DrillKit is an AI-powered tool that turns your online lesson chat from Zoom, Google Meet, Skype, or Microsoft Teams into professional, print-ready ESL worksheets in under 30 seconds. It automatically extracts vocabulary, generates exercises (gap-fill, error correction, vocab match, word formation, and more), and produces beautiful PDFs tailored to the student's CEFR level and native language.

Does DrillKit support Zoom chats?

Yes! Simply copy the chat text from your Zoom, Google Meet, Skype, or Microsoft Teams lesson and paste it directly into the input area. You can also paste vocabulary lists or handwritten notes. DrillKit's AI strips out timestamps, sender names, and other noise automatically.

Can I export worksheets to PDF?

Absolutely. Every worksheet is generated as a high-quality, print-ready PDF. Pro users can also export to Google Docs and customize branding with their school logo and accent colors.

Which languages are supported?

DrillKit supports translations in 11 languages: Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Arabic, Turkish, and Russian. The AI auto-detects the student's native language from the chat transcript.

What exercise types can DrillKit generate?

DrillKit generates 11 exercise types: Gap Fill, Vocab Match, Error Correction, Sentence Completion, Multiple Choice, Word Scramble, Sentence Reorder, Translation, Word Formation (Cambridge Part 3), Key Word Transformation (Cambridge Part 4), and Dialogue Builder.

How does the AI extract vocabulary from chat transcripts?

The AI scans your pasted chat transcript, strips out noise (timestamps, reactions, media placeholders), identifies teachable vocabulary, phrasal verbs, idioms, and student errors, then scores each item by relevance. You review and select the best items before generating exercises.

Is DrillKit free to use?

Yes! The free plan includes 10 worksheets per month with 4 exercise types and standard templates. The Pro plan ($4.99/month or $3.33/month billed yearly) unlocks unlimited worksheets, all 11 exercise types, custom branding, and priority AI processing.

Can I customize the worksheet with my school branding?

Pro users can add their school or institution name, choose custom accent colors, select from 5 worksheet styles (Standard, Classic, Modern, Playful, Academic), and add footer text to every generated worksheet.

How to Teach Phrasal Verbs Effectively in ESL | DrillKit Blog

The Phrasal Verb Problem

Phrasal verbs are the Everest of English vocabulary for non-native speakers. There are thousands of them, their meanings are often non-literal, and tiny changes in the particle completely change the meaning ("look up" vs. "look down" vs. "look into" vs. "look after").

Students at every level struggle with phrasal verbs. A2 students avoid them entirely (saying "enter" instead of "come in"). B2 students use them but with wrong particles. Even C1 students occasionally produce gems like "I need to catch down with my work."

Why Context Beats Memorization

The traditional approach — giving students a list of 20 phrasal verbs with definitions — doesn't work. Research shows that phrasal verbs learned in isolation have a recall rate of less than 20% after one week.

But phrasal verbs encountered in meaningful context (conversation, stories, video subtitles) have recall rates of 60-80%. The key is encountering the phrasal verb in a sentence where its meaning is clear from context.

This is exactly why DrillKit extracts phrasal verbs from chat transcripts and creates exercises around the actual sentences where they appeared. The context isn't artificial — it's the student's own conversation.

3 Activities That Work

1. Phrasal Verb Stories
Give students a short story with 8-10 phrasal verbs underlined. First, they guess meanings from context. Then, they replace each phrasal verb with a one-word synonym. Finally, they retell the story using the phrasal verbs.

2. Particle Sorting
Give students 12 phrasal verbs with the particles removed. They sort them by particle ("up": give up, make up, turn up / "out": find out, work out, carry out). This builds pattern recognition for particles.

3. Gap-Fill with Phrasal Verbs
The gold standard for practice. DrillKit generates gap-fills where the blank is specifically for the phrasal verb, and the sentence context makes only one phrasal verb possible. Distractors are phrasal verbs with the same base verb but different particles.

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Teacher Tip

"Categorize phrasal verbs by base verb, not by topic. 'Get up, get by, get over, get along, get away with' — learning these together helps students see the particle patterns. When they encounter a new phrasal verb with 'get,' they'll have a framework for guessing its meaning."

Frequently Asked Questions

How many phrasal verbs should I teach per lesson?

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3-5 is optimal for a 45-minute lesson. Phrasal verbs require more processing time than regular vocabulary because of their non-literal meanings. Quality over quantity.

Should I teach separable vs. inseparable phrasal verbs?

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For B1+ students, yes. Teach the rule: separable phrasal verbs MUST be separated when using a pronoun ('turn it off' not 'turn off it'). For A2 students, focus on meaning first and introduce the grammar rule later.

Can DrillKit generate phrasal verb exercises?

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Yes! DrillKit recognizes phrasal verbs in input text and generates targeted exercises. Phrasal verb gap-fills use wider blanks and offer distractors with the same base verb but different particles.

Teaching Phrasal Verbs: Activities That Stick