Challenges in learning phrasal verbs facing the first year english students of foreign languages faculty at hanoi pedagogical university n0 2 and suggested solutions

HANOI PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY N0.2
FOREIGN LANGUAGES FACULTY

======

DANG MINH HANH

CHALLENGES IN LEARNING PHRASAL VERBS FACING THE
FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES FACULTY
AT HANOI PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY N0.2 AND SOME

SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS
(SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE DEGREE OF
BACHELOR OF PEDAGOGY IN ENGLISH)

SUPERVISOR: NGUYEN THI HA ANH, M.A.

Hanoi, May 2016


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to express my sincere thanks to many people who helped me
to complete this thesis.
First of all, I would like to send my deepest gratitude to my supervisor,
Mrs. Nguyen Thi Ha Anh, M.A., who gave me guidance, advice, and
encouragement during my process of studying. Without her help, I am not able
to complete my research.
Secondly, I would like to thank all of the lecturers of Foreign Languages
Faculty who have given me a lot of knowledge of English for fours year.
Thirdly, my thanks are also sent to the students of class K41A English

Pedagogy and K41B English Pedagogy at Hanoi Pedagogical University N0.2
for their help to accomplish all the survey.
Last but not least, my special thank is for my family, my friends for their
comments and warm encouragement during my study.

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ABSTRACT

This research investigated challenges that first year English-major students
of Foreign Languages Faculty at Hanoi Pedagogical University N0.2 are facing
in learning phrasal verbs. A survey questionnaires and interviews were
employed to investigate the subject ideas and opinions on the issue. The primary
focus of research is to find the first-year students’ attitudes towards learning
phrasal verbs. More importantly, the study figure out challenges that the firstyear students often encounter in learning phrasal verbs. From that, some
possible solutions were suggested to help learners to overcome the obstacles
while learning and using phrasal verbs.

ii


STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP
Title:
CHALLENGES IN LEARNING PHRASAL VERBS FACING THE
FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES FACULTY AT
HANOI PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY N0.2 AND SOME SUGGESTED
SOLUTIONS
I certify that all materials in this study which are not my own work have
been identified and acknowledged and the study is originally written by me

under the guidance of my supervisor.

Date submitted: May 2016

Student

Dang Minh Hanh

Supervisor

Nguyen Thi Ha Anh, M.A.

iii


ABBREVIATIONS

E.g: Example.
Oin: Indirect object
Od: Direct object
p.: Page
FLF: Foreign Languages Faculty
HPU2: Hanoi Pedagogical University N0.2

iv


LISTS OF FIGURES AND TABLES

FIGURE 1 The student's trend in using phrasal verbs ........................................ 19

FIGURE 2 Sources in which students use to learn phrasal verbs ....................... 20
FIGURE 3 Students' judgment of the importance of phrasal verbs .................... 22
FIGURE 4 The level of enjoyment in learning phrasal verbs ............................ 23
FIGURE 5 Challenges in learning phrasal verbs ................................................ 24
FIGURE 6 Students’ reaction when encountering unknown phrasal verbs ....... 27
FIGURE 7 Solutions for better learning phrasal verbs ....................................... 28
TABLE 1 The number of students who have correct answers for question
number 10 ............................................................................................................ 25
TABLE 2 The number of students who have correct answers for question 11 .. 26

v


TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................... i
STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP...................................................................... iii
ABBREVIATIONS .............................................................................................. iv
LISTS OF FIGURES AND TABLES .................................................................. v

PART ONE
INTRODUCTION

I. RATIONALES .................................................................................................. 1
II. RESEARCH PRESUPPOSITION ................................................................... 2
III. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES ........................................................................... 2
IV. RESEARCH SCOPE ...................................................................................... 3
V. RESEARCH TASKS ....................................................................................... 3
VI. RESEARCH METHODS ............................................................................... 3
VII. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESEARCH....................................................... 3

