Work on your Phrasal Verbs – Book Review

Work on your Phrasal Verbs

by Jamie Flockhart & Cheryl Pelteret

There are various reasons why people choose to read a particular book. I opted to purchase this book from the amazing British bookstore Blackwell's for the impressiveness of its sibling Work on your Idioms (read my review of the idiom book here). Phrasal verbs (things like run out, stand for, talk into, and give away) are an inextricable part of the English vocabulary and make up a large part of it (see what I did there?): mastering this area is undoubtedly crucial if you wish to be an excellent English speaker (and writer) and aim to sound more natural in using this language. I found this resource incredibly useful and this volume really lives up to my expectations; read on to discover the reasons why I heartily recommend it to fellow English learners.

Work on your Phrasal Verbs by Jamie Flockhart & Cheryl Pelteret covers not all phrasal verbs that exist in the English language. This may seem like a minus point of the book, but it is actually a plus one because what this book deals with are the 400 most common phrasal verbs: those you are most likely to meet (and use) in life. The book is divided into 25 units, each of which discusses phrasal verbs concerning a certain topic, for example money and spending. The phrasal verbs are arranged alphabetically and explained using extremely simple and easy-to-understand language (some of the definitions show labels such as [INFORMAL] and [BRITISH] so that readers can use the phrasal verbs appropriately). What's more, each meaning is equipped with at least one useful example sentence that shows a context in which the said phrasal verb can be used. These features ensure that readers understand and memorize the phrasal verbs effortlessly. I also appreciate the authors' endeavor to highlight that a particular phrasal verb is separable, for instance by giving appropriate examples. Another feature that I found really helpful is Notes, which give additional information about some phrasal verbs, e.g. alternative phrasal verbs or their opposites. Lastly, just like its close relative, Work on your Phrasal Verbs boasts numerous exercises stretched on two pages per unit to give readers opportunities to practice using the phrasal verbs that they have learned – the exercises I've done have really helped me fortify my learning.

Hold on, did I say "lastly"? Sorry for that because this book spoils its readers even more! Three appendices are present at the back of the book, the first one giving you highly useful tips for learning phrasal verbs, the second one listing the basic meanings of some common particles (such as in, from, and over), and the last one providing phrasal verb & noun collocations with example sentences. Working on your Phrasal Verbs is a perfect kit for building your phrasal verb reservoir and will be an invaluable English-learning resource on your bookshelf!

So, if you don't have the book yet, I guess you know what to do now: set off for a bookstore and opt for this book. Be careful so that you won't be run over by a vehicle and don't break into the bookstore if it is already closed – you'll have to pay for that! Just go back home, get up tomorrow morning, and head for it to get your copy of Work on your Phrasal Verbs! 😄

Have you read Work on your Phrasal Verbs? What are your thoughts on this book? Share what you think in the comment section below!

P.S. Did you realize that the title of this book contains a phrasal verb? 😉