A student wrote and told me:
“My biggest challenge is phrasal verbs.”
That’s common.
I hear that a lot.
And I understand.
They are confusing.
So here’s an idea that may help…
What if you didn’t know what a phrasal verb was?
What if you didn’t know what they were called?
What if your teacher never told you “This is a phrasal verb.”
And instead, when you’re talking or reading or watching TV, and you hear or read something you don’t understand, you get curious.
You think, “Hmm, I wonder what that means…?”
And then you find out.
And then you use those words immediately in a sentence.
And this sentence is about yourself, because according to research, when you connect the new word(s) to a personal memory you remember the new word 500% better than using other methods.
Now that doesn’t sound so hard, does it?
Words have power and even choosing to name something gives it power.
Think of the C virus.
There are millions of viruses out there and inside us right now.
This one is special. But imagine just for a moment if it didn’t have a name.
No name. No story. No news. No fear…
In many parts of the word the past month would have been just another flu seasons, maybe a little worse, or maybe nothing out of the ordinary.
So if phrasal verbs scare you, take away its name.
Then go do some English.
And enjoy it!