Phrasal Verbs: Sort Out, Settle For, Count On, Fall Behind, Do Over
PHRASAL VERBS
9/29/2025
1. Warm-Up (3 min)
Question: Think about work or study situations.
Have you ever had to sort out a big problem?
Do you sometimes fall behind on tasks?
Sample answers:
“Yes, I had to sort out a computer problem last week.”
“I fell behind on homework during exams.”
2. Presentation (5 min)
Read the examples:
Sort Out
“We need to sort out the budget before the meeting.” (organise, resolve)
“I finally sorted out my messy desk.”
Settle For
“We didn’t have much money, so we settled for a smaller house.” (accept something less than desired)
“She didn’t get the job she wanted, but she settled for another one.”
Count On
“You can always count on your team for support.” (depend on, trust)
“I’m counting on you to finish this report.”
Fall Behind
“He fell behind in class after being sick.” (not keep up with progress)
“The project fell behind schedule due to delays.”
Do Over
“The teacher said I had to do my homework over.” (redo, repeat)
“We had to do over the presentation because of mistakes.”
👉 Notice: Settle For usually has a negative feeling (not your first choice). Do Over often happens after a mistake.
3. Controlled Practice (6 min)
Choose the correct phrasal verb.
“We had to ____ the experiment because it didn’t work.”
(a) do over
(b) count on
“He missed class and started to ____ in his studies.”
(a) fall behind
(b) sort out
“We didn’t have enough chairs, so we had to ____ stools.”
(a) settle for
(b) fall behind
“Don’t worry, you can always ____ me for help.”
(a) count on
(b) do over
4. Interactive Practice (5 min)
Matching activity (click/drag): Match the beginnings with the endings.
Column A
“The team worked hard to ____ the technical issue.”
“They couldn’t afford a car, so they had to ____ a bicycle.”
“She can always ____ her parents for support.”
“If you miss too many classes, you might ____ in school.”
“He had to ____ the test because of errors.”
Column B
“…sort out”
“…settle for”
“…count on”
“…fall behind”
“…do over”
5. Free Practice (5 min)
Write your answer:
What’s something you had to sort out recently?
Have you ever had to settle for something less than you wanted?
Who do you usually count on for help?
When was the last time you fell behind on work or studies?
Have you ever had to do over a project or task?
6. Wrap-Up & Review (1 min)
Quick recap:
Sort Out → organise/resolve
Settle For → accept less than desired
Count On → depend on
Fall Behind → fail to keep up
Do Over → redo
Self-check: Can you make one new sentence with each?
✅ Answer Section
Controlled Practice:
1 → (a) do over
2 → (a) fall behind
3 → (a) settle for
4 → (a) count on
Matching Activity:
Sort out → “…the technical issue.”
Settle for → “…a bicycle.”
Count on → “…her parents for support.”
Fall behind → “…in school.”
Do over → “…the test because of errors.”
