ESL Lesson Plan · CEFR B2

The Meanings of Particles (up, down, out, off ESL Lesson Plan (B2, 60 Minutes)

A complete 60-minute B2 lesson on The Meanings of Particles (up, down, out, off, built round the theme "Managing a Project at Work".

CEFR B2
60 minutes
Teenagers and adults
Grammar
Phrasal Verbs
The Meanings of Particles (up, down, out, off

About this lesson

Who it is for. Upper-intermediate students who handle phrasal verb word order well but learn every phrasal verb as a separate item and find them random. They avoid phrasal verbs in speech (We postponed the meeting instead of We put it off), and guess meanings literally.

Everything the lesson needs is on this page: the language analysis, the timed stages with the teacher's own words and instruction-checking questions, the differentiation, the printable handouts and the answer key.

At a glance

Level: CEFR B2 (Upper-intermediate)
Learners: Teenagers and adults
Length: 60 minutes. For 45 minutes, run only "Meeting" of the two tasks in "Freer practice" and cut "Feedback and wrap-up" to board-based error correction.
Skills: Speaking and writing
Language focus: Grammar: The Meanings of Particles (up, down, out, off, over) and Phrasal Verbs at Work
Framework: PPP (presentation, practice, production)
Materials: Handout 1 (meeting minutes), Handout 2 (particle meanings), Handout 3 (practice), Handout 4 (project meeting role cards).
Preparation: About 10 minutes: print Handouts 1 to 4, one per learner, and read the language analysis. The answer key is for you, not the class.

Download this lesson plan

Google Docs · 60 minutes · PPP (presentation, practice, production)

Download the PDF Word Make a copy

The PDF prints as it stands. The Word file and Make a copy are for adapting it: your copy is yours to change, and the original stays as it is.

Aims

Main aim. To help students recognise common meanings of particles (up = completion or increase, down = reduction or refusal, out = solving or completing thoroughly, off = cancelling or starting, over = reviewing or transferring) and use workplace phrasal verbs accurately.

Learning outcome. By the end of the lesson, students can take part in a project meeting using phrasal verbs naturally, e.g. Let's go over the budget. We need to cut down on costs. Can you sort out the venue? We can't put it off again, so let's call off the extra event.

Subsidiary aim. To practise guessing the meaning of new phrasal verbs from the particle.
Subsidiary aim. To develop fluency in a project meeting role-play.

Language analysis

What to know before the lesson: the meaning, form and pronunciation of the target language, and the problems learners usually have with it.

Common particle meanings

Particle	Meaning	Workplace examples
up	completion; increase; creation	use up (use all of), sum up (summarise), set up (establish), speed up (go faster), follow up (take further action)
down	reduction; refusal; recording	cut down on (reduce), slow down, turn down (refuse), write / note down
out	solving; thoroughly; distributing	sort out (solve), work out / figure out (calculate, understand), carry out (do: a survey, a plan), hand out (distribute)
off	cancelling; delaying; starting	call off (cancel), put off (postpone), kick off (start, informal), lay off (dismiss workers)
over	reviewing; transferring	go over (check carefully), think over (consider), take over (take control), hand over (give responsibility)

Key points

The meanings are tendencies, not rules: put off can also mean "discourage" (The price put me off).
Many verbs combine the same particle meanings: eat up, drink up, use up (all = completely).
Word order rules still apply: Let's put the meeting off / put it off; cut down on costs (three-part, inseparable).
Phrasal verbs are more informal than single-verb equivalents (postpone, cancel, distribute), but very common in spoken business English.

Pronunciation

Stress the particle when the verb ends the clause: We had to call it OFF.

Concept-checking questions

They called off the meeting. Did the meeting happen? (No, it was cancelled.)
They put off the meeting. Will the meeting happen? (Yes, but later.) Is it the same as call off? (No.) · Can you sort out the problem with the printer? · Is there a problem now? (Yes.) What do I want? (Someone to solve it.)

Anticipated problems and solutions

Problem	Solution
Confusing put off and call off.	Timeline: put off → later; call off → never.
Seeing particle meanings as fixed rules.	Show exceptions; present as "helpful patterns".
Literal guessing (take over = carry over something).	Context first; then particle meaning.
Avoiding phrasal verbs in speech.	Role-play with a "phrasal verb target" checklist.
Separating three-part verbs (cut costs down on).	Board: three-part verbs never separate.

Board plan

Left: particles	Centre: examples	Right: tips
UP ↑ completion / increase · DOWN ↓ reduction / refusal · OUT → solving / thoroughly · OFF ✗ cancelling / delaying / starting · OVER ↻ reviewing / transferring
use up · sum up · set up · speed up · follow up · cut down on · turn down · note down · sort out · work out · carry out · hand out · call off · put off · kick off · lay off · go over · think over · take over · hand over
put off = later · call off = never · patterns, not rules · three-part verbs don't separate · stress: call it OFF

Warm-up5 minutes · Pairs, whole class

Aim: To engage students and raise awareness of particles.

