Helping intermediate learners with multiword verbs

LSA4 (2)

Matt Fleming
Candidate Number 11
International House Budapest HU050

27 November 2018

Word Count (2483 words)

Contents Page Number

Introduction 1
Analysis of Features 2
Meaning and use 2
Form 3
Phonology 3
Learning Problems and Teaching Issues 5
Problem 1: Idiomaticity 5
Problem 2: Form (Type 3 MWVs) 5
Problem 3: Memorization 5
Problem 4: Avoidance 5
Suggestions for Teaching 7
Solution 1: 7
Solution 2: 7
Solution 3: Memorization (Multiword Verb maze) 8
Solution 4: Tackling Avoidance 8
Bibliography 10-11
Appendices 12
Appendix 1.1: Emotional Intelligence test 13
Appendix 1.2: Emotional Intelligence test (MWVs highlighted) 14
Appendix 1.3: Discussion questions 15
Appendix 2.1: Cut out sentences 16
Appendix 3.1: Table 17
Appendix 3.2: Table (answer sheet) 18
Appendix 4.1: Phrasal Verb Maze 19
LSA4 (2) – Helping intermediate learners with multiword verbs Matt Fleming 11

Introduction

I have decided to focus on helping intermediate learners with multiword verbs (MWVs). MWVs are
defined by Gairns and Redman (1986, p33) as lexical units consisting of a ‘base verb’ and one or two
adverbial or prepositional particles; wake up, look after, go through, get out of and so forth. Such
structures are extremely widespread in English, occurring in all text types, particularly in informal
spoken contexts.

In my experience, learners of all levels are usually aware of the prevalence of MWVs and keen to study
them. Despite this, MWVs can cause significant problems. For example, they can be highly idiomatic
and not easily identifiable even when the verb and particle(s) are known to learners. One of my
students was recently mystified by carry on (meaning continue), as he could see no logical relationship
between its constituent parts and the concept of continuation.

At Intermediate level, a knowledge of MWVs becomes essential as learners begin encountering more
authentic texts and interacting with native speakers. While reading for this assignment, I have become
interested in how Lewis (1993, p121) describes an increased awareness of MWVs and other lexical
units as enhancing both receptive and productive skills, leading to increased processing speeds, fluency
and naturalness of output.

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Analysis of Features

Meaning and use

A MWV is a lexical unit which combines a verb with one or two adverbial or prepositional particles.
Statistical analysis shows that while they occur in all text types (Fletcher, 2005), they are particularly
prevalent in informal, spoken contexts. Most MWVs have a one-word equivalent, which tends to have
a Latin root and a more formal register, for example; leave out = omit or put up with = tolerate.
Sometimes the alternative verb is so infrequently used that it can sound odd in spoken discourse, for
example don (for put on) clothing. A one-word alternative may also fail to express the precise meaning
of the MWV, for instance; the pen has finished is not quite the same as the pen has run out.

Many MWVs are polysemous; they have multiple meanings. The transitive form of pick up has, for
example, 10 definitions in the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (2010), including collect, acquire,
tidy up, etc.

MWVs range in idiomaticity from the very literal to the opaque (Leech and Svartvik, 2002, p243). Sit
down and stand up are often cited as examples of MWVs whose meanings can easily be deduced from
their constituent parts, while others are highly idiomatic and seem to bear little relation to the
individual meanings of their constituent parts; fall out (meaning quarrel), for instance. The particles
do, however, tend to carry some inherent meaning; up suggests the idea of increasing, as in; grow up
and turn up (the music), or completion, as in; eat up and end up (somewhere), while the particle on
can suggest continuation; as in carry on and move on (Thornbury, 2006, p166). In other cases, both
verb and particle appear to be purely idiomatic; fighting broke out, meaning started (Swan, 2005,
p591).

Form

We typically categorise MWVs into four ‘types’ (Parrott, 2010, pp141);

• Type 1 (verb + adverb) – Intransitive (they do not take an object) and inseparable (the verb and
particle cannot be separated); My money ran out when I got to Cornwall, not *My money ran when
I got to Cornwall out.

• Type 2 (verb + preposition + object) – Transitive (takes an object) and inseparable (the object
cannot separate the verb and particle). The particle is a preposition and always precedes the

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object; look after the cat. This is the case even when the object is a pronoun; look after it, never;
*look it after.

