The Words We Upgrade
Grammar: Phrasal verbs — informal vs academic register
A Level 5 English lesson exploring education.
What's in this lesson
A Level 5 (advanced) ESL lesson on education, practising phrasal verbs — informal vs academic register. The worksheet has a reading, target vocabulary, a grammar reference with practice and discussion questions.
From the reading: The Words We Upgrade
In 2022, a widely circulated study from the University of Michigan found that first-year students who used more phrasal verbs in their academic writing scored, on average, eight points lower on formal assessment rubrics than peers who favoured Latinate equivalents. The finding surprised nobody who had ever taught writing. What it confirmed, however, was something far more nuanced: the problem was not that students were using phrasal verbs at all — it was that they were reaching for the wrong ones in the wrong rooms.
Vocabulary
- account for
- come up with
- draw on
- give rise to
- build on
- carry out
- point to
- result in
- stem from
Grammar: Phrasal Verbs
- Informal → formal swap
- She found out the results. → She ascertained the results. — same meaning, higher register
- Academic phrasal verbs
- This accounts for the gap in the data. — formal; do not replace with a single verb
Discussion questions
- Do you ever change the way you speak depending on who you are talking to?
- Should university students be penalised for informal language in essays?
- Which feels more powerful to you — simple direct language or formal academic vocabulary?
The Words We Upgrade
Grammar: Phrasal verbs — informal vs academic register
What's in this lesson:
Full lesson plan with reading, grammar, vocabulary, and discussion.
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