VIII. DESIGN OF THE RESEARCH WORK ..................................................... 4

PART TWO
DEVELOPMENT

CHAPTER ONE: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

I.1. LITERATURE REVIEW IN BRIEF.............................................................. 5
I.2. OVERVIEW OF PHRASAL VERBS ............................................................ 6
I.2.1. Definition of phrasal verbs .......................................................................... 6
I.2.2. Structures of phrasal verbs ........................................................................... 7
I.2.2.1. Definition of particles ............................................................................... 7
I.2.2.2. Meaning of the particles in phrasal verbs ................................................. 7
vi


I.2.2.3. Positions of particles in phrasal verbs ...................................................... 8
I.2.3. Features of phrasal verbs ............................................................................. 8
I.2.3.1. Phonological feature ................................................................................. 8
I.2.3.2. Semantic features ...................................................................................... 9
I.2.3.3. Syntactic features .................................................................................... 10
I.2.4. Types of phrasal verbs ............................................................................... 11
I.2.4.1. Verbs with two particles ......................................................................... 11
I.2.4.2. Verbs with one particle: transitive and inseparable ................................ 12
I.2.4.3. Verbs with one particle: transitive and separable ................................... 12
I.2.4.4. Verbs with one particle: intransitive ....................................................... 13
I.2.5. Comparison between phrasal verbs and preposition verbs ........................ 13
I.2.5.1. Similarities .............................................................................................. 13
I.2.5.2. Differences .............................................................................................. 14

CHAPTER TWO
METHODOLOGY

II.1. Participants .................................................................................................. 16
II.2. Survey questionnaire (Appendix A) ............................................................ 16
II.2.1. Reasons of using survey questionnaire .................................................... 16
II.2.2. Construction of survey questionnaire ....................................................... 17
II.3. Interview (APPENDIX B) ........................................................................... 17
II.3.1. Reasons of using interview ....................................................................... 17
II.3.2. Construction of interview ......................................................................... 18
II.4. Data collection procedures .......................................................................... 18
II.5. Data analysis procedures ............................................................................. 18

CHAPTER THREE
THE RESULTS
vii


III.1. The first-year students’ attitude towards learning phrasal verbs ............... 19
III.1.1. The current situation of the students in learning phrasal verbs .............. 19
III.1.1.1 Students’ trend in using phrasal verbs .................................................. 19
III.1.1.2. Sources students use to learn phrasal verbs ......................................... 20
III.1.2. The first-year students’ judgment of the importance of phrasal verbs ... 21
III.1.3. The level of enjoyment in learning phrasal verbs ................................... 23
III.2. Challenges the students facing in learning phrasal .................................... 24
III.3. Some suggested solutions for better learning phrasal verbs ...................... 27
III.3.1. Students’ reaction when meeting unknown phrasal verbs ...................... 27
III.3.2. Some suggested solutions for better learning phrasal verbs ................... 28

PART THREE

CONCLUSION

I. Conclusion ....................................................................................................... 31
II. Limitations ...................................................................................................... 32
III. Recommendations ......................................................................................... 32
REFERENCES .................................................................................................... 33
APPENDIX A: SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE .................................................. 34
SUGGESTED ANSWERS FOR EXERCISE QUESTIONS ............................. 37
APPENDIX B: INTERVIEW ............................................................................. 38

viii


PART ONE
INTRODUCTION

I. RATIONALES
Nowadays, it cannot be denied that English is the language of
globalization. It is spoken as the first language by around 400 million people
around the world. More than one billion people decide to study English as a
second language. Moreover, English plays an important role in the development
of nearly all aspects of life, such as education, politics, business, commerce, etc.
Because of its importance, having a good English competency is very necessary.
For Vietnam, a developing country, English becomes a bridge among our
country with others; brings many opportunities to develop business, politics,
culture and so on. Therefore, English is being taught in Vietnam at every
education levels to help students communicate with people all over the world. In
order to get a good communication, student can use not only single words but
also combine words like noun phrase, phrasal verbs, etc. to express their
opinions.

