macmillan

English
Worksheet dictionary

Getting down to phrasal c She’s not really got a stomach ache, she’s just
___________ it ___________ for sympathy!
verbs d Could you ___________ that cigarette ___________,
please? This is a no smoking area.
Introduction
e She didn’t ___________ her ideas ___________ very
Three of the most common verbs used in phrasal verbs clearly in the meeting.
are come, get and put. The following activities focus on a
selection of these verbs. Use your dictionary to help you f I don’t know why you ___________ his rude
find the answers. In the Macmillan English Dictionary, behaviour.
phrasal verbs and their definitions are shown at the end
Activity 3

▲
of the main entry for the verb.
How many phrasal verbs with get can you think of ?
Write them in the box.

Activity 1
▲

Choose a suitable ending for these sentences.

Now circle the particle that fits the meaning of these
a She sometimes comes on your way home.
sentences.
across
a I haven’t got off / on / around to fixing the broken
b The government a fortune when his
shelf yet.
has come under grandmother died.
b I generally get on / through / by very well with my
c He came into who you know, not what
boss.
you know.
c I can’t wait to get my exams off / over / by / with.
d He came out in a rash all over.
d We get round / into / through so much paper in this
e You could come over as rather aggressive.
office!
f In the end it comes a lot of criticism recently.
e When did she get into / onto / in yoga?
down to
f I couldn’t get by / at / over how tall he’d grown.
Now underline the phrasal verbs and with a partner
discuss what they mean.
For discussion
Ask and answer the questions with your partner.
Activity 2
▲

a Do you think you come across as shy or outgoing?

Complete the sentences with a phrasal verb with put.
b How well do you get on with your family?
put across put off put out
c Does listening to music put you off studying or does it
put in put on put up with help?
d What makes you come out in a rash?
a The noise in the street put him off concentrating on e How much milk does your family get through in a
what he was reading. week?
b He’s been ___________ a lot of hours at work lately. f What do you find difficult to put up with?

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Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2005.
 macmillan
English
Teacher’s Notes dictionary

Getting down to phrasal verbs

Introduction and aim
Three of the most common verbs used in phrasal verbs are come, get and put. In the following activities students use
their dictionaries to help them increase their understanding and use of a selection of these phrasal verbs.
Point out to your students that in the Macmillan English Dictionary (MED), phrasal verbs and their definitions can be
found at the end of the main entry for the verb.
The answers have been taken from the MED.

Time
Allow five minutes each for activities 1, 2 and 3, and ten minutes for activity 4.

Procedures
Activity 1
▲

1 Explain that in this activity students have to match the sentences with a suitable ending.
2 When the students have finished ask them to discuss the meanings of the phrasal verbs with their partners and then
go through the answers as a class.
3 Recap on the meaning of the phrasal verbs by asking the students these questions:
Which phrasal verb means to give a first impression/to seem? (come across)
Which means to inherit money when somebody dies? (come into)
Which means to experience something unpleasant, for example attack or criticism? (come under)
Which means to become covered in something, for example spots? (come out in)
Which means to come to my house? (come over)
Which means to be the most important aspect of a situation? (come down to)

Answers
a as rather aggressive b a lot of criticism recently c a fortune when his grandmother died
d a rash all over e on your way home f who you know, not what you know

Activity 2
▲

1 Ask your students to complete the sentences using a phrasal verb with put from the box. Encourage them to use their
dictionaries to check the answers.
2 Go through the answers as a class.
3 As in activity 1, recap by asking these questions to elicit the phrasal verbs from the students:
Which phrasal verb means to prevent someone from concentrating? (put off)
Which phrasal verb means to pretend to have a particular feeling? (put on)
Which means to communicate something? (put across)
Which means to extinguish, for example a cigarette? (put out)
Which means to accept something in a patient way? (put up with)
Which means to spend a particular amount of time doing something? (put in)

Answers
a put … off b putting in c putting … on d put … out e put … across f put up with

This page has been downloaded from www.macmillandictionaries.com.

It is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages.
Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2005.
 macmillan
English
Teacher’s Notes dictionary

Activity 3
▲

1 Give the students a minute to brainstorm in pairs all the phrasal verbs they know with get and to write them in the
box. Get them to compare their lists with another pair.
2 Ask the students to look at the sentences with get and circle the particle that fits the meaning of the sentence.
3 Go through the answers as a class.

Answers
a around b on c over d through e into f over

Activity 4
▲

In this activity some of the phrasal verbs are activated. Ask students to ask and answer the questions. Encourage them
to use the phrasal verbs and to develop the conversations as much as possible.

Follow-up
1 Encourage students to keep vocabulary records of the new phrasal verbs.
2 Ask students to choose some of the new phrasal verbs and make sentences which show their meaning.

This page has been downloaded from www.macmillandictionaries.com.

It is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages.
Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2005.