Tip: Got a long list of phrasal verbs to work through in class? Here is a very simple tip to bring these lists to life: one by one, put each phrasal verb into an example sentence of your own, then ask the student to do the same.
Background
In one-to-one classes you often find yourself working with long lists of items that fall on the border between lexis and grammar – such as phrasal verbs, verb + preposition, etc. These occur in grammar books. You feel the need to check understanding with the student in class, rather than just set a homework exercise of self-study.
What can you do with long lists like this? Very easy: as a model, make personalized sentences using the language item. After each one, ask the student to use the same item to make a sentence of their own based on their life. You’ll soon see if they are using the item correctly, and of course the act of saying the item aloud will help them to remember it.
Then they can go away and do the exercises in the book for homework and consolidation.