As we know that, a phrasal verb is a combination of a standard verb with
one or more particles. For examples: get on, drive off, come back, turn round,
look out, break down, etc. (according to Murphy, 2004, p.274). In some cases
the particle is an adverb as out, down, off, ect.; in others it is a preposition as
over, on, in,... Phrasal verbs are very important because phrasal verbs are
especially essential to comprehend and communicative with native speakers
since they are commonly used in spoken and informal written language. In
addition, learning phrasal verbs is the good way for students to talk and
communicate closer, more friendly and natural. However, using phrasal verbs
sometimes makes us land in an embarrassing situation and cannot understand
what the native speakers mean when talking with them. Because phrasal verbs
have different, multiform and numerous meanings, instead of using these kinds
of verbs, the learners often use single verbs or synonyms. Learning phrasal verbs
1


have become big problem with students.
With the main purposes are finding possible challenges and helping
learners to overcome when learning phrasal verbs, I would like to make this
study which focuses on challenges in learning phrasal verbs facing the first-year
students of Foreign Languages Faculty at Hanoi Pedagogical University N0.2 in
the academic year of 2015-2016.

II. RESEARCH PRESUPPOSITION
Learning phrasal verbs is a good chance to improve the four English skills
for learners, especially for the first year students. Through the research, some
questions below are mentioned:
1. What is attitude of the first-year students of Foreign Languages Faculty
at Hanoi Pedagogical University N0.2 in learning phrasal verbs?
2. What are the common challenges that the first-year students of Foreign

Languages Faculty at Hanoi Pedagogical University N0.2 face when learning
phrasal verbs in the academic year of 2015-2016?
3. What are some suggested solutions to help the first-year students of
Foreign Languages Faculty at Hanoi Pedagogical University N0.2 learn phrasal
verbs more effectively in the academic year of 2015-2016?

III. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
This research may provide more necessary information about how to use
some common phrasal verbs. The study focuses on these main purposes:
1. To know how the first-year students’ attitudes towards learning phrasal
verbs at Hanoi Pedagogical University N0.2.
2. To find out challenges that the first-year students of Foreign Languages
Faculty at Hanoi Pedagogical University N0.2 in the academic year of 20152016 often encounter when learning phrasal verbs.
3. To find out effective ways to help first year students of Foreign
Languages Faculty at Hanoi Pedagogical University N0.2 in the academic year
2


of 2015-2016 overcome the possible problems.

IV. RESEARCH SCOPE
Because of the limitation of time, the research is limited about learning
phrasal verbs and only investigate in a small number of participants.
The population involves in the study is 100 students (50 students of K41A
Bachelor Pedagogy in English, 50 students of K41B Bachelor Pedagogy in
English) of Foreign Languages Faculty at Hanoi Pedagogical University N0.2 in
the academic year of 2015-2016.

V. RESEARCH TASKS
The study involves the main tasks listed below:

1.

To give an overview of phrasal verbs such as the definition, types

and features, etc.
2.

To conduct a survey to find out the attitude of students and

challenges in learning phrasal verbs.
3.

To research into the solutions for better learning phrasal verbs.

VI. RESEARCH METHODS
To reach the goals of this study, the following methods have been applied:
1.

Collecting documents from books listed in the references.

2.

Conferring the supervisor, teachers and friends.

3.

Surveying by using questionnaire.

4.

Interviewing the first year students.

5.

Analyzing the results.

VII. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESEARCH
It is hoped that the results of this research will be helpful for both students
and teachers of Foreign Languages Faculty at Hanoi Pedagogical University
No.2. The students can see the importance of learning phrasal verbs, understand
3


them clearly; hence, the learners can surmount the challenges. Moreover, the
teachers can choose the most suitable method for their students.
Besides, this research is also useful for everyone who is interested in
phrasal verbs.

VIII. DESIGN OF THE RESEARCH WORK
There are three main parts in this research work, namely: Introduction,
Development, and Conclusion as follows:
- Part one, the Introduction, shows the reasons for choosing the title, the
research presupposition, the objectives and scope of research, research tasks, the
methods to study, the significance of the research.
- Part two, the Development is divided into three chapters.
+ Chapter one is Theoretical Background. It consists of two sections.
Section one is literature review in brief. Section two mentions an overview of
phrasal verbs.
+ Chapter two is The Methodology. It presents all the methods that were
used in the research and the steps to use these methods.