• Type 3 (verb + adverb + object / verb + object + adverb) – Transitive and separable, meaning the
object can either follow the particle; figure out the problem, or come between the verb and the
particle; figure the problem out.

• If the object is a pronoun (me, it, this, etc.), it separates the verb and particle; try it out rather
than; try out it. Larsen-Freeman (2003, p56) suggests this is due to end-weighting; the notion
that we give prominence to new information by placing it at the end of a clause. As pronouns
rarely provide new information, we tend not to use them at the end of clauses.

• If the object is a lengthy noun phrase, it does not usually separate the verb and particle (Willis,
2003, p147). So, for instance; figure out a reason for it sounds natural, while *figure a reason
for it out is unlikely.

• Type 4 (verb + adverb + preposition + object) – Transitive and inseparable; come up with a great
design, never *come up a great design with. A preposition can usually be added to a Type 1 MWV,
allowing it to take and object and thereby become a Type 4; run out = run out of, hang out = hang
out with, etc.

Phonology

Different MWV Types have different stress patterns (Underhill, 2005);

• Type 1 – The primary stress is on the particle, and a secondary stress on the verb; ˌtake ˈoff.

• Type 2 and Type 3 – The stress shifts depending on the position of the object and whether it
is a pronoun or noun. If the object is a pronoun, the primary stress remains on the particle;
ˌlook ˈafter it, ˌtry them ˈon. If the object is a noun or noun phrase, the primary stress generally

falls on the object, or the head of the noun phrase; ˌtry the ˈshoes on, ˌlook after my sister’s

ˈcat. A secondary stress remains on the verb.

• Type 4 – the main stress falls on the first (adverbial) particle, while the prepositional particle
is usually unstressed. The secondary stress is on the verb; ˌlook ˈforward to.

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Catenation may occur. This is a feature of connected speech when the verb ends with a plosive sound
and the particle starts with a vowel, as in; wake up or beat up, the plosive shifts to join the vowel
sound, thus; wake up is pronounced /ˌweɪˈkʌp/.

Intrusion also occurs when two vowel sounds are placed together; as in go on, see off or shore up. In
each case an intrusive sound is inserted between the vowels; an intrusive /w/ sound is inserted into
go on; /ˌgəʊˈwɒn/, /j/ is inserted into see off; /ˌsiːˈjɒf/, /r/ is inserted into shore up; /ˌʃɔːˈrʌp/.

These phonological features can vary, according to the context and the speaker’s accent and
intentions.

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Learning Problems and Teaching Issues

Problem 1: Idiomaticity

Many learners have difficulty comprehending more idiomatic MWVs; the student who could not
understand the meaning of carry on, for example, because he was unable to rely on his knowledge of
the constituent parts to work out its meaning. In my experience, the issue is problematic for all
nationalities and levels, but typically manifests itself at intermediate level as students begin
encountering more authentic texts. Polysemous MWVs, which have both literal and more idiomatic
meanings; He broke down the door (literally) and He broke down (lost control of his emotions), are
particularly misleading for learners (Parrott, 2010, p146).

Problem 2: Separability

An issue which most learners struggle with at intermediate level is that of separability; the question of
whether a direct object can (or should) be placed between the verb and particle(s) in MWVs (Parrott,
2010, p147). An Italian student in my class recently said; *He ripped off me, rather than; He ripped me
off. This is the result of not being aware of, or perhaps not yet internalising, the rule that pronouns are
positioned between the verb and particle in Type 3 structures. Students who have recently learnt this
rule may be tempted to apply it to other types of MWV, producing sentences such as; *I fell with her
out, instead of; I fell out with her. Although this kind of error is rarer in my experience.

Problem 3: Memorization

A significant problem facing all adult language learners is the difficulty of committing newly-met lexis
to long-term memory. Learners must encounter and notice the language repeatedly, in various
contexts, before they are likely to really know a word (Thornbury, 2002, p24). MWVs are particularly
challenging in this regard, given their numerousness, their polysemy, their varying degrees of
idiomaticity and the fact that learners are required to retain more than a single word, increasing the
processing load. Students benefit enormously, therefore, from revisiting the language, and actively
working with it in some way (Hedge, 2000, p121).

