Primary 4 English Phrasal Verbs: School-Related List & Teaching Tips

Phrasal verbs are found in all components of the English Language paper. Students from Primary 1 to Primary 6 encounter phrasal verbs in grammar, cloze passages, editing, vocabulary, and comprehension. Besides the English paper 2 component, students are expected to use phrasal verbs in their compositions and even in oral.

What Are Phrasal Verbs?

Phrasal verbs are combinations of a verb + a preposition or adverb (or both) that create a meaning different from the original verb.

Examples:
Turn on the light (not the same as just “turn”)
Look after your little brother
Give up on a difficult puzzle

Why Are Phrasal Verbs Important for Primary Students in Singapore?

1. They Build Real-World English Skills

Phrasal verbs appear frequently in spoken English, stories, comics, and exam papers. If students don’t understand them, they may struggle to follow instructions, dialogues, or texts.

2. They Improve Reading Comprehension

MOE’s English syllabus places strong emphasis on comprehension. A phrase like “He ran into his friend” can confuse students who only understand “run” in a literal sense. Learning phrasal verbs helps students grasp meaning in context.

3. They Help in Writing and Composition

Creative writing is a key component of English assessments. Phrasal verbs allow young writers to express themselves in a natural and engaging way:

Example:
“He woke up, put on his shoes, and headed out the door” sounds more fluent than “He awakened, wore shoes, and exited.”

4. They Help Students in the Upper Primary Paper 2 components

In Primary 5, students are faced with more challenging sections of the English Paper 2. Comprehension Cloze is one of those sections and phrasal verbs are featured often among the 15 blanks given.

With the extensive lists of Phrasal Verbs, how do we get our Primary 1 – 4 students to not only learn them but to know how to use them in context?

Tips for Teaching Phrasal Verbs

• Group by theme: E.g., classroom actions (pick up, write down, hand in) or emotions (calm down, cheer up).
• Use pictures and actions: Show “stand up” or “sit down” physically to reinforce meaning.
• Incorporate games: Matching activities, charades, and storytelling games make phrasal verbs fun.
• Teach in context: Use storybooks and dialogues

At TF, we began Term 3 by introducing Phrasal Verbs to our P3 and P4 students. To make it easier for them to understand their meaning and how to use them in context, we grouped them according to themes. We started off with Phrasal Verbs related to School.

List of 25 School-Related Primary 4 English Phrasal Verbs

Studying and Learning

1. Catch up (on) – to do work that you missed
   “I need to catch up on my reading.”
2. Read up (on) – to read a lot about a subject
   “He read up on ancient history before the exam.”
3. Look over – to quickly examine or review
   “Let’s look over the notes before the test.”
4. Go over – to review or check something carefully
   “The teacher went over the answers in class.”
5. Brush up (on) – to refresh knowledge or skills
   “I need to brush up on my math skills.”
6. Take in – to absorb or understand information
   “There was too much to take in during the lecture.”
7. Figure out – to understand or solve something
   “She finally figured out how to solve the equation.”

Assignments and Tests

8. Hand in / Turn in – to submit homework or assignments
   “He handed in his essay late.”
9. Give out – to distribute something
   “The teacher gave out the worksheets.”
10. Write down – to make a note
    “Write down the homework in your notebook.”
11. Carry out – to do a project or experiment
    “They carried out a science experiment.”
12. Work out – to solve a problem
    “Work out the answer to this problem.”
13. Keep up (with) – to maintain the same pace or standard as others
    “It’s hard to keep up with all the homework this term.”

Classroom Behaviour and Participation

14. Speak up – to talk louder or express opinions
    “Please speak up during discussions.”
15. Drop out (of) – to leave school before finishing
    “He dropped out of college in his second year.”
16. Catch on – to understand something quickly
    “She catches on to new concepts easily.”
17. Mess around / Goof off – to waste time or not focus
    “Stop messing around and start studying.”
18. Show up – to arrive or attend
    “Only half the class showed up today.”
19. Fall behind (in) – to lag in progress
    “He fell behind in math after being sick.”

School Life in General

20. Sign up (for) – to register for a course
    “I signed up for Spanish this semester.”
21. Drop (a class) – to leave a course
    “She dropped physics because it was too hard.”
22. Pass out – to distribute (or faint, depending on context)
    “The teacher passed out the exams.”
23. Back up – to support or save (notes/files)
    “Back up your files before the presentation.”
24. Take up – to start a new activity or subject
    “He took up French as an elective.”
25. Get along (with) – to have a good relationship with someone
    “She gets along well with her new classmates.”

We hope that the above lists will help motivate students to build a Vocabulary bank of Phrasal Verbs. Learning these phrases can make a big difference in their confidence, comprehension, and communication.