+ Chapter three is The Results. It has two sections. Section one describes
the results of the study and analysis them. Section two shows the solution for the
difficulties when learning phrasal verbs.
- Part three, the Conclusion, summarizes the main points of the research
and show the litmitations and recommendations of the research.

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PART TWO
DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER ONE: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

I.1. LITERATURE REVIEW IN BRIEF
Phrasal verb is a very important part of English language. In fact, phrasal
verbs have been the topic of many researchers and books presented by Heaton
(1985), Workman (1993), Vince (2010), McCarthy & O’Dell (2004), Flower
(1993) and so on. Each of them has particular opinions to talk about phrasal
verbs. They have their own ways to present about definition, features or types of
these kinds of verbs.
Heaton (1985) in the book Prepositions and adverbial particles mentions
that prepositions and particles cause many difficulties to many students than any
other aspect of the English language and an important aspect of the subject is
illustrated by the phrasal verb. He also presents definition and types of phrasal
verbs. This book is really helpful for learners but it does not show the
differences between prepositional verbs and phrasal verbs. Another researcher,
Workman (1993) in the book Phrasal verbs and Idioms, introduces how multiword verbs work, contains over 200 multi-word verbs and mentions meaning of
phrasal verbs. However, he does not indicate other aspects like structure of
phrasal verbs. This thing is supplemented by McCarthy & O’Dell (2004) in the
book Phrasal verbs in use. They also mention the functions and the positions of

particles in phrasal verbs and give many examples. The book Phrasal verbs in
use is necessary for students to find out important information about phrasal
verbs. Moreover, Vince (2010) describes clearly types of phrasal verb in the
book Intermediate Language Practice. From the book, learners can distinguish
the types of phrasal verbs through the detailed examples. Besides, Flower (1993)
in the book Phrasal Verb Organiser states how phrasal verbs organised. This
book gives much useful information in structure of phrasal verbs.

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Besides, there is a lot of research about phrasal verbs. Such as, in the
research A Comparative Study on Phrasal Verbs and Prepositional Verbs in
English, Duong (1999) mentions the comparison between phrasal verbs and
prepositional verbs, and the comparison between two-word verbs and
Vietnamese verbs plus directional words. Another researcher is Vu (2012), she
presents the encountered difficulties in learning phrasal verbs and some effective
and appropriate techniques to minimize boredom and be more enthusiastic with
phrasal verbs in A Study on Techniques to Improve Learning Phrasal Verbs for
the First Year English Major Student of HPU.
To sum up, many researchers point out definition, features, types, ect. of
phrasal verbs but a few of them mention challenges in learning phrasal verbs
while learners often face many challenges in the process of studying. Therefore,
it is essential to have a research to find out the challenges in learning phrasal
verbs.

I.2. OVERVIEW OF PHRASAL VERBS
I.2.1. Definition of phrasal verbs
Phrasal verb can be defined separately. According to Longman dictionary
“phrasal verbs are idiomatic combination of a verb and an adverb, or a verb and

preposition (or verb with both adverb and preposition)”. Similarly, Wyatt (2006)
describes a phrasal verb includes two or three parts: a verb and an adverb or a
preposition. The adverb and preposition which are used in phrasal verbs are
called “particles”. Another researcher defines that “phrasal verbs are compound
verbs that result from combining a verb with an adverb or a preposition, the
resulting compound verb being idiomatic” (Heaton, 1985, p.155). On the other
hand, the expressions of phrasal verbs sometimes are easy to guess, for example,
look for or stand up. But in most cases, their meanings are apparently not the
simple sum of their parts, for example, turn up means appear.
In short, despite different ways in defining phrasal verbs, all of them refer
to a similar content, that is phrasal verbs are the combination of a verb and
6


