Phrasal Verbs and Register ESL Lesson Plan (C1, 60 Minutes)

Who it is for. Advanced students who use many phrasal verbs accurately, but they mix registers: they write We found out that sales went down in formal reports, and sound stiff in speech (Let us postpone the meeting). They rarely use nouns formed from phrasal verbs (a setback, the outcome, a breakdown), and misspell or misstress them.

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.

Main aim. To develop students' ability to switch register by choosing between phrasal verbs (neutral or informal) and single-word formal equivalents, and to use nouns derived from phrasal verbs (setback, outcome, breakdown, turnout, drawback, cutback, input, takeover).

Learning outcome. By the end of the lesson, students can rewrite an informal message as a formal report and vice versa, e.g. We put off the launch because the machines kept breaking down → The launch was postponed owing to repeated equipment breakdowns.

• Subsidiary aim. To practise stress in phrasal verbs vs their nouns (break DOWN vs BREAKdown).
• Subsidiary aim. To transform a text from one register to another.

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

• Phrasal verbs are not "wrong" in formal writing: carry out, set up and point out are common in academic and business texts. Highly idiomatic ones (mess up, pull off, fob off) are inappropriate.
• Formal writing often prefers nominalisation: The machines broke down repeatedly → There were repeated breakdowns.

• Spelling: closed (setback, breakdown) or hyphenated (check-in, follow-up); some reverse the order (outcome, input, outbreak, upkeep).

• Phrasal verb: stress on the particle: break DOWN, set BACK, turn OUT.
• Noun: stress on the first part: BREAKdown, SETback, TURNout.

• The project suffered a setback. Did the project move forward or backward? (Backward; it was delayed.) Is setback a verb or noun here? (Noun.) · Would "We messed up the order" be suitable in a report to the board? · (No, it is too informal; An error was made in the order or We made an error in the order.)

The transformed text keeps the same content and uses a consistent register. At least five formal equivalents (or phrasal verbs, for the informal task) and three derived nouns are used accurately. 8 out of 10 or better on Handout 3.

Did students understand that phrasal verbs are not banned in formal writing? Was the two-way transformation (formal ↔ informal) useful?

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

WhatsApp message from Kasun (production supervisor) to a friend

Nightmare week!! The new packing machine kept breaking down, so we had to put off the big order for the Dubai client. We found out the supplier had set it up wrong. Management is looking into it now. On top of that, they want us to cut down on overtime. Sales have gone down, apparently. Anyway, the good news is Priya came up with a brilliant idea to share machines with the other line, so fingers crossed!

Extract from the production manager's weekly report

Week 14 summary. Production experienced a significant setback this week owing to three breakdowns of the new packing machine. As a result, delivery of the Dubai order has been postponed until 18 April. An internal review discovered that the equipment had been incorrectly installed by the supplier; the matter is currently being investigated. In light of a decline in sales, management has requested a reduction in overtime hours. However, a team member has proposed a machine-sharing arrangement between production lines, which could mitigate the impact of these cutbacks. The outcome of a trial will be reported next week.

Answer the questions.

• What caused the delay? ______________________________
• Which detail is in the report but not in the message? ______________________________
• How does the writer of the report refer to Priya? Why? ______________________________

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

A. Find the formal equivalent in the report.

B. Find four nouns in the report that come from phrasal verbs. ______________________________

C. Discuss.

• The report uses a decline in sales instead of sales have declined, and a reduction in overtime instead of reduce overtime. Why? ______________________________
• Is set up (in the message) wrong in formal writing? ______________________________

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

A. Replace the phrasal verb with a formal verb in the correct form.

B. Complete with a noun from a phrasal verb.

• The committee looked into the complaints. → ______________________________
• Prices went up by 12% last year. → ______________________________
• The school was set up in 1925. → ______________________________
• We will not put up with this behaviour. → ______________________________
• Women make up 60% of the workforce. → ______________________________
• Voter ______________ was the lowest in twenty years.
• Losing our lead designer was a serious ______________, but we are back on schedule.
• The only ______________ of the new system is the cost.
• Scientists hope this discovery will lead to a ______________ in cancer treatment.
• Please send me a ______________ of the costs by Friday.

Pair A: rewrite as a formal email to the client.

Voice note transcript (sales manager to colleague): "Hi, so basically we've got to call off Friday's visit to the client's warehouse because the truck broke down. Can you let them know? Also, they want us to come up with a cheaper option, so we need to work out the costs again. Prices have gone up a lot. Sorry, it's been a mess!"

Pair B: rewrite as a friendly message to colleagues.

Notice: "Staff are advised that the quarterly training session has been postponed owing to the unavailability of the trainer. A revised date will be established following consultation with department heads. Staff are requested to submit their input regarding preferred dates by Wednesday. The organising committee regrets any inconvenience caused."

Checklist: ☐ same information ☐ consistent register ☐ at least five changes in verbs or nouns

Handout 1

Handout 2, Exercise A

put off: postponed · found out: discovered · set up: installed · looking into: investigated · cut down on: reduction in · gone down: decline · came up with: proposed

Handout 2, Exercise B

setback, breakdowns, cutbacks, outcome

Handout 2, Exercise C

Handout 3, Exercise A

Handout 3, Exercise B

Handout 4 (model answers)

Pair A: Dear Mr Fernando, I regret to inform you that Friday's visit to your warehouse has been cancelled owing to a vehicle breakdown. In response to your request, we are devising a more economical option and will recalculate the costs, as prices have increased considerably. We apologise for any inconvenience. Pair B: Hi all, just to let you know the training session has been put off because the trainer can't make it. We'll set a new date once we've talked to the department heads. Can you send in your preferred dates by Wednesday? Sorry for the hassle!

Common errors to watch for

• The new packing machine broke down three times (it had been incorrectly installed). · 2. The new delivery date (18 April) / the trial results will be reported next week. · 3. A team member; formal reports are impersonal and focus on actions, not individuals.
• Nominalisation makes writing more formal, impersonal and concise. · 2. No; set up is acceptable in formal writing, though installed is more precise here.
• The committee investigated / examined the complaints. · 2. Prices increased / rose by 12% last year. · 3. The school was established / founded in 1925. · 4. We will not tolerate this behaviour. · 5. Women constitute / comprise 60% of the workforce.
• turnout · 2. setback · 3. drawback · 4. breakthrough · 5. breakdown