The weekly column

Article 107, January 2003

Syntagmatic vs Paradigmatic Presentation of Phrasal Verbs

By Andrzej Cirocki

Grammar may be defined as the study or use of the rules by which words and certain phrases change their forms and are combined into sentences, that is, texts both oral and written. ( Longman Dictionary 1993:570 )

Teaching grammar, however, concerns presenting, explaining and eventually checking whether the students have understood new structures and rules of the target language. Thus, to enable students to construct their own texts, to teach them the rules and prepare them for producing texts they have not heard before is the main aim of teaching grammar.

This article aims at teaching Phrasal Verbs which is associated with syntagmatic and paradigmatic presentation of teaching grammar. The former one is based on displaying different grammatical rules and lexical items as they collocate so as to produce a meaningful text. This presentation focuses on structures and their relations. Syntagmatic presentation in this sense is contradictory to paradigmatic one which is meant to show a certain system or a systematic organisation of a particular grammar point. Paradigmatic presentation does not deal with collocations, contrariwise, it focuses only on a single paradigm, for instance, one may encounter a lot of exercises in which students are to insert various particles whilst the form of the verb remains the same. For example,

1. A beggar knocked …… my door.
2. I knocked the vase …… the table and broke it.
3. He always knocks …… at six o'clock.

(L.G. Alexander: Practise and Progress)

In this exercise we deal only with a single paradigm, that is, the particle of a Phrasal Verb. We match verbs with proper particles so as to formulate meaningful sentences. We can encounter another type of exercise which deals with one paradigm, as well. For instance, when students are asked to insert various verbs into slots whereas the particle remains the same in all cases. For example:

1. Can you …… up this poster for me?
2. Why are you so miserable? …… up! Things can't be that bad.
3. When the headmaster comes in, all the pupils …… up.
4. The party was really boring so I suggested some games to …… it up.
5. After a long illness, it takes some time to …… up your strength.

(J. Flower: Phrasal Verbs Organiser with Mini-Dictionary)

Both exercises are paradigmatically dominated as they present relations among particular elements in the language system. Being representatives of the same class, the elements appear in the same or similar contexts. For example,

He …………………………….. the lights.

switched on
switched off
turned on
turned off

Another type of exercise teachers encounter while dealing with Phrasal Verbs requires replacing ordinary verbs or phrases by Phrasal Verbs. For instance,

1. Can he give a good explanation for his rude behaviour.
ACCOUNT FOR
2. He mended the tyre of his bicycle and then filled it with air.
BLEW IT UP

We also have exercises which deal with the same change of the preposition of particles in Phrasal Verbs. So in this type of exercise we check whether particular Phrasal Verbs are reversible or non-reversible. For instance,

1. He gave away all his books.
He gave all his books away.

2. Put on your hat and coat.
Put your hat and coat on.

(L.G. Alexander: Practice and Progress)

Additionally, the two latter exercises are paradigmatically dominated as they concern only a single paradigm, by which is meant, the change of ordinary verbs into Phrasal Verbs in the first case and reversibility of particles in the second one.

Finally, I would like to demonstrate typical examples of paradigmatic presentation of teaching Phrasal Verbs, which are frequently encountered in various course books. Let us have a look at the following exercises:

Exercise 1
Complete the sentences using a word from list A and a word from list B. You need to use some words more than once.

LIST A: back, out, up
LIST B: at, of, with

1. You're walking too fast. I can't keep …… you.
2. My holidays are nearly over. Next week I'll be ……work.
3. We have nearly run …… money. You've got very little left.

( R. Murphy: English Grammar in Use )

Exercise 2
Fill in the spaces.

1. the notice says 'Keep …… the grass!' You'd better look …… in case a park keeper comes.
2. I wanted to heat …… the coffee but it boiled …… and then I had to clean …… the mess.
3. Speak …… I can't hear you. You let your voice die …… at the end of every sentence.

( W.S. Allen: Living English Structure )

The examples of exercises presented above are typically automatic ones, solving of which does not bring successful results as the system must be learnt and known in order to comprehend the use of a particular structure. Moreover, the exercises are deprived of the creative sphere and all they require is just inserting particles, verbs or changing ordinary verbs into Phrasal Verbs. However, paradigmatic presentation and all the exercises presented so far can be of great help when the teacher's aim is preparation of his students for exams. This presentation enables one to introduce long lists of Phrasal Verbs which are associated with thorough preparation for the exam. Solving tests and working on long lists of Phrasal Verbs makes our students acquainted with a large number of Phrasal Verbs. But encountering Phrasal Verbs in single and without contexts sentences makes our students remember particular Phrasal Verbs only in these sentences. Moreover, they will not be able to use these Phrasal Verbs in any other contexts with the exception of a few out of hundreds.

