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E10 M - Collocations and phrasal verbs for natural communication

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E10 M - Collocations and phrasal verbs for natural communication

Mini description: Learn frequent collocations and selected phrasal verbs in work, community and media contexts. Use them in real messages, discussions and short texts instead of learning isolated word lists.

Learning path: English first → understand → respond → analyse → communicate → feedback → revise → transfer.

Level: English as a first foreign language, Year 10, Baden-Württemberg, M-Niveau, B1-oriented. You work mostly independently with natural standard English, clear tasks and limited support.

Media starter: Look at the meeting. In 30 seconds, collect useful word partnerships for the scene. Compare: have a meeting, make a decision, take responsibility, meet a deadline. Which combinations sound natural?

I can ...

Use collocations such as make a decision, meet a deadline and raise awareness in context.
Use phrasal verbs such as set up, carry out, find out and turn down with the correct meaning.
Understand the main idea and useful chunks in natural standard audio.
Discuss and negotiate a plan, react spontaneously and help a conversation continue.
Write a clear message or short article with an appropriate register.
Mediate key information for a purpose and an audience without translating word for word.
Review and revise my own language after feedback.

Before you start

Quick check – no dictionary yet.

Complete naturally: make a ..., take ..., meet a ..., raise ....
Explain set up a project from context. Do not translate every word.
Say one sentence about school, work experience or a community activity with a word partnership you already know.

Rule for this course: Learn chunks inside a situation. A collocation is a word combination that commonly occurs together. A phrasal verb is a verb plus a particle that works as one meaning unit. The meaning is not always literal.

Media entry: notice language in action

Viewing task: Watch the BBC Learning English video once for the main idea. Watch again and note four work-related phrasal verbs. For each one, write a short situation in which a person could use it. Do not copy a full transcript.

After viewing: Choose two expressions and build a 20-second workplace mini-dialogue.

Work context: chunks that carry meaning

Read the short workplace scene:

Jordan joins a small project team for a two-week work placement. On Monday, the team sets up a shared task board and sets a deadline for Friday. Jordan takes responsibility for checking three sources and carries out a short survey. On Thursday, a colleague points out that one source is outdated. Jordan looks into the problem, replaces the source and meets the deadline. At the review meeting, the team makes a decision to use the new data.

Notice: The bold parts are useful because they are ready-made chunks. Learn meet a deadline, not only deadline; learn carry out a survey, not only survey.

Situation	Natural chunk	Example
planning	set a deadline	We set a deadline for Friday.
responsibility	take responsibility for	I can take responsibility for the visuals.
research	carry out a survey	The team carried out a short survey.
problem solving	look into	We will look into the issue today.
decision	make a decision	We need to make a decision before lunch.

Community context: participate and negotiate

A youth centre is planning a weekend event. The team wants to raise awareness of local volunteering, get more people involved and come up with a low-cost programme. One group will put together a short workshop. Another group will reach out to local clubs. During the meeting, two ideas do not work out because they are too expensive. The group finally reaches an agreement and decides to use the public park.

Respond: Which two chunks are best for talking about cooperation? Which one shows that a plan failed? Support your answer with the context.

Media context: sources, audiences and messages

In media contexts, natural communication often combines source language with action verbs:

Purpose	Natural language	Example
check information	check a source / find out	Find out who published the claim and check the source.
explain evidence	point out	The report points out a difference between the two figures.
audience	reach an audience	A short video can reach a large audience.
public attention	raise awareness	The campaign aims to raise awareness of online scams.
publication	put together a post	We put together a short post with two verified facts.

Source habit: A fluent sentence is not automatically a reliable sentence. Check author, date, evidence and purpose. Avoid cultural stereotypes and unsupported generalisations.

Reading: one project, three contexts

Fictional project report – “Local Voices Week”

A group of Year 10 students wanted to raise awareness of small community projects. First, they set up a media team and made a simple plan. They had to meet a deadline because the youth centre wanted to publish the results on Friday. Mia took responsibility for interviews, while Sam carried out a short online survey. The team found out that many teenagers knew little about local volunteering.

Next, the students reached out to two community groups and put together a short article. While checking the draft, Sam pointed out that one claim did not have a reliable source. The group looked into it and removed the sentence. They also turned down an image because its licence was unclear.

At the final meeting, the students discussed how to reach a wider audience without making the message sensational. They came up with a short video and a factual headline. The plan worked out: the youth centre shared the article, and several students asked how they could take part in future events.

Reading tasks: Identify one work collocation, one community collocation and two phrasal verbs. Then explain how source checking changed the final text.

Listening strategy: hear chunks, not single words

First listening: What is the main advice for learning phrasal verbs?

Second listening: Note two strategies you could use this week.

Transfer: Create one personal example for look into, find out or come up with. Keep the example fictional if it contains a profile, job or application situation.

Collocations vs phrasal verbs

Collocation: words that commonly go together: make a decision, meet a deadline, reliable source, raise awareness.

