Phrasal verbs as adjectives

This worksheet provides a comprehensive series of activities designed to help learners understand and apply adjectives formed from phrasal verbs. It covers a range of exercises aimed at improving vocabulary and comprehension through matching adjectives to definitions, completing sentences, and discussing real-world scenarios.

Students read a dialogue and identify adjectives formed from common phrasal verbs. They will match these adjectives to their definitions and understand how verbs like stand up, speak out, and put off transform into descriptive words such as upstanding, outspoken, and off-putting. Next, students look at more examples of adjectives formed in a similar way (e.g. incoming, bygone, uplifting, ongoing). After that, students complete a gap-fill activity and discuss a few conversation questions given.

Next, students read 6 short dialogues that contain the rest of the adjectives (e.g. worn out, run-down, worked up). They match them to their definitions, and then create sentences to describe 4 images. Next, they discuss 5 conversation questions.

After that, students practise replacing parts of sentences with the correct adjective. This activity reinforces understanding by asking students to replace phrases like exceptional or unpleasant with their corresponding phrasal verb-derived adjectives, such as outstanding or off-putting.

In the following speaking activity, students answer 7 “Would you rather” questions.

Options extension: Students learn other meanings to the adjectives outstanding, outgoing, worn out and wound up and complete a multiple-choice activity.

For more speaking practice, you can use the conversation cards.