Phrasal verbs

1. Mini lesson of today…
Today's mini lesson is about three useful phrasal
verbs that all use 'out'.

2. In phrasal verbs, sometimes the preposition (or
'particle') has its own meaning. One of the
meanings of 'out' is 'discover or understand
something'.

3. We use 'work out' and 'figure out' ('figure out' is more
American) to mean 'find the answer to something' or
'understand how to do something’.
You often find the answer by trying different things or by thinking
about the problem. These are separable.
· Can you work out how to turn on the TV?
· We need to work out how to get to the station.
· I didn't know what to do, but I worked it out.

4. We use 'find out' to mean 'discover a piece of information’.
Usually we use this when you need to ask someone for the
information, or look on the internet or in a book.
We usually use 'find out' with a clause (like 'find out that ...'
or 'find out how ...' or 'find out if ...') or with no object.
· I found out that the train leaves at 8am.
· Can you find out if we need to buy tickets in advance?
· I don't know the answer to your question, but I can find out.

5. Let's review! Change the sentences so that they include 'find out' or 'work out'.
1. He discovered how to use the torch on his phone.
___________________________________________________________
2. I discovered how to get to the airport by asking at the tourist information.
__________________________________________________________
3. We need to discover if we can leave our bags at the station. (I'll look on the website.)
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6. 1. He worked out how to use the torch on his phone.
2. I found out how to get to the airport by asking at the
tourist information.
3. We need to find out if we can leave our bags at the
station.