The Difficulties of Using Phrasal Verbs for English Learners - Research Paper Example

THE DIFFICULTIES OF USING PHRASAL VERBS FOR ENGLISH LEARNERS Contents Sr.# Topic Pg Introduction 2 2. Definitions 3 2 Definition of “word” 3 2.2. Definition of “language” 4 3. Introduction to grammar 4 4. Introduction to Phrasal Verbs 6 4.1. Syntactic Features of Phrasal Verbs 7 4.2. The Importance of Phrasal Verbs 8 4.3. Difficulties of Using Phrasal Verbs for English Learners 9 5. Overcoming the Difficulties: Solutions 10 6. The Best Pedagogical Ways to Teach Phrasal Verbs for English Learners 11 References 12 1. Introduction The significance of multiword terminologies as an effective tool for achieving eloquence in language learning has been emphasized by several researchers from time to time1, and achieving such complete proficiency in them is regarded as an indispensable part of gaining flawless speaking skills. Although discerning the implication of multiword expressions is crucial for language learners, it is not only restricted to achieving proficiency and eloquence in speaking or productive skills but it is also crucial in sharpening the listening or receptive skills. The rationale behind such a theory is that there exist a wide range of levels and types of multiword expressions which includes idioms, fixed expressions, phrasal verbs, prefabs etc. Grammar courses or EFL (English as a Foreign Language) and / or ESL (English as a Second Language) curriculums and other such textbooks concerning grammar, typically emphasize on the learning of phrasal verbs. As such verbs are comprised of verbs i.e., the content word and particles i.e., the function word, such verbs can be studied and understood with respect to studies aimed at vocabulary building as multiword expressions or in grammar as transitive verbs and separable verbs. Several phrasal verbs lack transparency in terms of meanings i.e., certain phrasal verbs are complicated in structure and form and hence it is difficult to comprehend its connotation in entirety by uniting the meanings of the components, verbs, and particles. The use of such idiomatic meanings makes it difficult for English language learners study and apply such words, even if they are aware of the significance of their use. Although the difficulty in using and learning phrasal verbs is widely known, there is little research concerning this field. This paper on “The Difficulties of Learning and Using the Phrasal Verbs for English Learners” strives to analyze and understand various aspects including the significance of such words, the types of difficulties encountered by ESL / EFL learners and the various ways of overcoming such difficulties. 2. Definitions 2.1. Word: “Word is the minimalistic and free forms in a language”2 It is the smallest unit of a language used by native speakers, and can also be referred to as a spoken symbol of a notion or thought. The Lingua Links Library3 defines the term word as: “A unit which is a constituent at the phrase level and above” It is often identifiable with such criteria as: being the minimal possible unit in reply and has such characteristics as a regular stress pattern and phonological changes conditioned by or blocked at word boundaries. 2.2. Language: According to Jackson, and Stockwell (1996)4 Language is: "The particular form of verbal communication used by a group of speakers” It is defined in part by the particular characteristics of its pronunciation, grammatical structure and vocabulary. 3. Introduction to Grammar Grammar is an integral part of language learning that facilitates everyday communication. It is a key factor that influences designing of syllabus for learners, and the central point of various classroom exercises5. Grammar is defined differently by different authors. Some such definitions are presented below. According to Marcel (2007)6: “Grammar is the art of speaking and writing correctly” Smith et al7, define grammar as: "The art of speaking and writing a language with propriety" Lausberg, Orton, and Anderson (1998)8 state that the word "Grammar" is derived from the Latin word "Grammatica" which literally means the "science of letters". Chomsky (1965)9 defines grammar as: "It purports to be a description of the ideal speaker-hearers intrinsic competence" The English Grammar provides information about the philosophies and ideologies concerning the English Language, and the accurate approach of writing and speaking it. It is categorized into four distinct parts, namely, Orthography, Etymology, Syntax and Prosody. The fundamental principles of grammar typically involve two crucial classes, i.e., particular and universal. The particular principle refers to the “appropriateness” of a particular language while the universal principle, on the other hand, refers to those principles or ideologies which are universal or common to all languages. The basic norm for grammatical precision lies in its present reputable and general use, or the conventional application of the concepts by the best speakers and writers of the particular language. These principles of grammar represent a unique structure of the language authorized by fine use. A definition in grammar involves description of principles in an explicit form while a rule in grammar illustrates the peculiar structure or conditional relation of words which have been conventionally recognized for our observance10. 