Improve Your English with Tailtiu's General English Learning Resources

Practical English exercises for learners who want to make progress

You know the feeling. You've studied English for years, you understand plenty when you're reading, and your grammar isn't bad. Then someone starts speaking naturally, throws in a few phrasal verbs, and suddenly you're not quite so confident.

Sound familiar?

At learningenglish.tailtiu.org, we're developing a collection of free general English learning resources and exercises to help you practise the language you actually encounter in everyday life.

Whether you're studying for an exam, improving your English for work or simply trying to feel more comfortable in conversation, our General English Learning Resources zone gives you somewhere to practise independently.

You don't need to sit through another hour-long lesson. Sometimes, a short, focused exercise is exactly what you need.

Why are phrasal verbs so important?

Consider these three sentences:

• The meeting has been put off.
• I'll pick you up at eight.
• We ran into an old friend.

You might know the individual words, but do you understand what the expressions mean?

Phrasal verbs appear regularly in spoken English, informal writing and everyday conversations. They're also an important part of the vocabulary learners encounter as they progress towards intermediate and advanced levels.

The difficulty? Their meanings aren't always obvious.

That's why our current learning resources focus on helping you recognise, understand and practise phrasal verbs in context.

What can you practise?

1. The Phrasal Verb Revision App

How many phrasal verbs do you actually remember?

Our B2 Phrasal Verb Revision App gives upper-intermediate learners a way to review useful expressions, their meanings and examples of how they're used.

It's particularly useful when you've already studied phrasal verbs but find yourself forgetting them a week later.

Instead of simply reading another vocabulary list, you can return to the expressions, check your understanding and build a more reliable vocabulary repertoire.

Ideal for: B2 learners, exam preparation and independent vocabulary revision.

2. Phrasal Verbs with UP: Arrival and Approach

What does it mean when somebody turns up unexpectedly? And how is that different from somebody coming up to you?

Our materials on Phrasal Verbs with UP for Arrival and Approach focus on expressions connected with arriving, appearing and moving towards people or places.

You'll explore how these expressions work in context, rather than trying to memorise isolated definitions.

It's a useful way to become more comfortable with vocabulary you might hear in conversations, films or everyday situations.

Ideal for: Learners who want to understand common phrasal verbs more accurately.

3. Crossing Boundaries: Movement in English

Imagine somebody rushing out of their flat, getting into a taxi and running into a station.

English uses small words such as into, out of, onto and off to describe these movements. They're easy to recognise, but choosing the correct one isn't always straightforward.

Our Crossing Boundaries materials explore these movement expressions through a story, videos and accompanying exercises.

You'll follow situations involving movement between places and practise making the distinctions that matter.

Ideal for: High B1 and lower B2 learners who want greater accuracy when describing movement.

How should you use these resources?

You don't need to complete everything in one sitting.

Choose one topic, work through the exercises and pay attention to the expressions you find difficult. Then try using some of them in sentences about your own life.

For example, after studying turn up, you could write:

My friend turned up twenty minutes late yesterday.

It's a small exercise, but it makes the expression personally relevant.

Return to the same vocabulary a few days later. Can you still remember it without looking?

And if you have teenagers studying English at school, some of these resources may also provide useful additional practice, provided the level is appropriate.

Start practising with our free general English learning resources and exercises 

Our General English Learning Resources zone is growing, with more materials planned for learners who want practical, accessible English practice.

For now, why not start with one of these three resources? Remember that there are also downloadable versions of the materials available on these web pages.

Explore the Tailtiu General English Learning Resources zone by clicking the image and choose an activity that matches your level. A little focused practice today gives you something useful to bring to your next English conversation.