The Plants Next Door (phrasal verbs)

The Plants Next Door

Moving in, putting up, looking after

B1 · 60 minutes

Your first room

Task In pairs. Think of your first home of your own, or your first room of your own. Answer the questions.

Where was it? How old were you?

1

What was in it? Name three things.

2

What was the best thing about it? And the worst?

3

First-flat problems

Task In pairs. Which of these happened to you in a new home? Then guess: which three happened to Ayla in her first week in a new flat?

1

Your neighbours were noisy.

happened to me

didn't

2

A machine in the kitchen stopped working.

happened to me

didn't

3

A shelf or a picture didn't stay on the wall.

happened to me

didn't

4

You lost your keys.

happened to me

didn't

5

You slept on the floor the first night.

happened to me

didn't

6

You needed something, and it took ages to find it.

happened to me

didn't

Flat 6, week one

Task Read Ayla's story. Which three problems from "First-flat problems" did she have?

In April I moved into my first flat: one room, a tiny kitchen, and all mine. This was my first week.

Saturday: moving in

Wednesday: a job next door

I moved in on a Saturday with thirty-two boxes and one small plant. In the afternoon my friend Diego came over with his drill, and we put the shelves up in the kitchen. Well, Diego put them up. I watched and gave advice. That night one shelf was on the floor, and so were my cups. I threw out the broken cups and ate dinner on a box.

My neighbour, Mrs Mensah, was away from Wednesday to Sunday, so I had a job: her plants, all twenty-three. I looked after them every morning before work, with a little water and a few kind words. Her shelves, I noticed, were all still on the wall.

Monday: water everywhere

Sunday: goodbye, boxes

On my third day the washing machine broke down. There was water all over the kitchen floor. I had to turn off the water, but where was the main tap? I looked for it for ten minutes, found it under the sink and turned it off. Then I looked for a plumber online. He came the next morning. The washing machine? He dealt with it in twenty minutes. I dealt with the floor. It took six towels.

By Sunday I hated my boxes. There were empty boxes in every room, so I threw them out, all thirty-two. In the evening Mrs Mensah came home. Her plants were all fine, and she gave me one to say thank you. This morning I checked my own plant. It doesn't look very happy. I think I looked after hers better than mine.

In order

Task In pairs. Put Ayla's week in order. Then check in the story.

1

A plumber came to the flat.

2

Ayla started taking care of twenty-three plants.

3

Ayla arrived at her new flat with a small plant.

4

Mrs Mensah gave Ayla a present.

5

A shelf fell, and some cups broke.

6

Thirty-two empty boxes went in the bin.

7

Ayla found a tap under the sink.

Find the verb

Task Find a two-word verb in the story for each meaning. Write it in its basic form.

1

take care of

2

visit someone at their home

3

stop something with a switch or a tap

4

try to find

5

stop working (for a machine)

6

put in the bin

7

start living in a new home

8

put on a wall with a drill (shelves, a mirror)

9

do what is needed to fix a problem

Look again

Task Look again at Ayla's story. Which is correct?

Well, Diego __________.

1

put up them

put them up

I __________ every morning.

2

looked after them

looked them after

I __________.

3

threw out the broken cups

threw the broken cups out

both

Which verb has no object in the story? __________

4

put up

break down

look after

Three groups

Task Complete the cards with it or object. Then answer the questions.

put up

look after

break down

put ______ up

look after ______

no ______

1

With a noun (the shelves), can put up go both ways?

2

With a noun (the plants), can look after go both ways?

How do you know?

Task Look at the two dictionary entries. Answer the questions.

put something up

look after somebody/something

phrasal verb

phrasal verb

to fix something to a wall.

to take care of somebody or something.

She put up a shelf.

Can you look after my plants?

1

Which verb can you split? How does the entry show it?

2

The entry for break down has no something or somebody. What does that tell you?

Which group?

Task Read the dictionary entries. Which group is each verb in? Write it with it or them if it has an object.

