Worksheet 2 - Multi-word verbs in The Outsiders

Name: No

8th grade English G2 – Mariana Date / /

Section A – Inferring Meaning

Exercise 1

Look at this excerpt from chapter 4:

"Nobody was around at two-thirty in the morning, and it was a good place to relax and 1cool off. I couldn't
have gotten much cooler without 2turning into a popsicle. Johnny snapped up his jeans jacket and flipped up
the collar."
A) How would you explain expressions 1 and 2 using your own words?

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B) Access www.macmillandictionary.com and compare:

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C) Were you able to find a definition for 'cool off' and 'turn into' as one expression? What about 'flip up'?

What's the difference then?

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Section B – Focus on language

Exercise 1

Read this definition for Phrasal verbs:

"A combination of a verb and an adverb or preposition, which has a particular meaning, such as ‘look after’,
‘hurry up’, ‘give in’, ‘chill out’, ‘get away with’ and ‘bring up’. For example in the sentence ‘Don’t tell me how
to bring up my children!’, ‘bring up’ means ‘raise’. An adverb or preposition in a phrasal verb is sometimes
called a particle."
(taken from: macmillandictionary.com)

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Can you think of other common phrasal verbs?
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Exercise 2
Read this complementary definition of phrasal verbs (here, multi-word verbs). Why do you think they are so
abundant in The Outsiders?

"The term phrasal verb is used here for verbs followed by one or more prepositions. They are also called multi-
word verbs. The meaning cannot usually be guessed from the meaning of the verb on its own.
These verbs are common in informal writing and speech, but many are used in formal speech and writing."
(Taken from: Michael Vince: Intermediate Language Practice)
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Exercise 3

Read this other excerpt from chapter 4:

"Johnny swore under his breath, and I muttered, "What do they want? This is our territory. What are the Socs
doing this far east? "Johnny shook his head. "I don't know. But I bet they're looking for us. We picked up their
girls."
"Oh, glory," I said with a groan, "this is all I need to top off a perfect night."

Identify and circle other phrasal verbs/ multi-word verbs in this passage. Can you explain them by using the
context only?
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Section C – Practicing

Phrasal verbs are not exclusive to the characters of The Outsiders. They are amply used in the English
language worldwide. In this section, we are going to practice some more.

Exercise 1

Observe the following examples with phrasal verbs. Can you explain their meaning by context?

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A) Don't worry about reading chapter 4. You can rest now and catch up with us later.
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B) Sheila has decided to cut down on holidays this year.

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C) Let's drop in on David while we are in Paris.

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D) Ponyboy doesn't get along with his big brother.

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E) Chapter 3 didn't live up to my expectations.

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F) Johnny searched his pockets, but he had run out of cigarettes.

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G) Due to the pandemic, the competition had to be called off.

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H) Bernardo told me he would help me with my cat, but he let me down.

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I) Ana is tired of putting up with other students' noise when she is trying to read.
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J) Theo is looking forward to the next installment of Dr Strange.

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Exercise 2

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According to the learnersdictionary.com, " learning to use phrasal verbs correctly will help you sound natural
in casual conversation." How would you achieve that in these sentences? Use the phrasal verbs from the
previous exercise:

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A) I though The Outsiders would be a better book than it actually is.
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B) Júlia promised to lend me some money, but she disappointed me.

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C) I know you have missed two lessons, but I believe you can reach us by doing things faster.
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D) I've been spending too much time on Tik Tok, so I need to reduce it.
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E) I really want for the day we will beat Covid to come!

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F) Sorry, I thought I could lend you some money, but I have no more of it.
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G) I can tolerate almost anything from students, but using swearwords is something I just abominate.
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H) My cat doesn't have a very good relationship with her kitty cousin.
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I) Nina cancelled her party due to the health crisis.

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J) Next time you are around, please do visit us!

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Exercise 3

Are you now more acquainted with phrasal verbs? Test your skills by:

A) Choosing four of the above phrasal verbs;

B) Creating your personal examples;
C) Using a different expression while reading to see if your friend can guess the phrasal verbs you have used:

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