A phrasal verb is a verb plus one or two small words. The meaning is often different from the main verb alone.
look into investigate or study carefully.
find out learn new information.
come across find something by chance.
turn up appear or be found.
figure out understand or solve something.
give away reveal a secret or clue.
pick up lift, collect, or get something.
go through search or examine carefully.
📘 Read the Story
On Friday afternoon, Centro Romero was getting ready for a small concert. A musician named Mr. Rivera brought his old blue guitar to the community center. The guitar was famous because he had played it in concerts for more than thirty years.
Before the concert, Mr. Rivera put the guitar case near the stage. Then he went to the kitchen to drink coffee with the teachers. When he came back, the guitar was gone.
Everyone froze. Angie looked at the empty space and said, “We need to look into this right away.” Eric nodded and said, “We have to find out what happened before the concert starts.”
The students began to look for clues. Kim Mai checked under the chairs. Saeid went through the coat closet. Luz looked behind the stage curtain. At first, nothing turned up.
Then Jamile came across a small yellow ticket on the floor. It said, “Repair Shop — Pick Up Today.” She almost gave away her idea too quickly, but she stopped and showed it to the group.
“That is strange,” said Javier. “Why would a repair ticket be here?” Sofia said, “Maybe someone picked up the wrong case.”
A few minutes later, Nicely ran into Mr. Park, the janitor. He was carrying a black guitar case. Everyone gasped, but Mr. Park looked confused. “What?” he asked. “I was cleaning up near the stage, and I picked this up because I thought it belonged in the music room.”
Angie opened the black case. Inside was not Mr. Rivera’s blue guitar. It was an old violin. The mystery became even stranger.
The students did not give up. They checked out the hallway, the office, and the music room. Finally, Eric noticed two almost identical cases near the front desk. One case had a blue ribbon on the handle.
“That is it,” said Kim Mai. “Mr. Rivera’s guitar case has a blue ribbon. The guitar did not get stolen. It got mixed up.”
They opened the case, and the blue guitar was inside. Mr. Rivera laughed with relief. “You figured out the mystery,” he said. “Now let’s call off the search and start the music.”
The students ended up with a great story, a great concert, and a new rule: always check the handle before you pick up a guitar case.
🧠 Vocabulary — Matching A Matched: 0/5
Click a phrasal verb. Then click the matching meaning.
Phrasal Verbs
Meanings
🧠 Vocabulary — Matching B Matched: 0/5
Click a phrasal verb. Then click the matching meaning.
