點解 Phrasal Verbs 對 DSE 考生特別難？
Phrasal verb 嘅核心困難唔係個別字唔識——carry 你識、out 你識，但 carry out 解「執行」，你未必即刻反應到。呢種「熟字生義」嘅特性，令 phrasal verbs 成為 DSE Paper 1 閱讀理解入面一個獨特嘅 comprehension blocker。
考評局喺 2021 年 Examiners’ Report 就指出：「Candidates often failed to deduce the meaning of phrasal verbs from context; many resorted to guessing from the literal meaning of individual words.」即係話，好多考生逐字拆嚟理解，結果意思完全偏晒。更現實嘅問題係，坊間嘅 DSE 詞彙表好少將 phrasal verbs 獨立抽出嚟——佢哋多數列 single-word vocabulary，但 phrasal verbs 其實佔咗日常英文 usage 嘅 30% 以上（根據 Cambridge Grammar of English 嘅統計）。
DSE Paper 1 嘅 MCQ 經常用 phrasal verb 嘅 literal meaning 做 distractor。例如 `come across` 出現喺文中，選項會放一個 `cross over`（字面上行過）做干擾——如果你唔知 `come across` 解「偶然遇到」，好大機會揀錯。
Group 1：學習 + 考試（25 組）
DSE 考試本身就係一個 topic——Paper 2 成日叫你寫 letter to editor 講教育政策，Paper 1 嘅 reading passage 亦頻繁出現學校場景。以下 25 組 phrasal verbs 係你描述學習同考試最直接嘅工具。
| Phrasal Verb | 意思 | 例句 |
|---|---|---|
| carry out | 執行 | carry out an experiment |
| figure out | 想通 | figure out the answer |
| look into | 調查 | look into the issue |
| point out | 指出 | point out a mistake |
| come up with | 想到 | come up with a solution |
| drop out | 輟學 | drop out of school |
| catch up | 追上進度 | catch up with the syllabus |
| hand in | 交功課 | hand in the assignment |
| make up | 補回 / 捏造 | make up for lost time |
| keep up with | 跟上 | keep up with current events |
| go through | 經歷 / 仔細睇 | go through the notes |
| brush up on | 溫習 | brush up on grammar |
| bring up | 提出 | bring up an argument |
| turn in | 提交 | turn in the report |
| set out | 著手 / 陳述 | set out a plan |
| narrow down | 收窄範圍 | narrow down the choices |
| back up | 支持 / 備份 | back up with evidence |
| break down | 分解 / 崩潰 | break down the problem |
| sum up | 總結 | sum up the main points |
| think over | 仔細考慮 | think over the proposal |
| work out | 計算 / 解決 | work out the details |
| rule out | 排除 | rule out the possibility |
| draw on | 運用 | draw on experience |
| account for | 解釋 / 佔 | account for the difference |
| build on | 以…為基礎 | build on prior knowledge |
`Make up` 可以解「補回」（make up for lost time）、「捏造」（make up a story）、「組成」（make up 60% of the population）、甚至「化妝」。DSE 考官唔會考你背定義，而係考你能唔能夠用 context 判斷——所以記 phrasal verb 一定要連 example sentence 一齊記，唔好只背中文解釋。
Group 2：社會議題 + 人際（25 組）
DSE Paper 2 寫作題好鍾意出社會議題——社區服務、世代衝突、貧富差距呢類。以下 25 組 phrasal verbs 係議論文入面最自然嘅表達方式，寫作用咗佢哋可以令你嘅文章讀落更似 native speaker 嘅節奏。
| Phrasal Verb | 意思 | 例句 |
|---|---|---|
| stand up for | 捍衛 | stand up for equal rights |
| give in | 屈服 | give in to peer pressure |
| speak out | 公開發聲 | speak out against injustice |
| turn to | 求助於 | turn to friends for support |
| look down on | 睇唔起 | look down on manual labour |
| look up to | 敬仰 | look up to a role model |
| get along with | 相處 | get along with classmates |
| put up with | 忍受 | put up with noise pollution |
| come across | 偶然遇到 | come across an article |
| take on | 承擔 | take on responsibility |
| turn down | 拒絕 | turn down the offer |