particle(s). And the meanings of them can be that of the main verb or a new one.
I.2.2. Structures of phrasal verbs
McCarthy & O’Dell (2004) states that verbs which consist of a verb and a
particle are called phrasal verb. In addition, Flower (1993) has a similar opinion
that is “A phrasal verb is a verb plus one or two particles.” According to them, a
conclusion is given that: phrasal verb = verb + particle(s).
I.2.2.1. Definition of particles
Particles are adverbs or prepositions that can combine with verbs and
modify the verbs they accompany. For example: In sentence “He turn off the
lights.”, “off” is used to modify the verb “turn”.
Besides, the combination of particles and verbs can create new meaning.
For examples: (1) She got on the restaurant.
(2) He doesn’t get on.
In example (1) “got on” has a concrete meaning. It means “entered”. But in
example (2) the meaning of “get on” is abstract, it means “he” don’t like each
other and is not friendly to others.

Most common particles in phrasal verbs are showed in the book Oxford
Phrasal verbs Dictionary as back, out, out of, about, in, over, up, around, into,
of, with, down, off, at, for, on, to, away.
I.2.2.2. Meaning of the particles in phrasal verbs
In the book English Phrasal Verbs in Use, McCarthy & O’Dell points out
that the meaning of particles in phrasal verbs as follows:
a. In some phrasal verbs the particle has a clear meaning.
For example, different particles are used with the verb “invite”.
He invited me out.

Let’s go out together.

She invited me in.

Please come in.

She invited me over.

Come to her place.

He invited me round.

Come to his house for dinner or a

drink.
I invited her up.

Come upstairs to my flat.
7

She invited me along.
He invited me back.

Come with her.
Come back home with him.

On the right, we can see what the original speaker suitably said.
b. Most particles convey a number of different senses.
For example, over can have various meanings, including:
(1)

Changing position.

e.g. fall over: fall to the ground.
move over: change the place where you are sitting or standing to
make room for someone else.
(2)

An idea of thoroughness.

e.g. read over: read thoroughly.
talk over: discuss something thoroughly before making a decision.
I.2.2.3. Positions of particles in phrasal verbs
Flower (1993) states that “very often the particle comes immediately after
the verb, but this is not always true”. And he points out three instances below:
a.

Particle immediately after the verb.

e.g. He is looking for his car ( not: He is looking his car for).
b. Particle after the object.
e.g. The bad weather is getting many people down ( not: The bad
weather is getting down many people).
c. Particle before or after the object.
e.g: My mother woke up my brother.
or My mother woke my brother up.
If the object is a pronoun (e.g. me, him, us), the particle must come
after it.
e.g: My mother woke him up ( not: My mother woke up him).
I.2.3. Features of phrasal verbs
I.2.3.1. Phonological feature
In phrasal verb, the particle has an important function in creating or
pointing out the meaning of the combination. Therefore, the stress of phrasal
8


verb is often put on the particle.
E.g: They turned ‘off the lights.
She told me not to give ‘up.
I.2.3.2. Semantic features
According to Workman (1993), the meaning of phrasal verbs can be
divided into three types: literal meaning, non-literal meaning, semi-literal
meaning.


Literal meaning is the one in which

the verb and the particle keep their separate meaning. It is easy to get if we
know the meaning of each word.

For example: He looked up and saw a plane.
Here the meaning of the verb and the particle have not change.
He look up= He look + up (in the direction of the sky).


Non-literal meaning is the one

which cannot be built up from the meaning of the individual items of the phrasal
verb. Sometimes the addition of the particle(s) creates a combination that has a
new meaning.
For example: In the sentence “He looks up all the new words in the
dictionary”, “look up” = to find information in a reference book.
Sometimes, a phrasal verb can have more than one meaning.
E.g: I cannot make out what she wants. (understand / interpret)
I could just make out a figure in the darkness. (read)
She is not as beautiful as people make out. (assert / claim)
In many cases, the meaning of phrasal verb may be different depend on the
position of the particles.
E.g: I think you made this story up. (invent)
The couple quarrelled but then made up. (become friend again)


