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Lesson planC160 minsNew. New: checked automatically for level, grammar, facts and originality; a teacher's review is still to come. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
Phasing Out Plastic: Phrasal verbs for change
Students learn phrasal verbs for change and campaigning, like phase out and crack down on, then write a proposal for making their area greener.
Phrasal verbs · Environment · Campaigns · Local government
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Plan at a glance
Aims
- Learn and use extended phrasal verbs
- Learn and use 12 words and phrases in 2 sets: Changing a policy, Facing opposition
- Read for detail: Lowmarsh's plastic-free year
- Writing task: a proposal
Stages · 60 min
- 5 minLead-in: Pairs talk about environment and share ideas with the class.
- 5 minVocabulary: Ex. 1
- 5 minLanguage focus: Go through the grammar notes together and check understanding.
- 5 minControlled practice: Ex. 2
- 10 minAccuracy practice: Ex. 3–4
- 10 minControlled practice: Ex. 5
- 10 minReading: Ex. 6
- 10 minWriting: Ex. 7
Printables
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Download all (ZIP, 2 PDFs)Grammar notes
Phrasal verbs for change and conflict
- Many C1 phrasal verbs describe how plans change: phase out (stop gradually), scale back (make smaller), step up (increase), bring about (cause).
- Others describe opposition: come up against (meet a difficulty), back down (stop insisting), crack down on (deal strictly with).
- Three-part phrasal verbs keep all their parts together: crack down on, come up against, follow through on.
Where the object goes
- With separable phrasal verbs, a noun object can go before or after the particle: phase out plastic bags / phase plastic bags out.
- A pronoun object must go between the verb and the particle: phase them out (not phase out them).
- Inseparable and three-part verbs keep the object at the end: crack down on it, come up against them. Some phrasal verbs take no object at all: back down, give in, drop out.
Study tips
- Record phrasal verbs in a full sentence with their typical object: phase out single-use plastics, rule out the possibility.
- Notice the more formal one-word verbs with similar meanings: bring about / cause, rule out / exclude, step up / increase.
Glossary
- Changing a policy6 items
- Facing opposition6 items
Complete the exercises, then check your answers.
1
Phrasal verbs for change
Match each phrasal verb with its meaning. There is one extra meaning.
Tap an item…
…then its match
2
A greener town
Complete each sentence with the correct form of a phrasal verb from Exercise 1.
- a
The council plans to single-use plastic bags over the next three years.
- b
Police are drivers who leave their engines running outside schools.
- c
After months of protests, the company finally and withdrew its plans for a new factory.
- d
Residents who don't want a food-waste bin can of the scheme.
- e
At first the campaign fierce opposition from local businesses.
- f
Volunteers have their efforts since the river was polluted again last month.
- g
Experts have not yet the possibility that the fish died because of chemicals.
- h
When the funding was cut, the tree-planting project had to be .
3
Key word transformations
Complete the second sentence so that it means the same as the first. Use the word in capitals and between three and six words, including the word given.
- a
The government intends to stop the sale of petrol cars gradually.
PHASE
The government intends to petrol cars.
Use 2–6 words, including the word given.
- b
The new law caused major changes in the way waste is collected.
ABOUT
The new law in the way waste is collected.
Use 2–6 words, including the word given.
- c
It is still possible that the factory caused the pollution.
RULED
The possibility that the factory caused the pollution .
Use 2–6 words, including the word given.
- d
The mayor refused to change her position, despite the protests.
BACK
Despite the protests, the mayor .
Use 2–6 words, including the word given.
- e
The council promised to plant 5,000 trees, and it did exactly that.
THROUGH
The council its promise to plant 5,000 trees.
Use 2–6 words, including the word given.
- f
The police are going to deal far more strictly with illegal dumping.
DOWN
The police are going to illegal dumping.
Use 2–6 words, including the word given.
4
Find and correct the mistake
Each sentence has one mistake in a phrasal verb. Write the correction.
- a
Many residents decided to opt out the recycling scheme.
