Tracking down phrasal verbs: the case of up and down

Abstract

Since the frequency of phrasal verbs is register-specific, it is essential for L2 learners to be exposed to the most productive phrasal verbs in their field of study. Thus, English for Police learners should become familiar and practise the most recurrent phrasal verbs in the context of crime and police investigative work. In this study we determine the frequency and meaning extensions of phrasal verbs with the particles up and down in a spoken corpus of English for the Police on the basis of which we also generate teaching materials for L2 trainee police officers. This research extends McCarthy and O’Dell’s (2004) scope of analysis by encompassing not only phrasal verbs related to criminal behavior but also to the procedures followed by the police in the investigation of a crime.