Frightened by phrasal verbs?

When teachers talk about phrasal verbs it gives many a English learner the willies as the grammar and the meaning of this verbs is so knotty.

Unluckily, native English speakers adore to blend a few basic verbs and some particles into a phrasal verb while speaking so as to show off.

So what can the English learners do?

In the May issue of Spotlight Robert Parr offers guidance on how to become friends with phrasal verbs:

STEP 1. : Realise that it is paramount for you to understand phrasal verbs and not to produce them initially. As time passes, however, you should start to make use of them more frequently because your spoken English will sound much more fluent if you do so.

For example, force yourself to say "We have to put off the meeting until Friday." instead of "We have to postpone the meeting until Friday."

STEP 2. : Don't bother too much about the grammar and the meaning of phrasal verbs because if you revise them from time to time, you will master this difficulty.

STEP 3. : Finally, ban the thought of phrasal verbs being something to be afraid of from your head and use them actively while speaking as often as possible, which is what I'm attempting to do at the moment with limited success.