Exploring peculiarities of phrasal verbs in the English language acquisition

The relevance of the paper lies in its examination of phrasal verbs as a complex linguistic phenomenon, essential for proficient English fluency, given their syntactic unpredictability, semantic variability, and cross-linguistic differences that hinder non-native learners. The purpose of the article is to explore the peculiarities and role of phrasal verbs in learning English, analyzing their syntactic and semantic variability, as well as the challenges they create for speakers of other languages. The article employs several research methods, including: descriptive analysis to highlight the syntactic, semantic, and idiomatic complexities of phrasal verbs; a context-oriented approach to determine the effectiveness of teaching phrasal verbs through real-life situations, dialogues, and authentic materials; a comparative method to compare phrasal verbs with their formal synonyms to outline their role in spoken and written communication; linguistic analysis to study the structure and meaning variations of phrasal verbs, illustrating their syntactic unpredictability. The research results have shown that phrasal verbs are particularly challenging due to their figurative meanings and the differences in syntactic structures across languages. For instance, learners’ first languages influence how they understand and use phrasal verbs in English. Some languages lack equivalent constructions, making direct translation ineffective and leading to mistakes in comprehension and reproduction. Teachers often employ visual aids, role-playing, and real-life scenarios to enhance the learning process. Context-oriented learning, where phrasal verbs are introduced through dialogues and authentic materials, has proven effective in helping students grasp their meanings and usage. The conclusions state that phrasal verbs are an important and at the same time complex aspect of English. The article suggests that future research should focus on developing more effective teaching strategies, as well as studying the use of phrasal verbs in modern digital communication.