Problem 4: Avoidance

I have taught many students who are able to process certain MWVs receptively, but who avoid using
them productively. One avoidance strategy is to substitute a MWV for its one-word alternative; I
returned home, rather than; I went back home. Students whose L1 has a Latin root often adopt this

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strategy, using the Latinate word in place of the MWV (Swan and Smith, 2009, p109). This can lead to
more formal-sounding and less natural constructions. A French speaker may say, for example; I entered
the restaurant, rather than went into, because enter is cognate with the French entrer and therefore
more accessible to them. Avoidance with more literal MWVs may include omitting the particle; *write
this, rather than; write this down. According to Swan and Smith, (2009, p207), Arabic speakers tend to
adopt this strategy, and this matches my own experience. I have a Saudi student, for instance, who
tells me most days; *I woke at 7am, rather than; I woke up at 7am. While this form of avoidance rarely
leads to communication breakdown, it can fossilise if left unchecked.

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Suggestions for Teaching

Solution 1: Idiomaticity

To help learners identify more idiomatic MWVs, I have adapted a short questionnaire on the topic of
Emotional Intelligence (Appendix 1.1). The questionnaire features 8 idiomatic or semi-idiomatic
MWVs. Students complete the questionnaire and share their results with a partner. They then identify
the MWVs and use contextual clues to approximate their meanings. This is followed by a definition-
match activity and a freer speaking activity (Appendix 1.3).

This activity follows Thornbury’s (2002, pp123) suggestions for teaching MWVs, by focusing on lexical
items which are not necessarily theme-related, but nevertheless of the same register and sufficiently
contextualised to illustrate their ‘syntactic behaviour’. In my experience, students are usually
motivated by these kinds of tests and keen to share their answers with classmates. This communicative
element ensures the text is processed for meaning before the language is analysed, which means
students can use their general comprehension of the text to collaboratively hypothesize the meaning
of the MWVs. This requires cognitive engagement, which makes the language more memorable and,
because learners deduce the meanings for themselves, it gives them confidence and helps them to
become more autonomous learners (Nation, 2002, p271 and Willis and Willis, 1996, 64).

Solution 2: Separability

One way of exploring separability with students is to use cut up sentences featuring MWVs. The
procedure is as follows;
1. Words are distributed on slips of paper, which students arrange into four logical sentences. Each
sentence incorporates a different type of MWV (Appendix 2.1).
2. The teacher elicits the features of each MWV; whether they are transitive, separable, etc.
3. The pronouns, printed on coloured paper, are exchanged for the nouns, establishing that pronouns
separate verb and particle in Type 3 MWVs. Students are then given a longer noun phrase which
cannot comfortably go between verb and object in Type 3 MWVs.
4. Students discuss the guided discovery questions in pairs and then record both correct and incorrect
examples of the language in the grid (Appendix 3.1).

I believe this activity offers an accessible, low-pressured way for students to physically manipulate the
language and formulate the rules for themselves, which encourages autonomous learning (Saumell,

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n.d). Students also go away with a written record of the rules, including negative evidence language in
the appropriate parts of the grid.

Solution 3: Memorization

This activity is based on ‘Phrasal Verb Maze’ in Vocabulary Games and Activities 1 (Watcyn-Jones,
2001). This adaptation allows me to create bespoke grids populated with MWVs that students have
recently studied (Appendix 4.1). Students work their way through the ‘maze’, starting from the top left
square. They can move to an adjacent square horizontally, vertically or diagonally, to select the best
MWVs to complete the gapped sentences below. The teacher monitors, drawing attention to particles
(and verbs) that provide clues, and referring students to their notebooks and previously studied texts
to confirm their answers. Having made it through the maze, students work in pairs to produce their
own ‘mini-mazes’, by selecting a cluster of three MWVs from the grid and writing clues for their
classmates to solve.

This activity is suitable for students who have learnt a range of MWVs, and require further review and
consolidation. It works well with semi-idiomatic MWVs, as it requires students to focus on the particles
and verbs, and make decisions about their meanings to achieve the task. According to Thornbury, this
kind of deep decision-making aids retention (2002, p25). In my experience, students are usually
motivated by the task, and this helps make the language more memorable (ibid).

Solution 4: Tackling avoidance

I tend to use a task-teach-task approach to tackle avoidance with MWVs. The procedure is as follows;
1. The teacher distributes 8 questions (Appendix 5.1), which are designed to promote use of the
target language without actually incorporating it into the wording, for instance; Where did you live
as a child? and Was there a teacher or school friend you admired? Why did you admire them? These
examples create the need for grow up and look up to respectively. Students discuss the questions
in pairs. The teacher monitors but does not intervene.
2. After feedback, the teacher distributes MWVs on slips (Appendix 7), and asks students if they used
(or could have used) any of them.
3. Students ask the teacher the original questions, who incorporates the TL into his/her responses.
Students listen and order the MWVs, matching them to the questions.
4. After meaning, form and pronunciation have been clarified, students rewrite the questions using
the MWVs. For example; Where did you grow up? and Was there a teacher or school friend you
looked up to?