Board four sentences: Drink up! · Prices went up. · Sum up the report. · Set up a company. Ask: "What does up mean in each?"

Pairs discuss (2 minutes). Elicit: "complete", "increase", "create". Say: "Particles often have patterns of meaning."

Presentation20 minutes · Individual, groups, whole class

Aim: To present phrasal verbs at work and help students notice particle meanings.

Part A: Reading (6 minutes)

Give out Handout 1. Say: "Read the minutes of a project meeting at a tea company in Kandy. What are the three main decisions? Three minutes."

Pairs compare. Students answer the questions. Check as a class.

Part B: Analysis (6 minutes)

Give out Handout 2. Say: "In groups, put the phrasal verbs from the minutes in the right row, according to the meaning of the particle."

ICQs: "How many particles?" (Five.) "Where are the verbs?" (In bold in the minutes.)

Monitor and help.

Part C: Clarification (8 minutes)

Feedback. Build the table on the board.

Ask the CCQs; draw the put off / call off timeline.

Show one exception: The smell put me off (= discouraged).

Highlight register: We postponed the meeting (formal) / We put the meeting off (spoken).

Guess the meaning. Board three new verbs: drink up, write off (a debt), hand in (a report). Students guess using particle meanings.

Controlled practice10 minutes · Individual, then pairs, then whole class

Aim: To practise meaning and form accurately.

Give out Handout 3. Say: "Exercise A: choose the correct particle. Exercise B: replace the words in italics with a phrasal verb. Seven minutes."

Pairs check. Check as a class.

Freer practice18 minutes · Groups of four, then whole class

Aim: To use phrasal verbs fluently in a project meeting.

Give out Handout 4. Groups are the project team for a company's 25th anniversary event. Each member has a role card with problems to raise and a list of phrasal verbs to use (3 minutes to prepare).

Meeting (10 minutes). Groups hold the meeting and agree on five actions. One student takes notes (the minutes): Ruwan will sort out the catering.

ICQs: "What do you need at the end?" (Five decisions.) "Who writes them?" (One note-taker.)

Report (5 minutes). Each group sums up its decisions for the class.

Monitor and note language use.

Feedback and wrap-up7 minutes · Whole class

Aim: To give feedback and consolidate.

Board sentences from Stage 4 (correct and incorrect). Students correct the errors.

Ask: "Which particle meaning was most useful today?"

Set the homework.

Homework Write the minutes of your group's meeting (150 words), using at least eight phrasal verbs from at least four particle groups.

PPP (presentation, practice, production). Stage times add up to 60 minutes.

Differentiation

Support: Give weaker students Handout 2 (completed) during the meeting. Let them focus on two particles (up and off).
Stretch: Stronger students add phase out, iron out, bring forward, back up (support) and explain the particle logic. They rewrite the minutes in a formal register with single-word verbs.

Adapting the lesson

For	What to change
A large class (40 or more)	Keep the pairwork in "Freer practice" in fixed pairs rather than a mingle, and take feedback from four or five pairs instead of the whole room. Run "Meeting" once, with two pairs reporting, rather than hearing every pair. Monitor one half of the room during "Controlled practice" and the other half during "Freer practice".
A class with no photocopier	Put the exercises from Handout 3: Practice on the board for learners to copy into their notebooks, and read any text aloud twice instead of printing it. Handout 4: Project Meeting Role Cards works read out from the front: learners note what they need rather than holding a card. The board plan above is this lesson's minimum - with that on the board, it runs on no paper at all.
An online class	Send Handouts 1 to 4 in the chat before the lesson and put the board plan on a shared slide. Use breakout rooms for "Meeting" and visit each room once. Have learners type the controlled answers in the chat, so you see every answer at once instead of nominating.
A different age group	With teenagers, shorten the analysis and get to the task sooner. With adults in a work context, keep the forms exactly as they are and swap the lesson's theme for one from their own field.

Checking learning

8 out of 10 or better on Handout 3. In the meeting, students use at least six phrasal verbs accurately, including correct word order with pronouns. Students distinguish put off and call off.

Teacher's reflection

Did the particle meanings help students guess new verbs? Did the meeting sound more natural than students' usual speech?

Handout 1: Meeting Minutes

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

Hill Country Teas (Pvt) Ltd: New Packaging Project Meeting minutes, 12 March Present: Anusha (Project Manager), Ruwan, Fathima, Dinesh

Next meeting: 20 March

Answer the questions.

