Have you noticed how many dictionaries have only the meaning of the phrasal verb in the entry? You can read the meaning and understand it, but then when you want to use the phrasal verb, you use it totally wrong? This is a problem that goes beyond dictionaries. Of course, you can always find a better dictionary, but the approach is just mistaken.

Now, of course, I think dictionaries are good things. We need them. And dictionaries can help you learn English. What I want to say is that dictionaries are only good support. To really learn these verbs, you need materials that go beyond dictionaries. Well, let's say you need a good dictionary, and you need more.

So, go get a dictionary, but first check inside. Does it have a clear meaning for each verb? If you read it slowly and think about it, can you understand the meaning? Meanings that are written in complex language will not help you learn faster, they will make you learn slower.

Next, does the dictionary have a sample sentence using the verb? Of course, this is a good feature. If you found a dictionary with this feature, it may be a good dictionary. Clear meanings, and sample sentences are very important, but this is still not enough.

One step better is to have several sample sentences. Now dictionaries for learners sometimes have two sample sentences showing the usage of the phrasal verb. Some even have more. These dictionaries are great for supporting and assisting your studies. You will find them helpful.

But great dictionaries alone are not enough.

So What Do You Need?
What is really essential to really learning phrasal verbs well is a story. You need a story that uses the phrasal verb in context. A clearly written and recorded story for listening practice. With a memorable story and a phrasal verb used correctly in context, you can start to do some really good phrasal verb listening practice.

Hearing the phrasal verb used correctly in context will make it easier for you to learn and use the verb. First, you can copy the use. Simply repeat the story. We all know that repetition is great for learning, and so is copying. Copying the correct usage will help you make a correct pattern in your memory.

You can then move to the next step, which is to make your own sentence using the phrasal verb in a similar way, but slightly different. This allows you to copy the pattern and start to modify it so you can remember it even better.

Of course, there is a progression that you can go through to really learn the phrasal verbs deeply but let's look at what can make the learning materials even better.

A short story is great. It is quick and easy to learn. If it is memorable, that helps a lot. And the verb is used in context. The next thing that can make it one step better is a picture. Having a picture helps your visual mind to help you remember. If you cannot remember by sound only, a combination of sound and images can help you remember much better.

If the story uses the phrasal verb in several ways (different tenses, different words before and after it, etc), this will make it an even more effective story for learning the phrasal verbs.

But Not Too Much
Why not use the same phrasal verb several times in the same story? The risk is having a story that is too long. A story that is too long no longer helps us to remember things. There is too much to remember. Plus, it takes too long to listen to. Study becomes less motivating. A short quick challenge is often much more fun than a dreadful, long, boring, difficult challenge. So choose stories that are short.

So How Can We Go One Step Better?
We can still go one step better. We can have more than one story.

Between the stories, we have the verbs used in more than one tense. They have different sentences, so we can study the collocations. We can also study the way the sounds of word before and after may change the sound of the phrasal verbs.

And we have a choice to use the extra stories or not.

Or we can choose to use the extra stories later for review.

Summary
Dictionaries are fine reference materials for studying English but they cannot replace good study materials. Look for dictionaries that use the words in more than one sample sentence. Then find your main study materials. These should be short stories that are recorded, using the phrasal verbs in context. The stories should be memorable, and they should be accompanied by a picture to help you remember and use your imagination when studying.

You will find many stories like these at the English Listening World.com website to help you learn English phrasal verbs better and better everyday.

About the author
Les Perras owns and operates the Smith's School of English Franchise in Ikoma, Japan. He is also the author of the website English-Listening-World http://www.english-listening-world.com. Visit the website for free listening practice.