Phrasal Verbs: Get Along, Back Out, Go For, Find Out, Wear Down

1. Warm-Up (3 min)

Question: Think about your friendships and relationships.

• Do you usually get along with people easily?

• Have you ever had to back out of a plan?

Sample answers:

• “Yes, I usually get along with new people.”

• “I had to back out of a party because I was ill.”

2. Presentation (5 min)

Read the examples:

• Get Along

  • “I get along really well with my colleagues.” (have a good relationship)

  • “Do you get along with your neighbours?”

• Back Out

  • “She backed out of the deal at the last minute.” (cancel, withdraw)

  • “He promised to help but backed out when it got difficult.”

• Go For

  • “He decided to go for the new job opportunity.” (try, choose)

  • “If you want the prize, you should go for it!”

• Find Out

  • “I need to find out the train schedule.” (discover, learn information)

  • “She was shocked when she found out the news.”

• Wear Down

  • “Constant arguments can wear down a friendship.” (weaken, tire out)

  • “The shoes wore down after months of daily use.”

👉 Notice: Get Along is about relationships; Back Out is often used with plans; Wear Down can apply to both people and objects.

3. Controlled Practice (6 min)

Choose the correct phrasal verb.

1. “After years of use, the old chair finally ____.”

   • (a) got along

   • (b) wore down

2. “They didn’t ____ the deal, even though they promised.”

   • (a) back out of

   • (b) find out

3. “It took her weeks to ____ the truth about him.”

   • (a) find out

   • (b) go for

4. “My brother and I ____ most of the time.”

   • (a) get along

   • (b) back out

4. Interactive Practice (5 min)

Matching activity (click/drag): Match the beginnings with the endings.

• Column A

  • “I don’t want to ____ of the agreement.”

  • “They always ____ with each other, even when they disagree.”

  • “She decided to ____ her dream of studying abroad.”

  • “The constant stress began to ____ her patience.”

  • “I want to ____ when the exam results will be released.”

• Column B

  • “…back out”

  • “…get along”

  • “…go for”

  • “…wear down”

  • “…find out”

5. Free Practice (5 min)

Write your answer:

• Who do you usually get along with best?

• When was the last time you had to back out of something?

• What is something you would like to go for in the future?

• What’s something surprising you recently found out?

• Has anything ever worn down your patience?

6. Wrap-Up & Review (1 min)

Quick recap:

• Get Along → have a good relationship

• Back Out → cancel/withdraw

• Go For → choose/attempt

• Find Out → discover

• Wear Down → weaken

Self-check: Can you use each verb in a new sentence?

✅ Answer Section

Controlled Practice:
1 → (b) wore down
2 → (a) back out of
3 → (a) find out
4 → (a) get along

Matching Activity:

• Back out → “…of the agreement.”

• Get along → “…with each other, even when they disagree.”

• Go for → “…her dream of studying abroad.”

• Wear down → “…her patience.”

• Find out → “…when the exam results will be released.”