💋 Time to put the graft in!
Phrasal verbs are the absolute bane of every English learner's life. But if you want to understand what the locals are whispering about in the smoking area of the club, you have to know them. Are you trying to crack on with someone, or are you just going to stand in the corner like a lemon? Let's master the verbs that get results.
- Graft (noun/verb): Putting in the hard work to flirt with someone or win their affection.
- Bane (noun): A cause of great distress or annoyance.
- Crack on (phrasal verb): To enthusiastically start or continue a romantic pursuit.
1. The Cheeky Dictionary: 8 Phrasal Verbs for Friday Night
Practice: drag a word, or select it and choose a gap.
1. I'm too young to ; I want to enjoy being single!
2. Did you see that guy trying to the bartender? It was painful to watch.
3. It's cruel to a bloke if you have no intention of dating him.
4. I think I'm going to my date tonight, I'd rather stay home and watch Netflix.
5. He finally got the courage to his crush.
Choose a word, then choose a gap.
2. Grammar Mechanics: Keep 'em Separated?
Some phrasal verbs let you put the object (the person you are pulling) directly in the middle. Others are clingy and refuse to be separated.
| Type | The Rule | Cheeky Example |
|---|---|---|
| Separable | If using a pronoun (him/her/it/them), it MUST go in the middle. | "I chatted him up." (NOT: I chatted up him.) |
| Inseparable | The verb and preposition stay together forever. | "I hit on her." (NOT: I hit her on. That sounds violent!) |
3. Reading: The Morning Debrief
Notice how Leo and Sam use pronouns with their phrasal verbs!
4. Interactive Practice: Don't Mess It Up
Exercise A: Pronoun Placement
Which sentence is grammatically correct?
1.
2.
3.
Exercise B: Complete the Preposition
Type the missing word (up, on, off, out).
1. He tried to chat me , but his banter was terrible.
2. We went to the back row of the cinema and made .
3. Stop hitting the bartender, she is working!
5. Speaking Practice: Spilling the Tea ☕
Use your new vocab to answer these scandalous questions with your language partner.
- Have you ever had to sack someone off mid-date? What was your excuse?
- Do you think it's obvious when someone is trying to chat you up, or are you completely oblivious?
- What is the worst way someone could possibly ask you out?
- Have you ever accidentally led someone on because you were just being polite?
- At what age do you think people should stop partying every weekend and finally settle down?