The more I study the English language, the more I have to concentrate to understand how it works. I’ve been trying to decipher its secrets for a very long time, but it’s a helluva tough job. It’s like trying to get out of a giant maze.
If English is not your native tongue, than the learning curve is a lot steeper. Today’s post is understanding the word “UP”. If you look “Up” at your nearest library’s dictionary, the definition would be something like this: “Aloft; on high; in a direction contrary to that of gravity; toward or in a higher place or position; above; —the opposite of down. ”
As you can see, the concept is quite simple to understand…..“the opposite of down”. Even a first grader would understand that. Do you agree? Great. Now let’s dig a little deeper with the definition.
If UP means going towards a higher place or position, like the image on the top of this page which you will find by looking UP, then when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP?
At a meeting, why does a topic come UP? Why do we speak UP and why are the officers UP for election and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report?
We call UP our friends, we brighten UP a room, we polish UP the silver, we warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen. We lock UP the house and some guys fix UP the old car.
At other times the two-letter word has real special meaning. People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UP excuses.
To be dressed is one thing but to be dressed UP is special. And this UP is confusing:
“A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP. We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night. We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP!
To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP, look the word UP in the dictionary. In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost 1/4th of the page and can add UP to about thirty definitions .
If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used. It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don’t give UP, you may wind UP with a hundred or more.
When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP. When the sun comes out we say it is clearing UP. When it rains, it wets UP the earth. When it doesn’t rain for awhile, things dry UP.”
I could go on and on in an endless loop, but I’ll wrap it UP for now; my time is UP, so it’s time to shut UP!
Yep, English is a very strange language.
Have a great day!
