The meaning and use of phrasal verbs at C1 level

Abstract

Despite the fact that phrasal verbs are used in everyday English, foreign learners avoid learning and using them for their complexity and impossibility to understand the meaning of a phrasal verb from its separate parts (a verb itself and a particle separately). As a result of that many learners at C1 level, although being fluent speakers, experience various difficulties using them. The focus of the paper is placed on the meaning and the use of phrasal verbs and the difficulties which students find at C1 level of the English language. The analysis in this paper is based on the phrasal verbs used in the book “Objective CAE” (O`Dell & Broadhead, 2008, Cambridge University Press). In this paper we are also interested in finding out why it is so difficult to understand and use phrasal verbs, the interaction between their meaning and understanding considering their polysemоus features. The results of this analysis may be useful for all ESL teachers to help them understand the difficulties their students face when dealing with phrasal verbs, especially at C1 level. Furthermore, it can be a valuable source for teachers how to introduce the phrasal verbs to their students and thus help them master phrasal verbs in both spoken and written discourse. Keywords: phrasal verb, meaning, use, difficulty, English.