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5. Students then discuss the revised questions with new partners, attempting to use the MWVs in
their responses.

This activity is based on the topic of schooldays, but can be adapted for any accessible, theme-related
set of MWVs that students have previously studied. It tackles avoidance by helping students to ‘notice
the gap’ in their interlanguage through learner-learner interaction, creating a need for the MWVs
(Swain, 1985; 1995 cited in Larsen-Freeman, 2003, p94), and focusing their attention on input provided
by the teacher. According to Pica, Kanagy and Faludon (1993 cited in Bygate, 1996, p137), it primes
students to notice items used by classmates, and thereby acquire new language. Finally, the questions
are concerned with personal experiences, which is motivating and makes the language memorable
(Hedge, 2000, p274).

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Bibliography:

Research materials

• Bygate, M. 1996. Effects of task repetition: appraising the developing language of learners. In:
Willis J and Willis, D. 1996. Challenge and Change in Language Teaching (Macmillan
Heinemann), Chapter 13
• Fletcher, B. 2005. Register and Phrasal Verbs (MED Magazine) [Accessed 30 October 2018].
Available at: http://www.macmillandictionaries.com/MED-Magazine/September2005/33-
Phrasal-Verbs-Register.htm
• Gairns, R & Redman, S. 1986. Working with Words (CUP)
• Hedge, T. 2000. Teaching and Learning in the Language Classroom (OUP)
• Larsen-Freeman, D. 2003. From Grammar to Grammaring (Newbury House)
• Leech, G and Svartvik, J. 2002. A Communicative Grammar of English (Pearson)
• Nation, P. 2002. Best Practice in Vocabulary Teaching and Learning In: Richards, J and
Renandya, W. 2013. Methodology in Language Teaching (CUP). Chapter 25
• OUP, 2010, Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary: Oxford (OUP)
• Parrott, M. 2010. Grammar for English Language Teachers. Second Edition (CUP)
• Swan, M. 2005. Practical English Usage. Third Edition (OUP)
• Swan, M and Smith, B. 2011. Learner English. Second Edition (CUP)
• Saumell, V. n.d. Guided Discovery for Language Instruction: A Framework for Implementation
at all Levels (Pearson) [pdf]. [Accessed 5 November 2018] Available at:
http://www.pearsonlongman.com/ae/emac/newsletters/guided_discovery.pdf
• Thornbury, S. 2002. How to Teach Vocabulary (Pearson Longman)
• Thornbury, S. 2006. An A-Z of ELT (Macmillan)
• Willis, D and Willis, J. 1996. Consciousness-raising activities. In: Willis J and Willis, D. 1996.
Challenge and Change in Language Teaching (Macmillan Heinemann), Chapter 7
• Willis, D. 2003. Rules, Patterns and Words (CUP)
• Underhill, A. 2005. Pronunciation and Phrasal Verbs (MED Magazine) [Accessed 30 October
2018]. Available at: http://www.macmillandictionaries.com/MED-Magazine/October2005/34-
Phrasal-Verbs-Pron.htm

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Resource materials

• http://www.just-the-word.com
• https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/
• https://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/
• https://www.macmillandictionary.com
• http://phave-dictionary.englishup.me
• Sketch Engine for Language Learning: https://skell.sketchengine.co.uk/run.cgi/skell
• Craven, M. 2005. Quizzes, Questionnaires and Puzzles (CUP)
• Watcyn-Jones, P. 2001. Vocabulary Games and Activities 1 (Penguin Books)

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Appendices:

• Appendix 1.1: Emotional Intelligence test

• Appendix 1.2: Emotional Intelligence test (MWVs highlighted)
• Appendix 1.3: Discussion questions
• Appendix 2.1: Cut out sentences
• Appendix 3.1: Table (4 Types)
• Appendix 3.2: Table (answer sheet)
• Appendix 4.1: Phrasal Verb Maze
• Appendix 4.2: Phrasal Verb Maze (answers)
• Appendix 5.1: Tacking Avoidance (discussion questions)

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Appendix 1.1: Emotional Intelligence test

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE TEST

Are you emotionally intelligent? Take this test to find out

1) You’ve taken a group of 4-year-old children to the park. One of them starts crying because the
others won't play with her. What do you do?

a) Do nothing; let the children deal with it on their own.

b) Tell the other children that they must play with the girl.
c) Talk to the girl and help her come up with ideas for a game that the others will want to play.
d) Buy the girl an ice cream.