4. Introduction to Phrasal Verbs Phrasal verbs are verbs that combine a verb and an adverb or a preposition11. A phrasal verb comprises of a verb stem preceded by a separate word or words, generally a noun word, and at times an adjective word or another verb word. The explanation for treating the syntagm as a unit is the uncertainty of its connotation from the awareness of its constituent elements; moreover, in certain cases, the compound may grammatically act like a non - phrasal verb, with a separate subject and / or object12. Scotton, (1998)13 defines phrasal verbs as: "Those verbs followed by particles which cannot be easily separated from the main verb by a parenthetical intrusion" A phrasal verb is a combination of verb + adverb which combined has a specific meaning. For instance, carry on means to continue. It has no reference whatsoever to the word carry and is an independent term formed of two distinct words. Some such examples include: find out means to discover, turn up means to arrive, let down means to disappoint, fall out means to argue, break down means to stop working etc. The phrasal verbs are usually formed of two distinct words which are commonly used in the English language such as come, go, put, find, take etc while the adverbs that follow such common verbs generally comprise of verbs which denote a place or a motion for instance, about, away, over, through, under, up, down, out etc. One of the characteristic features of phrasal verbs is that such verbs differ widely in meaning with respect to the words with which they are formed. For example, turn up refers to arrival and does not signify chance or revolve or rotate14. 4.1. Syntactic Features of Phrasal Verbs Phrasal verbs are formed from a combination of lexical verbs and adverbial particles i.e., switch on, switch off, get up, sit down etc; and may be intransitive, with no object, or transitive with a direct object. For example: I get up at five o’clock in the morning, He switched off his phone, He switched his phone off 15. The syntactic framework of phrasal verbs is relatively complex owing to a wide range of restrictions, such as, in place of the particle - the more figurative a phrasal verb, the more it forms a tight unit, and the less verb and particle can be separated. Hence, the following sentence constructions would be incorrect: Make your mind up, or Make the bill up. The correct sentence would be: Make up your mind and Make up the bill. Similarly passivizing the phrasal verbs is a complex process, for example, the sentence: he blew up is correct but he was blown up by what I said is incorrect. The phrasal verbs can be used in the passive sentence only when there is a flow of energy from an agent to an object. For instance: The bill was made up in a minute is correct, but His mind was made up in a minute is incorrect. The basic problem associated with the usage of phrasal verbs is that the restrictions are influenced by the meanings of the verbs and particles used as well as the composite meaning of the whole word16. 4.2. The Importance of Phrasal Verbs Phrasal verbs hold an immense significance to learners since the usage of such verbs is common and rampant in everyday verbal and casual written communication. From a learners perspective, phrasal verbs are crucial for facilitating smooth communication and exchange of ideas. They are an inevitable part of everyday communication and their usage is not only restricted to slangs or colloquial speeches but in fact are used as a formally accepted patterns of speech. There is hardly any alternative to the most commonly used phrasal verb and hence lack of its knowledge would complicate the process of exchanging ideas and fluent communication would become extremely difficult17. 4.3. Difficulties of Using Phrasal Verbs by English Language Learners Phrasal verbs, as discussed above, are a combination of two or more distinct words which are combined together to form a whole new meaning, which is starkly different to the individual words which are used to form a single phrasal verb for example, get up, put up, take out, get away with, or give in to. However, although phrasal verbs are commonly used in languages which are closer to English, such as German, Dutch, Swedish, Danish and Norwegian, they are rare in other languages. As a result, learners often face great difficulty in comprehending the distinctions between phrasal verbs such as put off, put out, put on and put down and even more difficulty in sorting out the differences between terms such as lets put it off until tomorrow and His manner puts me off. Phrasal verbs also present difficulties since the words in some of the terms are detachable while in others, they are not. If the words are divisible, the parts of the phrasal verb may be divided and they are always divided when the direct object of a sentence is a pronoun. For example, I put on my coat, I put my coat on, I put it on, are correct while I put on it is incorrect usage. If the two words are indivisible, they are never divided, for instance, I got over my disappointment, I got over it, are correct on the other hand separating the single term got over is incorrect, for example, I got it over. A great deal of experience and practice is necessary to internalize the set of laws which govern the formation and usage of phrasal verbs: both separable as well as inseparable. Thus, owing to the degree of difficulties concerning the practice and arrangement of phrasal verbs, it is quite common for new learners to construct such sentences as: I read on it up in the encyclopedia or I ran him into at the library. The learners of English language may also face great difficulty in understanding the differences between the appropriate usage of terms such as I stood up, I stood him up and I stood up for him. They may not succeed in communicating their intended message effectively if they construct a sentence such as I saw through him when they actually intended to say I saw him through18. 