Episode 005 | An Introduction to Phrasal Verbs in English

You're listening to English with an Aussie, the #1 podcast spoken entirely in slow English.

Welcome everybody! My name is Adriana, an experienced English teacher from Down Under. I have created this podcast for international students, professionals and intermediate ESL speakers who are planning their new lives in Australia. Each episode I will share an interesting aspect about the Australian culture. In addition to this, you will find many grammatical lessons to help you start speaking like a native in no time!

Are you finding youself at a 'stand-still' with your English? Perhaps it's because you have not yet mastered the world of Phrasal Verbs, which are used commonly in spoken English. In today's episode we'll unpack what they are and why you MUST start using them. I'll be giving you 5 new Phrasal Verbs that will take your speaking and listening to the next level. 

Transcript

🇦🇺 An Introduction to Phrasal Verbs 🇦🇺

Episode 005 | #EnglishwithanAussie

JINGLE:

Hello everybody and welcome. I’m your host Adriana, and you're listening to English with an Aussie, the no. 1 podcast spoken entirely in slow English.

INTRODUCTION: 

In today's episode we’ll be diving into some English grammar. I’ll be introducing you all to the mysterious world of Phrasal Verbs which are used commonly in spoken English. We’ll first unpack what they are and why you need to start including them in your vocabulary. Finally, I’ll be giving you 5 Phrasal Verbs that you MUST start using if you want to sound like a native Aussie! Hopefully this episode will spark your interest, and give you the motivation to continue on your English learning journey! Well without further adieu, let’s jump in.

WHAT ARE PHRASAL VERBS?

So, what is a phrasal verb? Well, a phrasal verb is a phrase made up of a verb and one or two small words, such as prepositions or even adverbs. These small words have a special job to do, which is to change the meaning of the verb depending on the context. For example “look after” means to take care of someone. And “give up” means to admit defeat and stop trying. Because native speakers use phrasal verbs so frequently, understanding them is essential for mastering natural English communication. Now to dig in a bit deeper, some phrasal verbs can be separated such as “turn off the light” and “turn the light off”. Both phrases mean exactly  the same thing, however the object (the light) and the verb (turn) can be used in a different order. These are known as ‘separable phrasal verbs’. Now on the other hand, when using some phrasal verbs the object must always follow the particle such as “run into someone” (which means to meet someone by chance). We cannot change its order to “run someone into” because let’s face it, that would just sound silly.  Now these types of phrasal verbs are referred to as ‘inseparable’. Many people argue that phrasal verbs serve a purpose for casual conversation only. Conversations among friends and family, but that is simply not the case. The list of phrasal verbs in English is evolving every single day and in my opinion, extends to formal contexts such as interviews, meetings and even higher education. So here's the deal…. Today we are going to add 5 intermediate phrasal verbs into your vocabulary. I've selected these ones for you in particular as I hear them used regularly by Australians. Are you ready? 

#1 GET AROUND TO

In no particular order, let’s start our list with “get around to”, which simply means to do something that you have intended to do for a long time. If you imagine all of the jobs that you need to do as a circle that never comes to an end, you know that some jobs take priority over others, and others get pushed to the end of the line. However, as life is…. eventually, we find ourselves at the end, where we must “get around” to finishing them. Let’s take a look at an example: “I’ve got a stack of clothes that need washing, but I just didn’t get around to it today”. Did you hear it? Let’s try it as a question this time: “Adriana, don’t you think it’s about time you got around to washing those clothes?”. Starting to understand? Let’s try one more for safe measure. I want you to listen carefully to the word “get” and how it changes in this example. “Adriana, have you gotten around to washing those clothes yet?” In all three of my examples the word “get” changed to got or gotten, depending on the tense. Now this is just one thing you need to watch out for. Just because you learn a phrasal verb ONE way, doesn’t mean it can’t change. After all they ARE verbs, and like ALL verbs in English we must conjugate them depending on whether we are speaking in past, in the present, future or even continuous tense. 

#2 BRUSH UP ON

Which means to improve your knowledge or skills in something you haven’t practised for a while. For example, if you haven’t spoken French in a long time, you might want to “brush up on” your French by studying it again. Or you may have forgotten how to play a card game, so you might “brush up on” the rules by re-reading them again. You can even encourage someone if they aren’t sounding so sure on something “hmmm….I think you might wanna brush up on that before making a decision”.  

#3 TAKE AFTER

Which means to look like or be similar to a family member in appearance or in behaviour. Let's say you look a lot like your father. One might say “you are so tall, you must take after your father!” or if you are good at playing the piano and so is your grandmother, one might say “wow, your very talented at playing the piano, you must take after your grandmother!”. Here's a nice tip, when meeting someone new, you might like to ask them “who do you take after, your mum or dad?” This invites the other person to think about things that are similar and ultimately, this could lead to a lovely conversation.