Anusha kicked off the meeting by summing up progress so far.
Ruwan reported that the design team has used up most of the budget. The team agreed to cut down on printing costs.
Fathima carried out a customer survey last month. She will hand out the results before the next meeting.
The supplier has turned down our request for a lower price. Dinesh will sort out the problem and work out new costs.
The product launch, planned for April, will be put off until June. The launch party in Colombo has been called off.
Fathima is going on maternity leave in May. Dinesh will take over her tasks, and she will hand over her files by 30 April.
Everyone should go over the new design and think over the price before Friday.
Why must the team cut down on printing costs? ______________________________
Will the launch happen? When? ______________________________
Will the launch party happen? ______________________________
Who will do Fathima's work? ______________________________

Handout 2: Particle Meanings

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

Put the phrasal verbs from the minutes in the table.

Discuss.

What is the difference between put off and call off? ______________________________
Which single-word verbs mean the same as carry out, turn down and hand out? ______________________________

Particle and meaning	Phrasal verbs from the minutes
UP: completion
DOWN: reduction / refusal
OUT: solving / doing thoroughly / distributing
OFF: cancelling / delaying / starting
OVER: reviewing / transferring

Handout 3: Practice

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

A. Choose the correct particle.

B. Replace the words in italics with a phrasal verb from today. Use the correct form.

It's raining, so we'll have to put the barbecue off / over until next week.
Could you note down / out the main points?
The new manager will take off / over in January.
We need to speed up / out production before the holidays.
I can't work off / out how to use this software.
The company had to lay off / out fifty workers.
They refused the job offer. → ______________________________
We cancelled the training session. → ______________________________
Could you check this report carefully before I send it? → ______________________________
The lab conducted three experiments. → ______________________________

Handout 4: Project Meeting Role Cards

The project: Your company's 25th anniversary event, planned for next month. Budget: Rs. 2 million. Problems: the hotel is too expensive, the guest speaker is ill, and the team is behind schedule.

Minutes: five actions

..........................................................................................
..........................................................................................
..........................................................................................
..........................................................................................
..........................................................................................


Project manager: Start the meeting, sum up the situation and make sure the team agrees on five actions. Use: kick off, sum up, go over, follow up.	Finance officer: The budget is almost used up. Suggest ways to reduce costs. Use: use up, cut down on, work out, turn down.
Events coordinator: The hotel has increased its price. The speaker can't come. Use: sort out, call off, put off, set up.	HR officer: Two team members are leaving next week. Someone needs to do their work. Use: take over, hand over, carry out, hand out.

Answer Key

Handout 1

Handout 2

Handout 3, Exercise A

Handout 3, Exercise B

Common errors to watch for

Because the design team has used up most of the budget. · 2. Yes, in June (it has been put off). · 3. No, it has been called off. · 4. Dinesh.
put off = postpone (it will happen later); call off = cancel (it won't happen). · 2. conduct / do; refuse / reject; distribute.
off · 2. down · 3. over · 4. up · 5. out · 6. off
They turned down the job offer. / They turned it down. · 2. We called off the training session. · 3. Could you go over this report before I send it? · 4. The lab carried out three experiments.

Particle	Phrasal verbs
UP	summing up, used up
DOWN	cut down on, turned down
OUT	carried out, hand out, sort out, work out
OFF	kicked off, put off, called off
OVER	take over, hand over, go over, think over

Error	Correction
We called off the meeting until Friday.	We put off the meeting until Friday.
We need to cut costs down on.	We need to cut down on costs.
She will take her tasks over to Dinesh.	She will hand over her tasks to Dinesh.
I can't work out it.	I can't work it out.

Prints without the site's menus or advertisements.

Download this plan

Google Docs · 60 minutes

Download the PDF Word Make a copy

The same document as the one at the top of the page.

Elsewhere in Global English

Pages that help with this lesson in particular, rather than everything we have.

Written by RCF English to the RCF English international standard: levelled by the CEFR, original throughout, and suitable for classrooms in any country. Last reviewed 22 September 2026.

The Meanings of Particles (up, down, out, off ESL Lesson Plan (B2, 60 Minutes)

About this lesson

At a glance

Download this lesson plan

Aims

Language analysis

Common particle meanings

Key points

Pronunciation

Concept-checking questions

Anticipated problems and solutions

Board plan

Warm-up5 minutes · Pairs, whole class

Presentation20 minutes · Individual, groups, whole class

Controlled practice10 minutes · Individual, then pairs, then whole class

Freer practice18 minutes · Groups of four, then whole class

Feedback and wrap-up7 minutes · Whole class

Differentiation

Adapting the lesson

Checking learning

Teacher's reflection

Handout 1: Meeting Minutes

Handout 2: Particle Meanings

Handout 3: Practice

Handout 4: Project Meeting Role Cards

Answer Key

Download this plan

Elsewhere in Global English

Share this lesson plan

More phrasal verbs plans