- b
The campaign came up with strong opposition from shop owners.
- c
The factory has stepped down its production of plastic bottles.
- d
Ministers have ruled off the idea of building a new airport.
- e
Fines alone will not bring up real change in people's behaviour.
- f
The supermarket backed up when customers complained about the new charge.
5
Where does the object go?
Sort the phrasal verbs. Can a pronoun go between the parts (phase it out), must it go after all the parts (crack down on it), or is there no object (back down)?
- a
phase out
- b
crack down on
- c
back down
- d
rule out
- e
come up against
- f
give in
- g
scale back
- h
opt out of
- i
drop out
- j
bring about
- k
step up
- l
look forward to
6
Read: Lowmarsh's plastic-free year
Read the article. Choose the best answer.
When Lowmarsh town council announced two years ago that it would phase out single-use plastics in all public buildings and at the weekly market, few people expected the plan to survive its first winter. The market traders, who sell everything from fish to flowers, came up against a problem immediately: the alternatives were up to four times more expensive, and their customers did not want to pay more. At first the council refused to back down. It stepped up its information campaign, sending volunteers to the market every Saturday to explain the changes, and it cracked down on the cafés that kept handing out plastic straws, issuing three fines in a single month. By the spring, however, it was clear that something had to give. Rather than abandon the plan, councillors scaled it back: the rules would apply only to items that had a cheap alternative, and traders could opt out for six months while they used up their old stock. Critics called this a retreat. Supporters argued that it was the only way to bring about lasting change without destroying small businesses. Two years on, the figures suggest that the supporters may have been right. Plastic waste collected at the market has fallen by about sixty per cent, and only two traders are still using the opt-out. The council has not ruled out extending the scheme to private shops, although Ivan Petrov, who chairs the traders' association, says it would first need to follow through on its promise of financial help. "We were told there would be grants," he said. "We're still waiting."
- a
What problem did the market traders face at the start?
- b
How did the council first respond to the difficulties?
- c
What does "something had to give" suggest about the situation in the spring?
- d
Which statement about the scheme today is true?
- e
How does Ivan Petrov feel about the council?
7
Write: a proposal
Write a proposal for your local council.
Your local council wants ideas for making your area greener. Write a proposal (200–250 words). Describe one change you would like to see, the problems the council might come up against, and how it could deal with them. Use at least six phrasal verbs from this lesson. Word box: phase out · crack down on · bring about · step up · scale back · rule out · come up against · follow through · opt out · back down Example: I propose that the council phase out plastic bottles in schools. It will probably come up against some opposition from parents at first, so it should step up its information campaign.
Suggested minimum: 200 words
0 words · aim for at least 200
Spotted a mistake in this lesson?· tell us the exercise and item
Revise with a game
This lesson's own words and questions. Play on your own, or in teams on the classroom screen.
- Step UpAnswer the lesson's questions to climb to the top.
- Pair UpMatch the lesson's words to their meanings against the clock.
- SnapA word and a meaning: do they go together? Answer fast.
- Fix ItFind the mistake in each sentence, then correct it.
- Quiz BoardTeams choose questions worth 100 to 500 points.
- Retro arcadeWord Invaders, Word Snake, Word Maze and Word Crossing: classic arcade games with the lesson's words.
Glossary
The 12 words and phrases this lesson teaches, in 2 sets.
Changing a policy
- phase out
- to stop using something gradually, in stages
- scale back
- to make something smaller or less than was planned
- step up
- to increase the amount or speed of an activity
- bring about
- to make something happen, especially a change
- crack down on
- to deal much more strictly with something illegal or unwanted
- rule out
- to decide that something is not possible or not suitable
Facing opposition
- come up against
- to have to deal with a difficulty or opposition
- back down
- to stop insisting on something after people oppose you
- give in
- to finally agree to something you were refusing to accept
- follow through
- to finish something that you started or promised to do
- opt out
- to choose not to take part in something
- drop out
- to stop taking part in something before it is finished
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