Phrasal verb: verb + particle with a combined meaning: set up a team, look into a problem, turn down an offer, work out well.

Why context matters: turn down can mean reject in turn down an offer. You should learn the phrase with a situation, not as an isolated translation.

Functional grammar: where does the object go?

Some phrasal verbs are separable:

turn down the offer → turn the offer down → with a pronoun: turn it down.

put together the report → put the report together → put it together.

Other combinations are normally kept together:

look into the problem.

Mini rule: Check a learner dictionary when you are unsure. Meaning and word order belong together.

Pronunciation: chunking and stress

You do not need to sound like one specific accent. Being understandable is more important than accent-free speech.

Say each chunk as one meaning group:

meet a DEADline
take reSPONsibility
RAISE aWAREness
LOOK into the issue
COME UP with an idea

Shadowing: Replay one short sentence from a video, pause, and repeat the rhythm. Record yourself only if you want to. Keep recordings private unless a teacher has explicitly agreed on a safe class method.

Speaking: negotiate a media plan

Situation: Your fictional school team has 60 minutes and no budget to promote a community clean-up.

Student A wants a short video. Student B wants a poster campaign. Student C wants a short article.

Use at least six target chunks and react to each other. Try to include: come up with, reach an audience, take responsibility for, set a deadline, work out, make a decision.

Useful interaction language: I see your point, but ... – Could we come up with another option? – Who will take responsibility for ...? – That could work out if ... – So, have we reached an agreement?

Writing: choose register and purpose

Task A – formal email: Write 100–130 words to a fictional youth centre. Ask whether your class can take part in a project. Use at least four natural chunks. Keep the tone polite and clear.

Task B – short media article: Write 130–160 words about a fictional community project. Include a headline, two verified-style facts from the project description, one source reference such as According to the project survey ..., and at least five target chunks.

Task C – opinion paragraph: In 100–130 words, answer: Should schools teach source checking as part of English lessons? Give a clear opinion, one reason, one example and one counterpoint.

Privacy: Use only fictional names, profiles, CVs and applications in this course. Do not upload personal recordings, profiles or application documents without clear permission.

Mediation: purpose before translation

Situation in German: Ein Jugendhaus sucht für einen Aktionstag freiwillige Helferinnen und Helfer. Treffpunkt ist um 9 Uhr am Haupteingang. Die Gruppen kümmern sich um Begrüßung, Wegweiser und kurze Social-Media-Updates. Private Fotos von Teilnehmenden dürfen nicht ohne Einwilligung veröffentlicht werden.

Your task: An English-speaking exchange student wants to help. Explain only the relevant information in clear English. Adapt your message to the person. Do not translate sentence by sentence.

Success check: purpose clear – key information complete – audience addressed – no unnecessary details – privacy rule included.

Feedback → revise

Exchange your text or speaking notes with a partner. Give feedback on four points:

C = collocation sounds natural in context.
PV = phrasal verb meaning and word order are correct.
R = register fits the situation.
S = source or claim is handled responsibly.

Then revise at least two places. Keep your own wording and decide which feedback you accept.

Error analysis

Correct the problem and explain it briefly.

do a decision → Which verb collocates naturally with decision?
We looked the problem into. → What is the natural word order here?
She turned down it. → Where must the pronoun go?
The post is true because it sounds professional. → What source-checking step is missing?
All people from this country communicate like that. → Why is this an unreliable generalisation?

Safe and responsible tool use

Use dictionaries, corpora or AI tools only when your teacher and school rules allow them. Do not send personal profiles, private recordings or application data to external AI services without explicit permission. If AI suggests a collocation, phrasal verb, fact or source, verify it with a reliable dictionary or source. Keep your own draft and make the final language choices yourself.

Exam connection: Baden-Württemberg M-Niveau

Checked on 2 October 2026. The Baden-Württemberg Ministry states that the Realschulabschlussprüfung includes a written examination in the compulsory foreign language and a communication examination. For the 2027 Realschulabschlussprüfung, the official dates list English on 3 May 2027 and the communication examination in the compulsory foreign language from 22 February to 2 March 2027.

The current official communication-exam standards linked by the Ministry require three areas in the compulsory foreign language: monologic speaking, dialogic speaking and mediation. The legal framework gives about 15 minutes per student for the compulsory foreign-language communication examination. Exact current regulations, materials and dates must always be checked again before an actual exam.

Course link to the exam skills: discuss → react → present → mediate → write clearly → use context vocabulary. This aiMOOC does not reproduce protected original exam tasks.

Can-do check

Mark each statement: yes / almost / not yet.

I can recognise and use at least eight collocations in context.
I can use at least six phrasal verbs with the right meaning.
I can place a pronoun correctly in a separable phrasal verb.
I can discuss a plan and react to another speaker.
I can write a short text with an appropriate register.
I can mediate key information without translating word for word.
I can check a source and revise my language after feedback.

If “almost” or “not yet”: return to one section, create two new context sentences and test them in speaking or writing.

