Grammar: Phrasal Verbs, Common Mistakes, and Past WASSCE Papers

Grade 12 · English Grammer

Semester 1 | Period 3 | Week 13

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Subject: English Grammer

Semester: 1

Period: 3

Week: 13

School Name:
Teacher’s Name:
Subject: English Grammar
Grade Level: Grade 12
Period: III
Week & Period: Week 13, Period III

Topic: Grammar: Phrasal Verbs, Common Mistakes, and Past WASSCE Papers

Date:

Specific Objectives:

By the end of the lesson, learners should be able to:

  1. Define and use phrasal verbs appropriately in speech and writing.
  2. Identify common mistakes and troublesome words in context.
  3. Apply their knowledge to solve past WASSCE exam questions.
  4. Practice oral speech delivery with fluency and confidence.

 

A – Anticipation (Engage learners):

Starter Question: "Have you ever heard someone say ‘look up’ or ‘give in’? What do these phrases mean? Can they mean something different from the words ‘look’ or ‘give’ alone?"

Think-Pair-Share: Students discuss in pairs the meanings of selected phrasal verbs and share their interpretations with the class.

Warm-up Exercise: Write the phrasal verbs below on the board and let students guess their meanings:

  • break down
  • put up with
  • run out of
  • look forward to

 

B – Building Knowledge (Core Content):

  1. Phrasal Verbs:

A phrasal verb is a combination of a verb and one or more particles (prepositions or adverbs).

Examples:

  • "Break down" – The car broke down on the way.
  • "Put up with" – She can’t put up with the noise.
  • "Look forward to" – I look forward to meeting you.

Activity: Match the phrasal verbs to their meanings.

Phrasal Verb

Meaning

give up

stop doing something

come across

find unexpectedly

take after

resemble a relative

bring up

raise a child
  1. Common Mistakes & Troublesome Words:

Focus:

  • Confusing words: their/there/they’re, your/you’re, its/it’s.
  • Redundancies: "He returned back."
  • Misused prepositions: "Discuss about..."

Examples:

  • Incorrect: She returned back home.
  • Correct: She returned home.

Activity: Edit a paragraph filled with 10 common mistakes.

  1. Review Past WASSCE Paper:

Past Exam Exercise:

  • Distribute a page from a previous WASSCE English paper.
  • Students complete a comprehension section and identify any errors in grammar in the given passage.

 

C – Consolidation (Application and Reflection):

Class Assignment: Write a short story (6–8 lines) using at least 4 phrasal verbs discussed today.

Discussion Prompt: “Which phrasal verbs do you think are used most often in everyday speech? Why?”

Oral Practice: Prepare a 2-minute informal speech using at least 3 phrasal verbs. Deliver it to a partner or small group.

 

Assessment in Class:

  1. Fill in the blanks with the correct phrasal verb:
  2. She _________ the stress and resigned. (gave up / looked for)
  3. The child _________ his grandfather. (takes after / gives up)
  4. I _________ a solution after much thinking. (came up with / ran into)
  5. Identify and correct the mistake in each sentence:
  6. I want to discuss about the issue.
  7. He returned back after the holiday.
  8. Their going to the school now.

 

Assignment (To be submitted):

  1. Create 10 sentences using any 10 of the phrasal verbs learned in class.
  2. Find a WASSCE past question on comprehension or grammar and answer it.
  3. Write 5 commonly confused words and use each correctly in a sentence.

 

Teacher’s Reflection:

  • Did learners demonstrate proper use of phrasal verbs?
  • Were students able to identify and correct grammar errors?
  • Who needs additional support in speech delivery?