Learning English Vocabulary

Multi-word verbs

19 snips
Apr 28, 2025
Ask episode
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
ANECDOTE

André's Unsuccessful Meetup Story

  • André, a French student, tried to meet up with friends but failed and said he abandoned the day.
  • He used formal words sounding unnatural, showing a language learning challenge with everyday English.
INSIGHT

Latinate Verbs Sound Formal

  • Latin-based verbs sound too formal in casual speech and can make English sound unnatural.
  • Multi-word verbs (phrasal verbs) are more natural in everyday conversation, like give up on instead of abandon.
INSIGHT

Similar Meaning, Different Style

  • Both Latinate verbs and phrasal verbs share meanings but differ in formality and context.
  • Using meet up with instead of rendezvous keeps meaning but sounds more natural in speech.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Get the app