Semi-literal meaning is the one in

which the basic meaning of the verb remains the same, but the particle adds its
own particular meaning.
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For example:

We decided to drive on.
= We decided to continue driving.
In this example, the particle “on” gives the idea of continuing with
something.
I.2.3.3. Syntactic features
Other features of phrasal verbs are syntactic features. Thomson & Martinet
(1986) mentions that the combination can be transitive or intransitive. In detail,
transitive phrasal verbs take object and intransitive phrasal verbs take no object.
For example:
The plane flew in. (intransitive)
She woke up her baby. (transitive)
He cheered his friends up. (transitive)
I broke down when I knew the truth. (intransitive)
In addition, word-order in phrasal verbs is also important point. Some
phrasal verbs with objects are inseparable and some are separable.
With inseparable phrasal verbs, the particle cannot be separated from the
verb. For example:
What are you getting at?
Let’s look round the town today!
The government is looking into the problem.
If the object is a noun, there is subject-verb inversion.
E.g: The bell rang and run out the children.
In came his friends.
With separable phrasal verb, if the object is a pronoun, it usually goes
between the verb and the particle.
For example:
Let me show you around my house.
He was offered the job but he turn it down.
However, if a sentence has an emphasis on the pronoun, the particle will
10

precede it.
E.g: They set up it.
She took in them.
A noun object can be placed either between the verb and the particle or
after the particle.
E.g: I think you made this story up.
I think you made up this story.
We turn the lights off.
We turn off the lights.
But when the object is long, it usually goes after the particle.
E.g: We turn off the lights that have just been repaired.
I.2.4. Types of phrasal verbs
Vince (2010) in the book Intermediate Language Practice gives different
types of phrasal verbs. They depend on whether there is one particle or two,
whether the verb and particle can be separated. And he divides phrasal verb into
four types:
 Verbs with two particles
 Verbs with one particle: transitive and inseparable
 Verbs with one particle: transitive and separable
 Verbs with one particle: intransitive
I.2.4.1. Verbs with two particles
Many verbs need an object, and the object can only come at the end so
the verbs are inseparable. Here are some examples, words in the brackets are the
meanings of phrasal verbs in each sentence.
E.g. I’m looking forward to my holidays. (think I will enjoy)
I’m afraid we’ve come up against a problem we can’t solve. (meet,
find)
Oh dear, we’ve run out of petrol. (have no more of)

Stop talking and get on with your work! (continue with)
I really look up to my teacher. (respect)
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But, in some case the verbs do not need objects. If there is no object, the
final particle will be not used.
E.g.
 Catch up with (reach someone by going faster)
You can rest now and catch up with us later. (with object)
You are going too fast! I can’t catch up! (without object)
 Cut down on (reduce the amount of)
I have decided to cut down on smoking.
You are eating too much candy. You should cut down.
 Get along/on with (have a friendly relationship with)
She doesn’t get on with her classmates.
We work at the same office, but we don’t get on.
I.2.4.2. Verbs with one particle: transitive and inseparable
These phrasal verbs take an object. We call this type of verb “transitive”.
The object has to come after the particle, not between the verb and the particle.
We call this type of phrasal verb “inseparable”.
E.g:
 We’ll call for you about 8 p.m. so please be quick. (come to your house
and collect)
Not: We’ll call you for about 8 p.m. so please be quick.
 She takes after her mother. They are very similar. (be similar in
appearance or character).
Not: She takes her mother after. They are very similar.
I.2.4.3. Verbs with one particle: transitive and separable
These phrasal verbs take an object. We call this type of verb “transitive”.