Paradigmatic and syntagmatic presentation generally coexist but sometimes one prevails over the other. When we explain the combination 'verb + particle up' we deal with paradigmatic presentation, which is very important as far as the acquaintance with a particular grammar point is concerned. For instance,

1. Her political opponents are trying to dig up a scandal from her past.
2. In the winter of 1977, everything froze up, even the sea.
3. His face was lit up with sudden excitement.

Hence, syntagmatic presentation should always be preceded by a paradigmatic one in order to stress, emphasise or get to know a particular teaching point. Moreover, if we present a particular point in a paradigmatic way the text we create is form-centred . For instance,

Tom and Andy rent out a room at 24 Sklodowska Street. Andy gets up at 5 o'clock and has a shower. From time to time Tom lies in till 7. Andy starts work at 6 in the evening. They sometimes come across each other at 3 o'clock in the afternoon when Andy knocks off earlier. Andy goes back to their house and Tom makes a late lunch for them. Afterwards, it's time to drop off.

When we are concerned with complex structures including Phrasal Verbs and when we explain how they combine to form larger stretches of text our teaching is syntagmatic, however. Syntagmatic presentation deals with relations among particular elements in a text. The relations appear among phonemes, morphemes, words phrases and sentences. It is syntagmatic presentation that decides about the functions particular components perform in a sentence. Thus, the functions result from the relations which exist among the particular components e.g.,

subject in relation to predicate
attribute in relation to noun
adverbial phrase in relation to predicate

When we explain how structures co-occur within a particular text, syntagmatic presentation begins to dominate. Here teachers have to explain grammatical rules and lexical items so as to prepare students for making coherent texts. However, the most peculiar fact about syntagmatic teaching is the inevitability to present a lot of different grammar point and lexical items alongside. Consequently, if teachers want their students to create elaborate texts, they should explain to them a lot of things at a time. Moreover, teaching by means of constructing texts, that is, a creative use of a language is to be authentic and first of all content-based. For instance,

EXAMPLE 1

It needs considerable imagination to catch on to the fact of how difficult it is for scientists first to lead off experiments on AIDS and then follow them up when the state is constantly short of money.

To be able to construct such a text students must be acquainted with the use of phrases of the following type:

1. it needs considerable imagination + full infinitive
2. how difficult it is + for somebody + full infinitive
3. an experiment + on + noun
4. to be short of + noun
5. lead off - begin
6. follow up - develop
7. catch on to - understand

When the teacher has familiarised his students with the above aspects they should not have any problems with constructing texts of this type. They may also form various texts about different occasions but the structures and Phrasal Verbs introduced previously will be of great help anyway. To construct a meaningful text, students must be familiarised with at least a few grammar points and some lexical items which form one whole and guarantee students to be able to build something meaningful. Applying syntagmatic presentation is of great significance as it enables students to formulate authentic, meaningful and grammatically correct texts, which is the main aim of teaching grammar - to learn a foreign language in a natural way via the use of grammar while constructing texts.

The text which has been presented in the Example 1 comprises some Phrasal Verbs, the grammatical meaning of which is explained to the students via their function in the context and yet can be learnt in a natural way. If we have a look at a paradigmatic presentation, that is, Phrasal Verbs in separate sentences, we may treat them as a sheer explanation, which is totally contradictory to the method of forming texts. In this method the teacher's task is to explain the collocation among the adjacent items which give form to an elaborate text.

It is advisable to apply such techniques while creating texts which would present Phrasal Verbs in natural contexts, owing to which the students would get to know their function in the texts and could remember them in a natural way.

The technique I should like to recommend finds reflection in creating texts, that is, students build their own utterances making use of Phrasal Verbs by putting them in real contexts. This allows them to see their function and the connection with the adjacent elements within given sentences. Furthermore, it makes students more involved in the exercises, helps to promote a positive climate in the classroom, enhances students' motivation and convinces them that being able to create their own texts is indispensable if successful language learning is to be accomplished.

About the author
Andrzej Cirocki has been a teacher of English for 6 years now. He teaches English to students of H. Derdowski Secondary School at Kartuzy. Moreover, he gives lectures on English grammar to teacher trainees from PWSH in Gdynia, Poland.

Mr Cirocki, in spite of being a very young teacher, has proved to have a deep passion for teaching English. He is the author of the curriculum for the linguistic class and presides over all the linguists at H. Derdowski School at Kartuzy.

Despite quite a short pedagogical practice, Mr Cirocki has staged three plays in English / 'Cinderella', 'Antigone', 'Macbeth' / and has attended a lot of methodological workshops. Lately Mr Cirocki has been honoured with a certificate of completing An Advanced Teacher Training Course within the all-Polish INSETT project under the auspices of the Ministry of Education, The British Council and The Advanced Teacher Training Centre.

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