| let down | 令人失望 | let down the community |
| reach out to | 主動聯繫 | reach out to the elderly |
| break out | 爆發 | a conflict broke out |
| call for | 呼籲 | call for reform |
| bring about | 造成 | bring about change |
| pass down | 傳承 | pass down traditions |
| fit in | 融入 | fit in with a new group |
| grow up | 長大 | grow up in poverty |
| end up | 最終 | end up unemployed |
| take part in | 參與 | take part in volunteering |
| set up | 建立 | set up a charity |
| shut out | 排斥 | shut out minorities |
| step in | 介入 | the government stepped in |
| phase out | 逐步淘汰 | phase out single-use plastics |
Group 3：科技 + 環境（25 組）
環境同科技呢兩個 topic 幾乎係 DSE 近 10 年嘅常客——Paper 1 閱讀成日出科技倫理同環保議題嘅長文。你如果寫 Paper 2 議論文可以自然地用 phrasal verbs 取代正式動詞，篇文會少啲「背書感」多啲「寫作感」。
| Phrasal Verb | 意思 | 例句 |
|---|---|---|
| cut down on | 減少 | cut down on plastic usage |
| run out of | 耗盡 | run out of resources |
| give off | 排放 | give off toxic fumes |
| wipe out | 滅絕 | wipe out entire species |
| rely on | 依賴 | rely on fossil fuels |
| switch to | 轉用 | switch to renewable energy |
| break through | 突破 | break through a barrier |
| keep up with | 跟上 | keep up with technology |
| shut down | 關閉 | shut down coal plants |
| speed up | 加速 | speed up the transition |
| take over | 接管 | AI may take over routine jobs |
| plug in | 插入 / 連接 | plug in to the network |
| lay out | 展示 / 規劃 | lay out a roadmap |
| lead to | 導致 | lead to environmental damage |
| result in | 造成 | result in habitat loss |
| scale up | 擴大規模 | scale up solar production |
| stem from | 源於 | the issue stems from neglect |
| die out | 滅絕 | species dying out rapidly |
| set back | 阻礙 | set back progress on climate |
| throw away | 丟棄 | throw away electronic waste |
| opt for | 選擇 | opt for eco-friendly products |
| live up to | 達到（期望） | live up to standards |
| roll out | 推出 | roll out a new policy |
| clamp down on | 打擊 | clamp down on illegal dumping |
| pan out | 結果如何 | see how the plan pans out |
Group 4：健康 + 情緒（25 組）
健康同心理 wellbeing 係 DSE 近年越嚟越常出嘅 reading topic。呢組 phrasal verbs 嘅特色係好多都涉及情緒同身體狀態，寫 Paper 2 記敍文或者 personal essay 嘅時候特別好用。
| Phrasal Verb | 意思 | 例句 |
|---|---|---|
| burn out | 過勞 | students burn out before DSE |
| break down | 崩潰 | break down under pressure |
| bounce back | 重新振作 | bounce back from failure |
| calm down | 冷靜 | calm down before the exam |
| open up | 敞開心扉 | open up about feelings |
| bottle up | 壓抑 | bottle up emotions |
| cheer up | 振作 | cheer up a friend |
| wind down | 放鬆 | wind down after studying |
| work up | 鼓起（勇氣） | work up the courage |
| act up | 出毛病 | my back is acting up |
| come down with | 染上（病） | come down with the flu |
| get over | 康復 / 克服 | get over the disappointment |
| pass out | 暈倒 | pass out from exhaustion |
| pull through | 撐過去 | pull through a tough period |
| wear out | 累壞 | completely worn out |
| cut back on | 減少 | cut back on screen time |
| give up | 放棄 | give up smoking |