In the dictionary

Group, and say it with it or them

1

look for somebody/something

2

come over

3

turn something off

4

deal with somebody/something

5

throw something out

6

move in

Grammar reference

Can split · put up

Can't split · look after

No object · break down

With a noun, both orders are correct: we put the shelves up / we put up the shelves. With a pronoun: Diego put them up.

The object always goes after both parts: I looked after her plants. I looked after them.

Nothing comes after, or a place or a time: The washing machine broke down. It broke down on Monday.

Pronouns

Dictionary

Past

Rough guide

it, them, her, him, me: with a verb you can split, always in the middle: put it up, never put up it.

put something up = can split

look after somebody = can't split

no something = no object.

The tense goes on the first word:

put – put

throw – threw

break – broke / has broken

deal – dealt

come – came

With an object, verbs with up, out, off, down can usually split; verbs with after, for, with, into usually can't. The dictionary decides.

CAREFUL

I moved in on Saturday. / I moved into the flat. (not moved in the flat). I woke up at six. / The noise woke me up.

Find and fix

Task Some sentences have a mistake. Find it and fix it. Two sentences are correct.

1

The music was very loud, so I turned off it.

2

My sister looked my cat after last week.

3

We moved in our new house in June.

4

Can you come over on Friday?

5

I throwed them out yesterday.

6

The bus has broke down again.

7

Your keys? I looked for them everywhere.

Moving-in day

Task You and your partner share a new flat. Here's your to-do list.

To do

A, secretly tick two of the bottom four jobs: you did them yesterday. B, do the same with the top four jobs.

1

put up the shelves

look for the spare key

throw out the boxes

look after the plants on the balcony

put the mirror up

deal with the letters for the person who lived here before

throw the old curtains out

turn off the old fridge and clean it

Take turns: A asks about the top four jobs, B asks about the bottom four jobs. Answer with it or them.

2

3

A friend is coming over on Saturday. Agree who does the other jobs, and when.

Homework

Task Write an email to a friend about a long day of jobs at home (80–100 words). Start with the lines on the card. Then check your email against the list.

Subject: What a Saturday!

Hi! How are you? I've just sat down for the first time today. I started at eight this morning, and I didn't stop until six. First, …

1

I used six of today's verbs.

2

I used it or them at least twice, in the right place.

3

I used one verb with no object.

4

My past forms are right (threw, broke, dealt, came, put).

TEACHER'S REFERENCE · SKIP OR DELETE BEFORE CLASS

Answer key (1)

FIRST-FLAT PROBLEMS

Ayla's three 2 (the washing machine), 3 (the shelf), 6 (the main tap)

LOOK AGAIN

1 put them up

2 looked after them

3 both

4 break down

IN ORDER

• 3, 5, 7, 1, 2, 6, 4

THREE GROUPS

Cards put it up; look after it; no object

1 yes: put up the shelves / put the shelves up

2 no: only look after the plants

FIND THE VERB

1 look after

2 come over

3 turn off

4 look for

5 break down

6 throw out

7 move in

8 put up

9 deal with

HOW DO YOU KNOW?

1 put up: the entry puts something between the two parts.

2 It has no object: nothing comes after it, or only a place or a time.

TEACHER'S REFERENCE · SKIP OR DELETE BEFORE CLASS

Answer key (2)

WHICH GROUP?

1 can't split · look for it / them

2 no object

3 can split · turn it off

4 can't split · deal with it / them

5 can split · throw it out / throw them out

6 no object

The whole set can split: put up, throw out, turn off · can't split: look after, look for, deal with · no object: move in, break down, come over

FIND AND FIX

1 I turned it off.

2 My sister looked after my cat last week.

3 We moved into our new house in June. (also: We moved in in June.)

4 Correct.

5 I threw them out yesterday.

6 The bus has broken down again. (also: The bus broke down again.)

7 Correct.

HOMEWORK

• Answers will vary. Check the four points on the list, and the order with it and them.