This object can come after the particle or between the verb and the particle. We
call this type of phrasal verb “separable”.
E.g:
 Bring up (look after a child until adult)
After her parents died, they brought up her.
12


After her parents died, they brought her up.
In general, object phrases usually go after the particles. Pronoun (such as
me, you, it, him, her, us, them...) always go between the verb and the particle.
E.g: You have to clear up the living room after the party. (make clean
and tidy)
Ann said she would help, but she let me down. (disappoint, fail to
keep

promise)

I.2.4.4. Verbs with one particle: intransitive
These phrasal verbs have no object. And in a phrasal verb, a verb combine
only one particle.
E.g: I invited ten people, but only five turned up. (arrive, often
unexpectedly)
One of the burglars was caught, but the other got away. (escape)
She grew up in a small village. (change from a child to an adult).
I.2.5. Comparison between phrasal verbs and preposition verbs
In English, there is another kind of multi-word verbs which is call
prepositional verbs. This kinds of verbs are the combination of a verb with a
preposition. For example: come across, look after, run into, come in, etc. In fact
is that in many cases, phrasal verbs and prepositional verbs look similar or even

identical. So, a lot of confusions have been occurred. Therefore, it is important
to distinguish phrasal verbs and prepositional verbs.
According a research of Duong (1993), we have the results below:
I.2.5.1. Similarities
 Both phrasal verbs and prepositional verbs consist of two parts: a verb and
a adverb or a verb and a preposition. Some phrasal verbs and prepositional verbs
are similar in their forms.
For example:
He fell down the stairs. (prepositional verb)
He fell down. (phrasal verb)
Please come in the house. (prepositional verb)
13


Please come in. (phrasal verb)
 Both phrasal verbs and prepositional verbs can be transitive verbs, they
both take one object.
For example:
She turned off all the lights which had been left on. (phrasal verb)
This cake consists of a few common ingredients. (prepositional verb)
Sometimes they can be ditransitive. Yet for phrasal verbs, this case is often
rare.
E.g:
+ phrasal verb: Could you give me back my pen.
Oin

Od

+ Prepositional verb:
The management will inform the staff about the proposed changes.

Oin

Od

 Some phrasal verbs and preposition verbs can have more than one
meaning.
For example:
+ Phrasal verbs:
The plane took off an hour late. (leave the ground and begin to fly)
The new dictionary has really taken off. (increase very quickly)
+ Prepositional verbs:
Will we get the book out by the end of the year? (produce/ publish)
She managed to get out a few words of thanks. (say something with
difficult)
I.2.5.2. Differences
 In phrasal verbs, the particles often receives heavy stress while in
prepositional verb the verb is often stressed.
For example:
The accident held ‘up traffic for an hour. (phrasal verb)
We had to ‘send for the doctor.
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 Phrasal verbs can be both transitive verbs and intransitive verbs.
E.g: This worker want to give up his job. (transitive)
The enemy finally gave in. (intransitive)
While prepositional verbs can only be transitive verbs.
E.g: Poor management resulted in huge losses. (transitive)

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CHAPTER TWO
METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents the methods that were used in this research. It
consists of three sections. The first section shows the participants of the
research. Next section describes the survey questionnaire and the final section
mentions the interview method.

II.1. Participants
The research recruited the first year English major students of Foreign
Languages Faculty at Hanoi Pedagogical University No.2 in the academic year
of 2015-2016 to take part in the survey. The number of participants is 100
students coming from two classes: K41A Bachelor Pedagogy in English and
K41B Bachelor Pedagogy in English. Most of them are at the same English level
and learning phrasal verbs is a good way for them to improve their language
skills. Therefore, finding out the difficulties that they may face is necessary.
These students answered all questions were given in questionnaires and some of
them were interviewed.

II.2. Survey questionnaire (Appendix A)
II.2.1. Reasons of using survey questionnaire
According to Wikipedia, a questionnaire is “is a research instrument
consisting of a series of questions and other prompts for the purpose of
gathering information from respondents.” Using survey questionnaire is a
common research method. It was chosen for this study because of four reasons.
Firstly, questionnaires “often have standardized answers that make it simple to
compile data.” (Wikipedia). Secondly, questionnaires can help scholar save time
when collecting data. Oppenheim (1992) show that using questionnaires are

rather convenient because they can be given to a large number of people at the
same time. Another advantage of this tool is budget, it is free way to collect data
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