2) One of your friends criticizes you in front of others. What do you do?

a) Defend yourself.
b) Make a joke about it, hoping he’ll stop.
c) Criticize your friend, by pointing out some of his faults.
d) Just put up with it and say nothing.

3) It’s your birthday party and you invite all your friends to celebrate with you, but none of them
turn up. What do you do?

a) Feel embarrassed.
b) Feel angry with your friends.
c) Just carry on! Have a nice time on your own.
d) Call off the party and go to bed.

1. ___________________________ a) to manage / solve a problem

2. ___________________________ b) to think of a plan, an idea, or a solution to a problem

3. ___________________________ c) to come / to arrive

4. ___________________________ d) to cancel

5. ___________________________ e) to discover

6. ___________________________ f) to tell someone something (a fact)

7. ___________________________ g) to accept something unpleasant without saying anything.

8. ___________________________ h) to continue

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Appendix 1.2: Emotional Intelligence test (MWVs are highlighted)

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE TEST

Are you emotionally intelligent? Take this test to find out

1) You’ve taken a group of 4-year-old children to the park. One of them starts crying because the
others won't play with her. What do you do?

a) Do nothing; let the children deal with it on their own.

b) Tell the other children that they must play with the girl.
c) Talk to the girl and help her come up with ideas for a game that the others will want to play.
d) Buy the girl an ice cream.

2) One of your friends criticizes you in front of others. What do you do?

a) Defend yourself.
b) Make a joke about it, hoping he’ll stop.
c) Criticize your friend, by pointing out some of his faults.
d) Just put up with it and say nothing.

3) It’s your birthday party and you invite all your friends to celebrate with you, but none of them
turn up. What do you do?

a) Feel embarrassed.
b) Feel angry with your friends.
c) Just carry on! Have a nice time on your own.
d) Call off the party and go to bed.

deal with
1. ___________________________ a) to manage / solve a problem
come up with
2. ___________________________ b) to think of a plan, an idea, or a solution to a problem
turn up
3. ___________________________ c) to come / to arrive
call off
4. ___________________________ d) to cancel
find out
5. ___________________________ e) to discover
point out
6. ___________________________ f) to tell someone something (a fact)
put up with
7. ___________________________ g) to accept something unpleasant without saying anything.
carry on
8. ___________________________ h) to continue

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Appendix 1.3: Freer practice – Discussion questions

Who in your family usually comes up with I don’t know where to eat lunch today.
the best solutions to problems? Can you come up with a suggestion?

If your friend was angry at you because you How would you deal with a spider in
forgot his/her birthday, how would you deal the bath?
with it?

If someone in the class had some toothpaste When you talk to someone who doesn’t
on their face, how would you point it out? speak English well, do you point all their
mistakes out?

Have ever had to put up with a really noisy Does anyone in your family have an
neighbour? What happened? annoying habit that you find difficult to
put up with?

What was the last important thing you What happens if you regularly turn up to
turned up late for? work 30 minutes late in your country?

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Appendix 2.1: Cut out sentences

1. The plane took off

2. She’s looking after the children

3. u
I’ll figr e the problem out

4. I’ve fallen out with

my best friend

it her them

the problem we were talking

about last weekend

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Appendix 3.2: 4 Types of Multiword Verbs

A) Discuss these questions with a partner

1. Which type has no direct object?

2. In which type can the verb and particle be separated by a noun object?

3. In which type must a pronoun come between the verb and the particle?

4. In which types is it impossible to separate the verb and particle?

5. In Type 4, what grammatically is the first and the second particle?

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ fold _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

B) Instructions: write the sentences in the correct part of the table.

