Editorial method
How Sink In reviews phrasal verbs
Sink In's web guides come from the same structured learning corpus used by the app. The current corpus contains 1498 verb forms, 2010 meaning senses, and 4542 learner examples.
Corpus version reviewed for the website: 2026-07-24.
What the corpus is
Definitions, examples, paraphrases, contrast notes, and quiz answers are written as original learner-facing content. The linked research below guides selection, ordering, and teaching method. It is not copied into the entries.
The corpus treats different meanings separately. For example, removing clothing, leaving the ground, and becoming successful are different senses of take off. This lets an example and a quiz test one clear meaning at a time.
The review checklist
Meaning and lexical status
We ask whether learners need to learn the verb and particle as one unit, or whether the words keep their ordinary meanings. We also check that each separate sense has a clear scope.
Examples and paraphrases
Each example must naturally use the target meaning. Its short paraphrase must explain the sentence without quietly switching to another sense.
Grammar and register
Where the data supports it, we check separability, pronoun position, dialect, tone, and the words that normally appear with the verb.
Contrasts and quizzes
Comparison notes must describe a real learner choice. Quiz answers and distractors are checked against the exact example sentence, not only a broad dictionary definition.
Research that informs Sink In
These sources inform which senses matter, how particle patterns can support memory, and why practice returns over time.
Gardner & Davies (2007)
British National Corpus research on frequent phrasal verbs and the importance of frequency.
Garnier & Schmitt (2015)
The PHaVE List, which separates frequent phrasal verbs into their key meaning senses using COCA evidence.
Spring (2018)
Research combining corpus evidence with particle patterns to make phrasal verbs easier to learn.
Strong & Leeming (2024)
Research on particle-focused retrieval practice and why learners need later review, not one exposure.
Reviewer details
Sink In editorial team, Pomisoft OÜ
Pomisoft OÜ is an Estonia-based educational app studio. The Sink In team owns the corpus review process and is responsible for correcting reported content issues. No outside academic or dictionary publisher is presented as an endorser.