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Phrasal Verb Affair
by: Keith Kohnhorst
Illustrations by: Nancy Shrewsbury Nadel
Level: Intermediate to advanced proficiency. Highschool to Adult

Here in brief is the soap opera plot:

When John runs out on Maria
and runs off with another woman,
Maria tracks him down to do him in.

The Phrasal Verb! Few languages have them, but English has thousands, and in any conversation we use them by the scores.

I'll come by to pick you up at eight and drop you off at the gym. Call me up when you get out of practice, but if practice is called off, hang out in the library and catch up on your homework. When I get out of work, I'll come over to get you.

In this book your students will encounter over 200 phrasal verbs in the context of a soap opera. John and Maria have it out and then try to make up until Maria gives up. And when John blows her off and goes out with another woman, the 15 episodes come to a dramatic conclusion at the airport where John is planning to run off to Hawaii with the other woman. What happens in the final episode? You and your students will find out.


Accompanying each of the episodes is a variety of exercises that explore the form, meaning, and use of these troublesome English verbs. Tune in every day, or once a week, until your students can say,"Who's afraid of phrasal verbs?"

The dramatic reading of the story on the CD gives your students the chance to hear the phrasal verbs as they appear naturally in context when native speakers talk.

September 3, 2007

Dear Elise,

I must tell you that I am using "A Phrasal Verb Affair" with my classes, and they love it. They cannot wait until the next scene to see what is going to happen. We will begin Scene 11 on Thursday. I have seen so much improvement in their use of phrasal verbs. In fact, recently one of my students immigrated to the States and her English teacher there complimented her English skills and her grasp of phrasal verbs. I wanted to share that with you because without books like Pro Lingua puts out, I would not be nearly as equipped as I am. So, on behalf of my students and myself, thanks.

Gayle Confer
Ho Chi Minh City , Viet Nam

gyconfer@gmail.com