures and sentences, then from repeatedly matching phrases with this context, they will be able to associate phrasal verbs with meaning, and then translate it. to everyday use. In this respect, the game is quite behaviorist in its approach - repeatedly pairing words and meanings to strengthen the association. Although, as with most content like this, the real responsibility lies with the learner for making the best use of it as a resource. Some learners may even feel they get the most benefit from simply clicking on the images on the review screen.

The game features 36 phrasal verbs chosen according to how easy they are to represent visually. While it would be nice to be able to include more complex phrases like bring about or pick apart, the nature of this type of interaction means that only more intuitive phrases can be used. There are hundreds of phrasal verbs in the English language and the phrases used here are not really a representative sample. More specifically, the phrases used here are not the most common or easiest, they are just terms that are easier to see.

The game has 3 parts. In the first part, you just have to click on the phrasal verb that matches the picture. This section includes all the phrases used in the game and it repeats any entries that make mistakes. The second part is similar to the first, except that the 2 parts of the phrase are separate and must be clicked individually. The second, like the third, is slower and doesn't repeat missed items. The third part presents a series of words and you have to search and find the words that match the picture. There can sometimes be multiple answers - "try on" and "put on" are quite similar, for example - but we've worked hard to avoid these situations.

There is a countdown timer that moves pretty fast. This is included to add more challenge to the game. If you want, you can play without a timer by clicking the "Slow" option above the fold or, you can tap the settings button and uncheck the timer settings there.

If you have any comments, questions or feedback, please use the form below to send a message.