TOP 20 Phrasal Verbs that use UP - A New Way To Study & Remember!

Hey there! I'm Emma from mmmEnglish.

Today we are gonna master phrasal verbs that use the word up.

So I'm gonna teach you the most common phrasal verbs with up

and I'm gonna do it in a slightly different way.

It'll be a new way to help you understand the meaning

and to remember the phrasal verbs better by focusing on the

particle, focusing on up.

So perk up, get up and round up your mates,

we are about to dive into this lesson.

I wanna let you know that I've put together an awesome worksheet

with all the phrasal verbs that I go through in this video.

So when you've finished watching it or even before,

you can download that worksheet right down

in the description box below for some extra practice.

As you probably know, phrasal verbs are made up of a verb

with a particle, maybe even two.

All the phrasal verbs in this lesson include the particle up

and by focusing on up we get to study the meaning

and understand how the verb is influenced by the particle.

And we're gonna split the phrasal verbs from this lesson

into five different categories.

Ones that generally mean to move up,

to increase or improve

to create,

to fix

and to complete.

So we're gonna start with phrasal verbs that

have a general meaning, to move up.

So the word up means to take something from a low position

to a high position, doesn't it?

So if I pick up my mug and I move it

higher, I move it up,

then I'm taking it from a low position to a high position.

So there are a few phrasal verbs that fall into this same category,

right? And they use up.

So of course, we have

pick up.

So that means to lift or to move something or someone, right?

We can pick up our mug, we can pick up our child.

We can also get up

And get up can mean to rise after sleeping or sitting down

for a period of time. You might say:

I have to get up and go to my meeting.

We also fill up things.

So when we fill up something, we put something inside it

all the way to the top until it's full.

So we can fill up our glass with water.

So you'll notice that in all of these phrasal verbs,

we're taking something from a low position

and moving it to a higher position.

The next box is to increase or improve in some way

and so these words really mean to make something greater

or better or bigger which is similar to moving something upwards

but not quite. Let's think about some of the phrasal verbs with up

that help to express the same idea.

We climb up.

Or maybe we go up a set of stairs and that's to increase

the height that you're at and to reach a higher level of a building.

I climbed up the stairs to get to the balcony and watch the sunset.

We also use go up to talk about an increase in

value or an increase in number, as well.

You can also back up, this is a great phrasal verb,

it means to provide extra support or increase

the support that you need.

She backed up her stories with photographic evidence.

You know we might even say that someone backed you up,

they provided support, they argued on your side.

They were supportive of you, so they backed you up.

We say grow up and that means to increase in size or maturity.

We say our kids grow up too quickly.

Cheer up. We use it when we want to improve our mood, right?

To cheer up.

Cheer up, the weather's gonna be better tomorrow.

We also dress up, which means we increase the quality

of our clothes. Maybe we make ourselves look better, look nicer.

All the phrasal verbs in this box relate to create.

You know I love to cook, right? So the phrasal verb,

to cook up,

is a really great one to use when you want to make something,

some food for someone else, to cook up

some dinner, to cook up a steak for example.

It can also mean to get an idea ready, an exciting, interesting idea.

I'm cooking up a plan to do something interesting,

maybe a surprise party.

Now whip up is a little similar to cook up,

it means to cook something but to do it really quickly.

You know I'm just gonna whip up a sandwich during my break.

Right? We wouldn't whip up an entire roast dinner

but we can whip up something quickly.

How about to dream up?

To think of a new idea or to imagine something new,

to be creative with your thoughts.

I dreamed up an entire new plan for the party.

And we use set up when we organise or we plan something

like an event or maybe even a system.

I set up my studio every time I need to film a lesson for you.

Make up is a good one as well. Make up can refer to

inventing or creating a lie or a fake story.

She would often make up stories to make her life

seem more interesting.

Make up. Cool, huh?

Not to be confused with the noun makeup

but the phrasal verb make up is to creatively

think up a story or an idea.

We can also use come up with when we're creating something,

a new idea or a solution because come up with

means to suggest or to think of a new idea.

You know Elon Musk?

Great example.

He comes up with grand plans to save humanity like

electric cars and flying to Mars.

So can you see how all of those phrasal verbs

have something to do with, they're connected to the idea of

creating or making something and that's why

they're grouped together but there are many more of them as well

but that's why paying attention to the particle and the meaning

that the particle offers the verb can help you to learn

and to practise and to remember and even

to guess the meaning of new phrasal verbs.

So in the next box is fix or get better

so to fix something or to repair it, to make it whole again.

Let's go back to make up

because if you make up with someone, you're repairing

your relationship after you've had an argument.

Sarah and John had another argument but they always make up.

And again, that's not to be confused with our other meaning right

our noun or our other phrasal verb meaning, to make up.

Heal up is another one.

Heal up is when an injury gets better.

His broken leg healed up really quickly.

So it fixed itself, it got better.

To sober up, means to become less drunk or intoxicated.

Coffee and breakfast will help you to sober up

after a long, crazy night out on the town.

Patch up is a great one. A little informal but a lovely phrasal verb.

It means to fix or to make something whole again.

I'm gonna patch up the hole in my jumper.

So that I can use it again. I can wear it again. I'm gonna fix it.

I'll patch it up.

Inside the last box, we have phrasal verbs that mean to complete,

to completely finish something.

We finish up something, we complete it.

Please finish up the design by Friday.

Another phrasal verb with a similar meaning is wrap up.

It's almost time to wrap up this lesson.

To finish up, to wrap up.

And we can say drink up.

Drink up

or eat up.

That means finish your food or your drink.

Finish it, we're gonna be late.

Drink up! We're gonna be late.

That's it from me! I really hope that you enjoyed this lesson

and a new different way of learning phrasal verbs,

focusing on the particle and the meaning

that the particle gives the phrasal verb.

Now don't forget to download that workbook,

there's extra practice in there and you'll be able to review

and revise everything that we went through in this lesson.

And if you enjoyed it, please make sure you hit that subscribe

button down there, you give the lesson a like.

All of it really helps mmmEnglish.

So thank you for watching.

If you want to continue learning about phrasal verbs, check out

this one right here

and I'll see you in there!