Why Phrasal Verb Teaching Doesn’t Work
by A brief explanation of the problems associated with learning phrasal verbs.
How people respond to learning phrasal verbs
To my surprise and concern, I discovered that the thought of learning phrasal verbs strikes fear into the heart of even the most courageous learner. ‘I’ve tried,’ they say, but I just can’t seem to remember them. The dislike can in some cases even turn to an aversion and certainly an avoidance of use.
How are phrasal verbs normally taught?
Typically, phrasal verb books:
- introduce a lot of phrasal verbs at one time
- mix similar looking phrasal verbs with very different meanings – e.g. put off, put down, put up, etc.
- separate the core verb from the particle – e.g. put __.
- give only unconnected, single sentence examples of use
- list hundreds, if not thousands of phrasal verbs at one time
No wonder you find them difficult to learn and remember! This process may well be repeated in the classroom and lessons.
Why is it ineffective?
The approach seems designed to cause the maximum confusion. Placing many phrasal verbs together creates interference where one image or idea blocks out another. The separating of core and particle is an artificial operation and serves no useful purpose. Finally, many disconnected examples without a context provide no hooks on which to hang information so are difficult to retain and harder still to recall. It’s a total mess yet the oligopoly of academic institutions are steadfast in their determination to hang onto outdated and ineffective learning processes for phrasal verbs and churn out more and more of the same type of book.
What’s the solution?
A totally radical approach that harnesses the natural processes of the brain and makes learning easy and enjoyable. Look out for Amazingly Easy Phrasal Verbs which will provide the missing link in the evolution of phrasal verb learning! http://www.english4hr.com/
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