Phrasal Verbs
Meanings
📖 Vocabulary in Context Answered: 0/8
1. Angie wanted to ______ the mystery right away.
2. Eric wanted to ______ what happened before the concert.
3. Jamile ______ a yellow ticket on the floor.
4. At first, no clues ______.
5. Mr. Park ______ the guitar case because he thought it belonged in the music room.
6. Saeid ______ the coat closet.
7. Eric helped the students ______ the mystery.
8. Mr. Rivera said they could ______ the search.
❓ Comprehension — Multiple Choice Answered: 0/6
1. What disappeared before the concert?
2. Where did Jamile find the yellow ticket?
3. Why did Mr. Park pick up the black case?
4. What was inside the black case?
5. What clue helped Eric solve the mystery?
6. What really happened to the guitar?
✍️ Cloze Activity A Filled: 0/12
look into
find out
came across
turned up
picked up
went through
figure out
gave away
check out
call off
ran into
ended up
1. Angie wanted to the mystery.
2. Eric wanted to what happened.
3. Jamile a yellow ticket.
4. At first, no clues .
5. Mr. Park the wrong case.
6. Saeid the coat closet.
7. The students tried to the mystery.
8. Jamile almost her idea too early.
9. Luz wanted to the hallway.
10. Mr. Rivera said they could the search.
11. Nicely Mr. Park.
12. The students with a great story.
✍️ Cloze Activity B Filled: 0/12
looked for
got mixed up
cleaning up
showed up
opened up
calmed down
set up
brought back
held on to
wrote down
pointed out
started over
1. Everyone the missing guitar.
2. The guitar case with another case.
3. Mr. Park was near the stage.
4. Mr. Rivera with his blue guitar.
5. Angie the black case.
6. Everyone after they found the guitar.
7. The teachers the chairs for the concert.
8. Eric the guitar case.
9. Jamile the yellow ticket.
10. Sofia the clues.
11. Kim Mai the blue ribbon.
12. The band almost without the guitar.
✔️ True or False Answered: 0/6
1. Mr. Rivera’s guitar disappeared before the concert.
2. Jamile found a repair shop ticket.
3. Mr. Park admitted that he stole the guitar.
4. The black case had an old violin inside.
5. The blue ribbon helped solve the mystery.
6. The concert was canceled.
🔢 Sequencing A In place: 0/5
Put the events in the correct order. Drag the cards or tap two cards to switch them.
Mr. Rivera brought his old blue guitar to Centro Romero.
The guitar disappeared before the concert.
The students decided to look into the mystery.
Jamile came across a yellow repair shop ticket.
Nicely ran into Mr. Park with a black case.
🔢 Sequencing B In place: 0/5
Put the events in the correct order. Drag the cards or tap two cards to switch them.
Angie opened the black case.
The students found an old violin inside.
Eric noticed two similar cases near the front desk.
Kim Mai pointed out the blue ribbon.
The students found Mr. Rivera’s guitar.
🧩 For Example — Make Your Own Mystery Sentences
Use the phrasal verb in a complete sentence. Add a period.
1. look into
2. find out
3. come across
4. figure out
5. pick up
💬 Discussion & Writing
Have you ever lost something important? What happened?
Why did everyone think the guitar was stolen?
Which clue was the most important?
Was Mr. Park suspicious, helpful, or just unlucky?
Write a short mystery using three phrasal verbs from this lesson.
🎭 Role Play — Solving the Mystery
Angie: The guitar is gone. We need to look into this right now.
Eric: I agree. We have to find out who moved it.
Jamile: I came across this yellow ticket near the stage.
Saeid: Maybe that ticket will help us figure out the mystery.
Nicely: Wait. I just ran into Mr. Park in the hallway.
Mr. Park: Why is everyone looking at me like I am in a crime movie?
Sofia: Because you are carrying a guitar case.
Mr. Park: I picked it up while I was cleaning up.
Kim Mai: Let’s check out the case before we panic.
Angie: It has a violin inside. That makes this even stranger.
Eric: Look at those two cases near the desk.
Kim Mai: The one with the blue ribbon is Mr. Rivera’s case.
Mr. Rivera: You figured it out. The guitar was mixed up.
Jamile: Great. We can call off the search.
Saeid: And next time, we should label every case.
Mr. Park: Please do. My janitor heart cannot take another mystery.
📝 Answer Key
Vocabulary Matching A:
look into = investigate something.
find out = learn information.
come across = find by chance.
turn up = appear or be found.
figure out = solve or understand.
Vocabulary Matching B:
give away = reveal a secret or clue.
pick up = lift, collect, or get something.
go through = search or examine carefully.
check out = look at or examine.
call off = cancel or stop something planned.
Vocabulary in Context:
1 look into.
2 find out.
3 came across.
4 turned up.
5 picked up.
6 went through.
7 figure out.
8 call off.
Comprehension:
1 Mr. Rivera’s guitar.
2 On the floor.
3 He thought it belonged in the music room.
4 An old violin.
5 A blue ribbon on the guitar case.
6 It got mixed up with another case.
Cloze A:
1 look into.
2 find out.
3 came across.
4 turned up.
5 picked up.
6 went through.
7 figure out.
8 gave away.
9 check out.
10 call off.
11 ran into.
12 ended up.
Cloze B:
1 looked for.
2 got mixed up.
3 cleaning up.
4 showed up.
5 opened up.
6 calmed down.
7 set up.
8 brought back.
9 held on to.
10 wrote down.
11 pointed out.
12 started over.
Sequencing A:
Mr. Rivera brought his old blue guitar to Centro Romero.
The guitar disappeared before the concert.
The students decided to look into the mystery.
Jamile came across a yellow repair shop ticket.
Nicely ran into Mr. Park with a black case.
Sequencing B:
Angie opened the black case.
The students found an old violin inside.
Eric noticed two similar cases near the front desk.
Kim Mai pointed out the blue ribbon.
The students found Mr. Rivera’s guitar.