Like this:

LA ALBERCA, Spain — Okay, so I’ve been a writer for most of my adult life and I’ve never heard of them. Phrasal verbs. “Ask out” “Get into” “Bring about.” I learned the term phrasal verb here, volunteering with Pueblo Ingles, the school for Spanish professionals to learn English. Here, for a week just outside a centuries-old village known for the best hams in Spain, we drilled from 9 a.m til 10 p.m. each day. One-on-one conversations, conference calls, presentations, skits, songs, word games, even meals.

Who knew the English language was such a crazy tossed salad of exceptions to rules and colloquialisms and idioms cobbled together to form what’s probably the most recklessly irregular language on Earth. Harsh? Try explaining why we say the things we do to someone learning to speak English. “To ‘paint the town red’ might involve ’drinking til you drop.’ Oh, wait, ‘drinking til you drop’ might also accompany ‘putting on the dog.’ No, not an actual dog. A metaphorical dog. I don’t know whose dog. You just say it. You know, like when you tell people you’re ‘dressed to the nines.’”

Then there’s the word “get:” Get over it. (move beyond) Get into it (become engaged) I don’t get it. (understanding) Get lost (please leave) Get back (return) Get something back (retrieve something you lost) Get away with (do something wrong without being punished) Get on (succeed, be friendly) Get on (step on, as in “get on the elevator”) Get a move on (hurry up) Get up (stand) Get up (wake) Get together (meeting, gathering) Get over it (cope) Get around to (finally arrive at a time to do something) What kind of linguistic cruelty is this? Then there are the myriad idioms we use every day (http://www.idiomsite.com/), including our friend “get” — Get down to brass tacks. Get your walking papers. Get up on the wrong side of the bed.” “Let me cut to the chase: I don’t mean to beat a dead horse, but you seem to be burning the candle at both ends. Aren’t you biting off more than you can chew? You seem to take on more work at the drop of a hat, running like a chicken with its head cut off. If you’re not careful people will think you can’t cut the mustard. If I’m barking up the wrong tree please tell me to put a sock in it. We’ll just let sleeping dogs lie. ”

Wow, do I have respect for these students slogging through the English mines!

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