English Grammar & Phrasal Verbs: Key Concepts for Language Learners
Unit 2: Essential English Grammar & Vocabulary
Common Phrasal Verbs and Their Meanings
Phrasal verbs are combinations of a verb and a preposition or adverb, or both, that create a new meaning. Here are some key phrasal verbs:
- Go on: continuar (to continue)
- Carry out: llevar a cabo (to perform, to execute)
- Set up: organizar, establecer (to organize, to establish)
- Pick up: recoger (to collect, to pick up)
- Go back: regresar (to return)
- Go out: salir (to leave, to go outside)
- Point out: señalar (to indicate, to highlight)
- Find out: descubrir (to discover, to find information)
- Come up: acercarse a alguien (to approach someone)
- Make up: perdonar (to reconcile, to forgive)
- Take over: tomar el control (to take control)
- Come out: salir (to emerge, to be released)
- Come in: entrar, pasar adelante (to enter, to come inside)
- Go down: bajar, descender (to descend, to decrease)
- Work out: rutina de ejercicio (to exercise)
- Run out: agotado (to be depleted, to run out of something)
- Break up: romper (to separate, to end a relationship)
- Set off: a partir de (to start a journey, to trigger)
- End up: terminar (to eventually be in a particular place or situation)
- Look forward to: deseando (to anticipate with pleasure)
Understanding Past Tenses in English
The Simple Past Tense
The Simple Past is used to describe the main events in a narrative. These are completed actions that occurred at a specific time in the past.
- Structure: Subject + Verb (past form) + Complement
- Negative: Subject + didn’t + Verb (base form) + Complement
- Question: Did + Subject + Verb (base form) + Complement?
Use When: Describing completed actions in a sequence.
The Past Continuous Tense
The Past Continuous is used to describe background events in a narrative. It describes actions that were in progress when a completed action happened. We often use “when” and “while” to connect past events.
- Structure: Subject + was/were + Verb (-ing) + Complement
Use While: Emphasizing an ongoing action interrupted by another.
The Past Perfect Tense
The Past Perfect is used to describe an action that happened before another action in the past.
- Structure: Subject + had + Verb (past participle) + Complement
Expressing Past and Present Habits
“Used To” for Past Habits and Situations
This structure is used to talk about habits or situations that were true in the past but are no longer true now.
- Affirmative: Subject + used to + Verb (base form) + Complement
- Negative: Subject + didn’t + use to + Verb (base form) + Complement
- Interrogative: Did + Subject + use to + Verb (base form) + Complement?
“Usually” for Present Habits and Situations
This adverb is used to talk about situations and habits which are true now.
- Structure: Subject + usually + Verb (present form) + Complement
-Ed and -Ing Adjectives: Describing Feelings and Qualities
These adjectives are often confused, but they have distinct uses:
- -Ed Adjectives: Describe how a person feels. (e.g., depressed, excited)
- -Ing Adjectives: Describe the quality of something that causes the feeling. (e.g., depressing, exciting)
Here are some common pairs:
- Depressed / Depressing: deprimido, deprimente
- Excited / Exciting: emocionado, emocionante
- Amazed / Amazing: asombrado, asombroso
- Amused / Amusing: divertido
- Disappointed / Disappointing: decepcionado, decepcionante
- Embarrassed / Embarrassing: avergonzado, vergonzoso
- Fascinated / Fascinating: fascinado, fascinante
- Annoyed / Annoying: irritado, irritante
- Terrified / Terrifying: aterrorizado, aterrorizante
- Shocked / Shocking: impactado, impactante
Additional Phrasal Verbs for Practice
Here is a list of more phrasal verbs and their variations to expand your vocabulary:
- Looking forward to
- Set off
- Go out
- Go up
- Run out
- Hurry up
- End up
- Sign up
- Running out
- Going out
- Falling over
- Bring up
- Break up
- Catch up
- Try on
- Went back
- Hurried up
- Pay back
- Signs up
- Goes out
- Ends up