Lesson 11: Master verb partnerships
Learn verbs with complements, prepositions, particles, and meaning changes attached.
~55 MINUTES · VERB PATTERNS AND MULTI-WORD VERBS
Verb meaning includes its pattern
Store decide to do, avoid doing, suggest that someone do, and prevent someone from doing. A bare headword does not contain enough grammar for use.
Form can change meaning
stop smoking cease activity · stop to smoke pause another activity for purpose
remember locking recall past event · remember to lock do required future action
try restarting test method · try to restart attempt difficult action
Prepositions and particles belong to unit
depend on, responsible for, interested in. Phrasal verbs need structure: look into the issue inseparable; put the meeting off / put off the meeting / put it off separable.
Controlled practice
- Choose: “We decided changing / to change the date.”
- Choose: “She avoided answering / to answer.”
- Contrast “remember sending” and “remember to send.”
- Contrast “try restarting” and “try to restart.”
- Supply preposition: depend __, apologise __, responsible __.
- Replace “investigate” with a phrasal verb.
- Place pronoun correctly with put off.
- Correct: “We discussed about the problem.”
Check controlled answers
- Decided to change.
- Avoided answering.
- Recall past sending versus perform future required sending.
- Test restarting as method versus attempt restart.
- Depend on, apologise for/to depending object, responsible for.
- Look into.
- Put it off, not put off it.
- We discussed the problem.
Shortcut that works
Never write bare verb on card. Copy enough words to reveal complement, preposition, particle position, and one real meaning.
Production lab
Retrieval practice
Your win: 12 verb cards containing complement pattern, preposition or particle, contrast, and personal example.
Primary source
Use Cambridge Grammar Today verb forms and patterns plus British Council lessons on -ing versus infinitive.