5. Overcoming the Difficulties In order to overcome the barriers faced by English learners in terms of difficulties encountered by them in learning basic communicative words as well as general grammar, the teachers may develop and apply several innovative strategies such as using of materials and planned activities that focus on repetitive language patters, use of lessons that contain exclusive grammar concepts, providing basic and key tools to learners that help them talk about the language, etc. Furthermore, the teachers may implement and develop some routine classroom exercises which facilitate better grasping of grammatical concepts by the students, such as asking the students to make statements which use phrasal verbs, highlight the phrasal verbs in sentences, exercises that require the students to complete the sentence by using appropriate phrases, provide alternatives and ask them to choose the correct one, use flash cards to educate the students about the phrasal verbs and their peculiarities and everyday usage patterns etc. Also, the teachers may provide the students with ample opportunities to get familiar with the usage of common words and phrases through encouraging reading, writing and listening activities19. 6. The Best Pedagogical Ways to Teach Phrasal Verbs for English Learners Pedagogical approaches have increasingly stressed the significance of teaching vocabulary alongside grammar. The apparent extended treatment of phraseology by various researchers and theorists signify the clear awareness of the significance of the phenomenon in language learning20. Various lessons observed from teachers handbooks on language which deal with language awareness from a pedagogical viewpoint offers a socio linguistically rooted approach to real language learning as a significant tool of teaching language in classrooms. A sample of teaching patterns which may be adopted by teachers for teaching of phrasal verbs is mentioned below: Ask the students to collect five examples of phrasal verbs in use from various sources, and write an example on a card or slip of paper. Form various groups in classrooms and present the examples briefly to each other and sort them into various categories, noting down anything which is of interest to you, then ask each group to present their findings to the rest of the class and make notes of the comments and queries from the rest of the class including the teacher. Consult grammar books and dictionaries to ascertain whether the discoveries made are correct and continue this exercise by adding new verbs to each category as you encounter them21. References: Barnbrook, G., (2002). Defining Language: A Local Grammar Definition Sentences, John Benjamins Publishing Company, Pp.60 Batstone, R., (1994). Grammar, Oxford University Press, Pp.3 Coelho, E., Rivers, D., (2004). Adding English: A Guide to Teaching in Multilingual Classrooms, Pippin Publishing Corporation, Pp.81-88 Denwood, P., (1999). Tibetan, John Benjamins Publishing Company, Pp. 109 Downing, A., Locke, P., (2006). English Grammar: A University Course, Taylor & Francis, Pp. 6 Golinkoff, R. M., Bloom, L., Pasek, K., (2000). Becoming a Word Learner: A Debate on Lexical Acquisition, Oxford University Press, Pp. 4 Hallock, E. J., (1849). A Grammar of the English Learner: For Use of Common Schools, Academies, and Seminaries, Dayton and Newman, Pp. 13 Hart, C. W., (1999). The Ultimate Phrasal Verb Book, Barrons Educational Series, Pp. v Hidalgo, E., Tenorio, E. H., Navarro, L. Q., Santana, J., (2007). Corpora in the Foreign Language Classroom, Rodopi, Pp. 125 Jackson, H., Stockwell, P., (1996). Introduction to the Nature and Functions of Language, Nelson Thornes Publication, Pp. 1 King, G., (2005). Colloquial English: A Complete English Language course, Routledge, Pp.39 Lausberg, H., Orton, D. E., Anderson, R. D., (1998). Handbook of Literary Rhetoric: A Foundation of Literary Study, BRILL, Pp.11 Marcel, C., (2007). Language as a Means of Mental Culture and International Communication: A Manual of the Teacher and the Learner of Languages, Chapman and Hall, Pp.392 Ostyn, B., (2003). Word Power: Phrasal Verbs and Compounds - A Cognitive Approach, Walter de Gruyter, Pp. 1 - 2 Smith, S., Jeffrey, F., Napier, M., Empson, W., Lewis, C., (1850). The Edinburgh Review: Or Critical Journal, A. Constable, Pp. 592 Scotton, C., (1998). Codes and Consequences: Choosing Linguistic Varieties, Oxford University Press, Pp. 71 Tomlinson, B., (2003). Developing Materials for Language Teaching, Continuum International Publishing Group, Pp. 423 Wood, D., (2004). An Empirical Investigation into the Facilitating Role of Automized Lexical Phrases in Second Language Fluency Development, Journal of Language and Learning, 2 (1). LinguaLinks Library, (2009). Glossary of Linguistic Terms, viewed: April 25, 2009 from: Read More