#4 KEEP UP

Which means to stay at the same level or at the same pace as someone. For example, if you’re taking a walk with a friend or family member and they are walking faster than you, you might say “hey, can you slow down, I can’t keep up with you!”. Or perhaps someone is talking about a topic in great detail, using quite technical vocabulary, you might say “gees, I’m struggling to keep up with what you’re saying, can you repeat it again?”. Lastly, many Australians use the phrase “keep up the great work!” which means to maintain a high standard of something. So, next time you're with someone you know, and they’re doing a good job, simply say “keep it up!” And don’t forget to put your thumbs up. The two really do go hand in hand. 

#5 COME ACROSS 

Our final phrasal verb. Come across means to find or encounter something unexpectedly. For example “I came across an old photo album while I was cleaning out the attic”. However, ‘come across’ has a second meaning which us Aussie’s use very frequently. It actually refers to the behaviour of others. I know this sounds a little confusing, but let me break it down for you. Imagine you have just been introduced to somebody new and when they say goodbye and walk away, you turn to your friend and you say “you know what, she comes across as a very friendly person”. Or perhaps it was a negative experience, you might say “hmm, I’m unsure about her, she came across a bit cold”. This is a perfect example of how phrasal verbs can change due to the context. So, if you’ve learnt anything today - I want you to remember this. It is crucial to listen carefully, as you don't want to be caught out. Oops, there I go again, ‘caught out’. Is that another phrasal verb? I guess it is. Now you’ve got 6. 

WHY ARE THEY IMPORTANT?

Okay, let’s go over that list one more time to make sure you’ve heard everything clearly. Number one was ‘get around to’. Number two ‘brush up on’. Number three ‘take after’. Number four ‘keep up’. Number five  ‘come across’. And I popped a sixth one in there for you guys, and that was ‘caught out’. Now, to finish off today's episode, let's have a look at why phrasal verbs cannot be neglected in your English study program. As mentioned earlier, phrasal verbs are a key part of everyday conversation and common expressions. If your goal is to reach the advanced levels of English and start speaking like a native, phrasal verbs help make your speech and writing sound more natural and more fluent. Understanding phrasal verbs allows people to understand others better and also helps them express themselves more clearly. This helps you avoid awkward conversations and shows a deeper grasp of the language, in turn, making your communication authentic and closer to that of a native speaker. Hopefully this will assist you in developing deeper connections with people and having more stimulating conversations. Finally, as mentioned, knowing how to use phrasal verbs correctly is important because like we saw in the fifth example, their meaning can change based on where you are or who you’re with. For example “take off” can mean removing clothes, but it can also mean the aeroplane leaving the ground”. So, my friends, pay careful attention to the situation and surrounding vocabulary can assist you in understanding the meaning of the phrasal verb. 

REFLECTIONS:

Well if you’ve made it this far, thank you so much for sticking around. But as always, it’s time to say our goodbyes. Just to remind you, today's episode was l about phrasal verbs. We first took a moment to understand what a phrasal verb is and how they work. I then offered you 6 phrasal verbs to start speaking more like a native. And, to close the episode I revealed the reasons why they simply cannot be neglected. Next episode, I’ll be teaching you how to create your very own Australian nickname. If you would like to join my inner circle and receive free content such as the entire transcript of this episode, please join my Facebook group. I’ll leave the link in the description. Once again, thank you everybody. You've been listening to English with an Aussie. 

VOCABULARY

1.  mysterious : having an atmosphere of strangeness or secrecy, or being  
    difficult to understand, explain and identify.
2.  preposition : a word that comes before a noun or pronoun that shows 
    direction, time, place, location, or spatial relationships eg. over, across, in.
3.  adverb : a word that describes a verb or adjective eg. loudly, quickly.
4.  admit : to confess or agree that something is true. 
5.  higher education : education after highschool such as university or college.
6.  stack : a pile of objects arranged one on top of the other. 
7.  conjugate : change the form of a word based on a set of rules.
8.  maintain : to keep something existing or continue without any change.
9.  unexpectedly : happens in a way that is surprising or not likely to happen.
10.  attic : a small room at the top of a house just below the roofline used for 
     storage. Sometimes this can be referred to as a loft.
11.  awkward : a situation that can make you feel uneasy, embarrassed or 
     inconvenienced. 
12.  authentic : being real and true to your personality, values and spirit. If an
     object or concept is authentic, it is true and legitimate.
13.  nickname : a familiar or funny name given to a person instead of their real 
     name.