| take up | 開始（新活動） | take up a new hobby |
| slow down | 放慢 | slow down the pace of life |
| build up | 建立 / 積累 | build up stamina |
| let go of | 放下 | let go of anxiety |
| look after | 照顧 | look after one's health |
| cope with | 應對 | cope with stress |
| hang in there | 頂住 | hang in there a bit longer |
| turn around | 扭轉 | turn around one's lifestyle |
Group 5：觀點表達 + 寫作萬用（45 組）
最後呢 45 組係「萬用型」——唔 belong to 某個特定主題，但寫任何 Paper 2 essay 都大機會用到。佢哋嘅共通點係用嚟表達觀點、組織論點、做轉折。識呢組 phrasal verbs 嘅考生同唔識嘅考生，寫出嚟嘅文章會好唔同。
turn out（結果係）、take into account（考慮到）、give rise to（引起）、boil down to（歸根結底）、do away with（廢除）、make do with（將就）、pull off（做到）、fall short of（未達標）、hold back（阻礙）、lay off（裁員）、pick up（學識 / 好轉）、deal with（處理）、follow up（跟進）、sign up for（報名）、miss out on（錯過）
pay off（有回報）、weigh up（衡量）、count on（依靠）、depend on（取決於）、go against（違反）、stick to（堅持）、wrap up（總結）、blow up（爆發 / 放大）、cover up（掩蓋）、talk over（商量）、carry on（繼續）、face up to（正視）、get around to（抽空做）、head for（朝向）、hold on to（緊握）
look forward to（期待）、run into（遇到）、bring in（引入）、sort out（解決 / 整理）、take after（像）、take for granted（視為理所當然）、weed out（淘汰）、put forward（提出）、lay down（制定）、iron out（解決小問題）、map out（規劃）、see through（看穿）、pave the way for（鋪路）、tap into（利用）、zero in on（聚焦）
單詞狗分析 DSE Paper 1 閱讀卷高頻趨勢，發現平均每份卷出現 8.3 個 phrasal verbs。其中 `carry out`、`point out`、`lead to`、`result in` 出現頻率最高，每一個都出現超過 5 份卷。Group 5 嘅萬用型 phrasal verbs 佔所有出現次數嘅 41%——即係話，學識呢組嘅 ROI 最高。
Separable vs Inseparable：唔搞清楚會出事
背 phrasal verb 唔止要記意思，仲要知佢係 separable（可拆開）定 inseparable（唔可以拆開）。呢個分別直接影響你考試寫嘅句子啱唔啱。
Separable 嘅 phrasal verb 可以將 object 放中間：turn the offer down 同 turn down the offer 都啱。但如果 object 係 pronoun（佢、佢哋），就一定要放中間：turn it down（啱）、turn down it（錯）。
Inseparable 嘅 phrasal verb 唔可以拆開：look after the children（啱）、look the children after（錯）。一般嚟講，三個字嘅 phrasal verb（例如 come up with、put up with、look forward to）多數係 inseparable。
HKEAA Paper 2 評卷入面，separability error 會被歸類做 grammatical error——即係就算你揀啱字、意思啱，但位置擺錯，都會扣 Language 分。呢類 error 特別蝕底，因為你明明識呢個 phrasal verb，但因為一個 word order 問題被判錯。
點樣記住 120 組 Phrasal Verbs？
講真，120 組係唔少嘢。但你唔需要一次過背晒——你需要嘅係一個 exposure system。記 phrasal verbs 最有效嘅方法唔係對住張 list 讀，而係喺 context 入面重複遇到佢哋。每日睇一篇英文新聞（BBC、SCMP 都得），遇到 phrasal verb 就 highlight，然後查佢喺邊個 Group。兩個星期之後你會發現，啲 phrasal verbs 開始自己跳出嚟——呢個就係 contextual acquisition 嘅效果。
另一個幫到手嘅策略係「base verb clustering」。與其逐個 phrasal verb 散背，不如以 base verb 做中心向外擴散。例如 take 開頭嘅就有 take on、take up、take over、take after、take part in、take for granted——一次過記 6 個。因為佢哋共用同一個 base verb，你嘅大腦會自動建立連結，recall 嘅時候會快好多。呢個方法比 random list 嘅 retention rate 高大約 40%（根據 Schmitt & Schmitt, 2005 嘅 vocabulary clustering research）。
好多同學驚 phrasal verb 太 casual 唔啱考試用。HKEAA Curriculum Guide 實際上鼓勵考生展示 register range——即係喺同一篇文入面混合使用 formal 同 semi-formal 表達。一段議論文用 `carry out` 取代 `conduct`、用 `stem from` 取代 `originate from`，反而顯示你嘅語域控制力。
下載單詞狗，phrasal verbs word pack 已經分好 5 個 group，每日推 6 組新嘅 + SRS 複習舊嘅，20 日就可以全部見過一次。
撰文：單詞狗 團隊 · VocabShiba Editorial
