How Taylor Swift Can Help You Learn Phrasal Verbs

Today I've got another guest post for you! Lindsay Dow is my guest writer today. She is a professional English teacher and language learning blogger. Lindsay is a polyglot herself (speaker of many languages) and loves sharing her language learning tips on her blog  Lindsay Does Languages and around the web.

Read on for Lindsay's article featuring Taylor Swift and a fun way to learn phrasal verbs. 

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Hello! I'm Lindsay Dow and I blog, teach, and make videos about language over at Lindsay Does Languages. Sabrina has invited me onto her blog today to share a little something about learning phrasal verbs with you. Phrasal verbs are a very important part of spoken English grammar.

I know those two words, PHRASAL VERBS, may have you ready to click off from this post, but wait! Phrasal verbs don't have to be painful. In this post, we're going to get a little help from Taylor Swift. Let's go!

WHAT IS A PHRASAL VERB?
A phrasal verb describes when a verb plus one or more other words, such as an adverb or a preposition, combine to create a new meaning. They're sometimes also called multi-word verbs or compound verbs.

Put simply: verb + adverb or preposition or other word = phrasal verb​
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For example:

pick = to select or choose
on = 'on top of' (one meaning of many!)
pick + on = to bully

Whaaat?! The meanings that these words create together can be so different sometimes to the meanings we're used to when they're used on their own.

​This means that phrasal verbs can be a bit of a nightmare for English learners. I've written about this in more detail on my blog here. However, in this post, we'll be looking at the song lyrics for Taylor Swift's song, "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together."

I'm sure you've heard this song! Taylor Swift is pretty unavoidable. You can check out the full lyrics here and watch the video below:

LEARNING PHRASAL VERBS THROUGH SONG LYRICS
Ready? Let's start looking at some lyrics from the song with phrasal verbs.
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I remember when we broke up the first time = broke up = break up
To 'break up with someone' means to end a relationship with them. Here, Taylor is remembering the first time they ended their relationship.

Then you come around again = come around
To 'come around' means to visit someone's home. Taylor's ex is visiting her at her home again.

​I say, "I hate you," we break up, you call me, "I love you." = break up
They're ending their relationship...again!

Ooh, we called it off again last night = called it off = call off
To 'call something off' means to cancel it or end it. So here Taylor and her ex have broken up...yet again!

We are never ever ever getting back together = getting back together = get back together
To 'get back together' means to restart a relationship. This means that Taylor is really saying, "No more break ups!" this time. 

And me falling for it screaming that I'm right = falling for it = fall for
To 'fall for something' means to believe something that either isn't true or to be deceived by something. 

And you would hide away and find your peace of mind = hide away
To 'hide away' means to hide from something. Sometimes phrasal verbs aren't that different from the meaning of the verb on its own!

Ooh, you called me up again tonight = called me up = call up
To 'call someone up' means to call them on the phone. This a simple one and very commonly used.

There we go! This is one of my all time favourite songs for teaching phrasal verbs. Everything is more fun with a song, right? 

However, I understand that this isn't every phrasal verb out there and you might not be a Tay-Tay fan. I get it. I've also put together a YouTube playlist of over 800 songs that all use different phrasal verbs for you. If you are a YouTube user, you can bookmark it here.

​And if you are a Pinterest fan, you can pin this image!:

​YOUR FREE INTRO GUIDE TO PHRASAL VERBS
If you want to learn more about phrasal verbs, I've made something for you. Click here to get your (free!) Intro Guide to Phrasal Verbs. Did I mention it's free?

MASTERING ENGLISH PHRASAL VERBS THROUGH STORY
I've also created an e-course dedicated to exactly this topic. Mastering English Phrasal Verbs Through Story is exactly what you need to feel confident using phrasal verbs.

​The course covers over 500 phrasal verbs through 44 short stories and phone call dialogues. You've got videos, audio, ebooks, quizzes, and community - there's also a Facebook Group where you can share your own stories using the phrasal verbs you learn in the course. You can get instant access to the whole e-course right now for just $97. Find out more and enroll now right here.  

What do you find difficult about learning phrasal verbs? Share in the comments!

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