Phrasal verbs: clean and declutter

This English phrasal verbs worksheet focuses on everyday language for cleaning, organising, decluttering, and getting rid of unwanted things. Learners practise common phrasal verbs used to talk about tidying homes, clearing spaces, and organising belongings. Another lesson you might like is “Phrasal verbs: around the house“.

Activities Overview

Activity 1: Students read a short dialogue about cleaning and decluttering a garage. They identify and match common phrasal verbs such as clear out, take up, sort out, throw away, pile up, pack up, give away, get rid of, and tidy up with their definitions. This introduces the target vocabulary in a realistic everyday context. T

Activity 2: Learners choose the correct phrasal verb to complete short sentences. The exercise provides focused practice, helping students distinguish between phrasal verbs according to context.

Activity 3: Learners discuss questions about their own homes and belongings, using the target phrasal verbs in their answers. Questions cover topics such as things that pile up, spaces that need clearing out, items that take up too much room, and things they would like to get rid of. A follow-up question encourages students to extend the conversation.

Activity 4: Students practise a second group of cleaning-related phrasal verbs, including clean up, wipe down, scrub off, dust off, and build up. They use the expressions in short dialogues and match them to definitions.

Activity 5: Students complete sentences using phrasal verbs from the previous activity in the correct form.

Activity 6: Learners discuss practical cleaning and organising questions. The activity provides opportunities for personalised speaking practice with the target vocabulary.

Activity 7: Students read practical tips for keeping their homes clean and organised and practise phrasal verbs including tidy up, pile up, put away, throw away, give away, clear out, wipe down, and dust off. They then discuss which habits they follow and which they do not, encouraging extended speaking and personalisation.

Activity 8: Students apply the target language to realistic scenarios. They discuss what they would do when dealing with an overcrowded wardrobe, a cluttered kitchen counter, moving to a smaller home, an overfilled garage, or old paperwork at work. This final task encourages learners to use the phrasal verbs independently in practical, extended responses.

Activity 9: Learners consider different decluttering situations and explain what they would do in each one. They discuss items such as an old bicycle, broken furniture, children’s toys, old clothes, magazines, cables, tools, and electronic equipment while incorporating phrasal verbs from the lesson into their answers.

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