Business one-to-one lesson plan: Business phrasal verbs
Aim: introducing and practising some key phrasal verbs used in the workplace
Sub-aims: talking about the recruitment process, listening for specific information
Level: Intermediate
Time: approx. 60 minutes depending on level of student
Materials: 1. Cards with phrasal verbs on them
2. Text
3. Scrambled sentences
Procedure
1. Warm-up
Ask student to describe the recruitment process at their company.
2. Test
Place cards on desk in random order. Ask student to try to match up pairs.
3. Read out text
Ask student either to confirm their matchings (if they already managed to pair up the words) or to
find out the right pairs by listening to the text.
4. Check
Go over the right partnerships and their meanings, giving examples of different contexts in which
they are used. Elicit/identify separable and inseparable phrasal verbs (Separable: take on, draw
up, take up, turn down, bring in, call back; Inseparable: run out of, look into;
Separable/Inseparable depending on use: take off, turn up, look over).
(NB: separable phrasal verbs: if the object is a noun or noun phrase it can go between the verb
and preposition or at the end, if the object is a pronoun it must go separate the verb and
preposition, e.g. We took a new accountant on/we took on a new accountant/we took him on, but
NOT we took on him.
Inseparable phrasal verbs: the object, whether noun or pronoun must come at the end. Phrasal
verbs without objects are obviously also inseparable, e.g. The plane took off/The police looked
into the case/The police looked into it, but NOT the police looked it into)
5. Controlled practice
Ask student to put sentences in correct order.
6. Revision
Play pictionary with the phrasal verbs! Take it in turns to choose a phrasal verb, and represent it
in picture form on the board (or on paper). The other person guesses which phrasal verb you are
representing. Have the student put the phrasal verb into a sentence according to the picture. It
sounds difficult but I have found it quite possible and that the visual nature and the creativity
required helps the student to remember the phrasal verb. If you have a non-visual type of
student you can have them to put the phrasal verbs into a  story instead.
7. Follow-up
The next lesson have the student match up the two parts of the phrasal verbs on the cards again
and make example sentences.
1
Phrasal verb cards
take off
take on
draw up
take up
turn down
turn up
bring in
look over
run out of
look into
call back
2
Text
Recruitment is one of my responsibilities. Business has really taken off at our company
so we need to take on more staff.
We advertise internally and externally and wait for CVs. Then we look over all the CVs
and draw up a shortlist of candidates for interview. Sometimes we bring in a workplace
consultant/psychologist to help us choose the best candidate. At the interview we ask a
lot of questions, but we have to be careful not to run out of time.
When we have selected the right candidate we look into their background and check
their references. If no problems turn up we offer them the job.
If they would like to take up the offer we negotiate pay and conditions and draw up a
contract. If they turn down the offer, we call our second choice candidate back.
Scrambled sentences
1. off/business/last/took/year
2. She seems like a good candidate. Why/take/don t/on/we/her ?
3. In the meeting/up/we/action plan/drew/an
4. The offer was good/took/so/I/up/it
5. Turned/the chairman/down/proposal/my
6. Up/for work/she/almost/turns/late/every day
7. Changes to the tax system/in/be/brought/next year/will
8. I ve finished the report./it/could/look/you/before the meeting/over ?
9. Always/run/time/of/we/out
10. Of increasing absenteeism/need/into/the issue/they/to look
3