Follow-up course

Continue with E10 M - Register, tone and source-based communication to practise formal and informal emails, source-based opinions, short reports and presentations with more independent language choices.

Interaktive Aufgaben

Quiz: Teste Dein Wissen

Which phrase is a natural collocation for finishing work on time? (meet a deadline) (!do a deadline) (!make a deadline meeting) (!take a deadline)

Which phrase means to create or organise a new team? (set up a team) (!look into a team) (!turn down a team) (!point out a team)

Which phrase is natural when you accept responsibility for a task? (take responsibility for a task) (!make responsibility for a task) (!carry responsibility to a task) (!reach responsibility for a task)

Which phrasal verb fits when you investigate a problem? (look into the problem) (!turn down the problem) (!set up the problem) (!reach out the problem)

Which sentence uses a separable phrasal verb correctly with a pronoun? (We turned it down) (!We turned down it) (!We down turned it) (!We turned it downed)

Which phrase is best for a community campaign that wants public attention? (raise awareness) (!lift awareness) (!make awareness) (!carry awareness)

Which phrase is most suitable for checking whether a claim is trustworthy? (check the source) (!do the source) (!make the source) (!reach the source)

Which expression means to invent or produce an idea? (come up with an idea) (!turn down an idea) (!look into an idea) (!carry out an idea)

What is the main goal of mediation? (pass on relevant meaning for a purpose and audience) (!translate every word in the same order) (!replace all English with German) (!add as many details as possible)

What matters most in pronunciation practice in this course? (being understandable) (!copying one accent perfectly) (!speaking as fast as possible) (!removing every trace of an accent)

Memory

meet a deadline	finish work by the agreed time
raise awareness	make more people notice an issue
carry out a survey	conduct a survey
look into an issue	investigate a problem
turn down an offer	reject an offer
come up with an idea	create an idea
reliable source	trustworthy information source
reach an audience	communicate with a group of people

Drag and Drop

Ordne die richtigen Begriffe zu.	Thema
meet a deadline	work on time
raise awareness	community campaign
look into an issue	investigate a problem
turn down an offer	reject something
reach an audience	media communication
take responsibility	own a task

Kreuzworträtsel

deadline	What do you meet when work must be finished by an agreed time?
audience	Who do you try to reach with a media message?
source	What should you check before trusting a claim?
campaign	What organised public activity can raise awareness?
feedback	What helps you revise a first draft?
headline	What short title introduces a news or media text?

LearningApps

Lückentext

Offene Aufgaben

Leicht

Chunk hunt: Find six collocations in this aiMOOC and write one new sentence for each.
Phrasal verb cards: Make five paper cards with a phrasal verb on one side and a short fictional situation on the other.
Media caption: Choose one Commons image from the course and write a 40-word English caption using two target chunks.
Private pronunciation check: Read five chunks aloud twice and mark where your speech became clearer. Recording is optional and private.

Standard

Community dialogue: Create and perform a 90-second negotiation about a fictional community event. Use six target chunks.
Formal email: Write a 120-word email to a fictional organisation asking to join a project. Revise it after peer feedback.
Source check: Compare two public sources on one non-sensitive topic. Note author, date, evidence and purpose, then write a 100-word English conclusion.
Mediation message: Turn a short German notice into an English voice or text message for a defined audience. Do not translate word for word.

Schwer

Mini report: Write a 180-word report on a fictional school media project. Include collocations, phrasal verbs and one source reference.
Spontaneous speaking: Draw one unseen project problem and react for 60 seconds without a full script, then answer two follow-up questions.
Error clinic: Collect ten typical chunk errors from invented examples, correct them and explain the pattern behind each correction.
Transfer project: Design a small English-language information campaign for a fictional community issue. Include one visual, a 2-minute presentation, a source note and a short reflection on language choices.

Lernkontrolle

Context transfer: You know meet a deadline from work. Use the same collocation naturally in a school or media situation and explain why it still fits.
Meaning in context: Explain the difference between look into a problem and turn down an offer by creating two short situations, not translations.
Interaction task: Negotiate one shared decision with a partner. Your goal is not to win but to react, clarify and reach an agreement.
Source-based writing: Write a short opinion that refers to one checked source and clearly separates the source information from your own view.
Mediation transfer: Choose what an English-speaking visitor needs to know from a short German notice. Explain why you left out two details.
Revision evidence: Submit a first and revised version of a short text and annotate three changes in collocation, register or clarity.

Lernnachweis

For a strong learning record, show that you can:

use collocations and phrasal verbs in meaningful contexts rather than isolated lists,
understand key chunks in natural standard audio,
discuss, negotiate and react spontaneously,
write an audience-appropriate text and revise it after feedback,
mediate relevant information according to purpose and audience,
check claims and sources before using them,
explain and correct typical chunk errors,
communicate understandably; accent-free speech is not required.

The learning record must not contain private recordings, real application data or unapproved uploads.

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