Type 1 Type 2
verb + particle verb + particle + object

Type 3 Type 4
verb + particle + object / verb + object + particle verb + particle + particle + object

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Appendix 3.3: 4 Types of Multiword Verbs answer sheet (Answers are highlighted)

C) Discuss these questions with a partner

1. Which type has no direct object? – Type 1

2. In which type can the verb and particle be separated by a noun object? – Type 3

3. In which type must a pronoun come between the verb and the particle? – Type 3

4. In which types is it impossible to separate the verb and particle? – Types 1, 2 and 4

5. In Type 4, what grammatically is the first and the second particle? – Adverb and preposition

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ fold _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

D) Instructions: write the sentences in the correct part of the table. (Answers are highlighted)

Type 1 Type 2
verb + particle verb + particle + object
The plane took off She looks after the children.
It took off She looks after them.
She looks after all the children, the two dogs and the
cat every Saturday.

Type 3 Type 4
verb + particle + object / verb + object + particle verb + particle + particle + object
I’ll figure out the problem I’ve fallen out with my best friend
I’ll figure the problem out I’m fallen out with her
I’ll figure it out
I’ll figure out the problem we were talking about last
weekend

*My money ran out my wallet / *My money ran out it

*She looks the children after / *She looks them after
*I’ll figure out it / * I’ll figure the problem we were talking about last weekend out
* I’ve fallen with my best friend out / *I’ve fallen out her with / *I’ve fallen her out with

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Appendix 4.1: Multiword Verb Maze

START
come up with take up pop round try on drop off

go into turn up look after try out look up

fall out with set up put forward take after look after

work out go through pick up figure out bring forward

speak up put off give up run out break up

hold on move on to carry on put on end up

FINISH
Work in pairs. Fill in the missing verbs in each sentence to get through the maze in 12 moves.
You may need to change the form.

1) Ask David, he’s good at _____________________ new ideas. (creatively thinking of)

2) She was late and didn’t _____________________ until 10:30. (arrive)

3) I can’t stay long. I’ll just _____________________ for a cup of tea. (visit briefly)

4) I can’t meet on Sunday night; I have to _____________________ the kids. (care for)

5) The family business was _____________________in 1955. (established)

6) The committee _____________________ a proposal to reduce waste. (suggested)

7) I couldn't _____________________ who the lady with the sunglasses was. (discover)

8) I can't solve this puzzle; I _____________________! (stop trying)

9) We decided to __________ the meeting __________ until next week. (postpone)

10) If I’m late for the meeting, please _____________________ without me. (continue)

11) Quick! Time is _____________________. (finishing)

12) We went to a few pubs, and _______________in a casino. (eventually arrived)

Adapted from Vocabulary Games and Activities 1 by Peter Watcyn-Jones © Penguin Books 2001

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Appendix 4.2: Multiword Verb Maze (answer sheet)

START
come up with take up pop round try on drop off

go into turn up look after try out look up

fall out with set up put forward take after look after

work out go through pick up figure out bring forward

speak up put off give up run out break up

hold on move on to carry on put on end up

FINISH
Work in pairs. Fill in the missing verbs in each sentence to get through the maze in 12 moves.
You may need to change the form.

1) Ask David, he’s good at coming up with new ideas. (creatively thinking of)

2) She was late and didn’t turn up until 10:30. (arrive)

3) I can’t stay long. I’ll just pop round for a cup of tea. (visit briefly)

4) I can’t meet on Sunday night; I have to look after the kids. (care for)

5) The family business was set up in 1955. (established)

6) The committee put forward a proposal to reduce waste. (suggested)

7) I couldn't figure out who the lady with the sunglasses was. (discover)

8) I can't solve this puzzle; I give up ! (stop trying)

9) We decided to put the meeting off until next week. (postpone)

10) If I’m late for the meeting, please carry on without me. (continue)

11) Quick! Time is running out (finishing)

12) We went to a few pubs, and ended up in a casino. (eventually arrived)

Adapted from Vocabulary Games and Activities 1 by Peter Watcyn-Jones © Penguin Books 2001

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Appendix 5.1: Tackling Avoidance (discussion cards and multiword verb cards)

Where did you live as a child? Did you ever find it difficult to make
Was it a good place to spend your friends at school / university? Did you ever
childhood? Why (not)? feel like you didn’t belong?

Did you ever have to take care of younger Did you ever submit homework late? Were
brothers and sisters? you punished?

How did you travel to school? How old Is there an instrument you played or sport
were you when your parents stopped you did at school that you no longer do?
collecting you from school? Why did you stop doing it?

Was there a friend you often argued with? Was there a teacher or school friend that
Did you ever stop talking to them of a you admired when you were at school or
time? Why? university? Why did you admire them?

grow up fit in

look after hand in

pick up give up

fall out with look up to

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