Exploring the Versatile Phrasal Verb: Keep up

Phrasal verbs are a vital part of everyday English, often posing a challenge for learners due to their idiomatic nature. Mastering them, however, significantly boosts comprehension and fluency. Today, we're diving deep into one of the most common and versatile ones: keep up. This phrasal verb has several meanings, from maintaining pace with someone to staying informed about current affairs, or even continuing an effort. By the end of this post, you'll understand the different meanings of keep up, how to use it correctly in various contexts, discover related synonyms, and test your new knowledge with some practice questions. Let's get started on your journey to effectively using this essential English phrasal verb!

Table of Contents

• What Does Keep up Mean?
• Structure with Keep up
• Related Phrases and Synonyms
• Practice Time!
• Conclusion

What Does Keep up Mean?

The phrasal verb keep up is a truly multifaceted expression, frequently peppering everyday English conversations and texts. Its core idea often revolves around maintaining a certain level, standard, or pace, preventing a gap from forming or ensuring continuity. However, its specific meaning can change significantly depending on the context and the prepositions or adverbs that might accompany it, such as 'with' or if it's used separably with an object. Understanding these nuances is absolutely key to using keep up effectively and sounding more like a native speaker. We'll explore these different facets in detail.

More: Understanding the Phrasal Verb 'Keep To': Usage and Meaning

Structure with Keep up

Exploring its meanings, let's delve into the different structures of the phrasal verb keep up. This versatile verb can shift its meaning based on context, so understanding these variations is crucial for accurate use. We'll break down its primary meanings with examples. The phrasal verb keep up is essential for expressing continuity and maintaining status.

Meaning 1: To Maintain Pace or Level

This is arguably the most frequent use of keep up. It signifies the effort to not fall behind, whether physically, academically, or in any competitive or comparative situation. It implies that someone or something is setting a pace, and another is striving to match it.

• Structure 1.1 (With a direct object of comparison): Subject + keep up + with + noun/pronoun

  • This structure explicitly states who or what one is trying to match.
  • Example 1: The experienced hikers set a fast pace, and the beginners found it challenging to keep up with them.
  • Example 2: Technology changes so rapidly; it's a constant effort for companies to keep up with the latest innovations.
  • Teacher's Tip: Notice how "with" introduces the benchmark or the person/thing setting the pace.

• Structure 1.2 (General, without direct object of 'with'): Subject + keep up

  • Used when the context makes it clear what pace or level is being referred to, or when speaking generally.
  • Example 1: "Please slow down a bit! I'm trying my best, but I can't keep up."
  • Example 2: In a fast-moving discussion, if you don't pay attention, you won't be able to keep up.

Meaning 2: To Continue or Maintain Something

This meaning of keep up focuses on the continuation of an action, effort, standard, or the maintenance of something in a particular state, often a good condition. It’s about not letting something stop or deteriorate.

• Structure 2.1 (Continue an activity, standard, or payment): Subject + keep up + noun phrase (e.g., the good work, the payments, standards, a tradition)

  • This implies persistence and diligence.
  • Example 1: "Your progress reports are excellent! Please keep up the good work and dedication."
  • Example 2: It’s financially challenging, but they are determined to keep up the monthly payments on their mortgage.
  • Note: This usage often carries a positive connotation, encouraging persistence.

• Structure 2.2 (Maintain an appearance or pretense): Subject + keep up + appearances / a facade / a pretense

  • This refers to the effort of maintaining an outward show that might not reflect reality, often to avoid embarrassment or scrutiny.
  • Example 1: Despite facing significant personal problems, she managed to keep up appearances at work, smiling and acting cheerful.
  • Example 2: The old castle requires a lot of money to keep up its majestic appearance.

Meaning 3: To Stay Informed

This usage of keep up is all about staying current with news, information, developments, or trends. It's crucial in our fast-paced world.

• Structure 3.1 (Stay informed using 'with'): Subject + keep up + with + noun (e.g., the news, current events, technology, a subject)

  • This is the most common structure for this meaning.
  • Example 1: As a journalist, it's her job to keep up with global political developments.
  • Example 2: Many people find it difficult to keep up with all the new social media platforms.

• Structure 3.2 (Stay informed using 'on' - less common): Subject + keep up + on + noun (e.g., a topic, research)

  • While 'with' is more prevalent, 'on' can also be used, sometimes implying a more focused or specialized area of information.
  • Example 1: He subscribes to several academic journals to keep up on the latest research in his field.
  • Example 2: "Could you help me keep up on what's happening while I'm on vacation?"

Meaning 4: To Prevent from Sleeping (Separable)

This meaning is distinct because "keep up" often becomes separable: keep (someone) up. It refers to something or someone causing a person to remain awake or preventing them from going to bed.

• Structure 4.1 (Something/someone causes wakefulness): Subject (cause) + keep + object (person) + up
  • The 'subject' here is typically the reason for sleeplessness (noise, worry, work, etc.).
  • Example 1: The loud celebrations from the neighbors kept us up most of the night.
  • Example 2: I have an early flight, so I hope my excitement doesn't keep me up.
  • Key Point: Notice the object (me, us, him, her, them, the children) comes between "keep" and "up". This is a hallmark of many separable phrasal verbs. Learning to keep up with these variations will improve your English.

More: Mastering 'Keep On': Meaning, Usage, and Practice

Related Phrases and Synonyms

Understanding synonyms can greatly enhance your vocabulary and help you express yourself more precisely, especially when dealing with a versatile phrasal verb like keep up. Here are some synonyms and related phrases for keep up, corresponding to its different meanings. Using these alternatives can make your English sound more varied and sophisticated.

These alternatives are excellent tools for enriching your expressive range. When you encounter "keep up," consider if one of these synonyms might offer a slightly different shade of meaning or simply provide variety in your language.

More: Keep At: Mastering the Phrasal Verb - Meanings and Usage

Practice Time!

Let's test your understanding of the phrasal verb keep up with a few questions. Choose the best option for each, or fill in the blank as required. This will help solidify what you've learned about how to keep up your English skills!

Question 1: Which sentence best uses "keep up" to mean 'maintain the same speed'? a) She needs to keep up her good grades. b) The loud music will keep up the baby. c) Try to keep up with the group leader on the hike. d) I read the news to keep up with current events.

Correct answer: c

Question 2: "If you want to succeed in this field, you must _____ the latest research." Which phrase best completes the sentence? a) keep up appearances b) keep up with c) keep up the payments d) keep someone up

Correct answer: b

Question 3: The manager told the team, "Excellent performance this quarter! _____ the good work!" What is the most appropriate phrasal verb phrase? a) Keep up b) Keep off c) Keep on d) Keep to

Correct answer: a

Question 4: "I was so worried about the presentation that it ______ all night." Which option correctly completes the sentence to mean 'prevented from sleeping'? a) kept me up b) kept up me c) up kept me d) keep me up

Correct answer: a

Question 5: Fill in the blank: "It's important to __________ with the changes in the industry to remain competitive." a) keep up on b) keep up with c) keep with up d) keep on up

Correct answer: b

How did you do? Revisiting the examples and explanations can help clarify any points of confusion. Consistent practice is key to mastering phrasal verbs like keep up. Don't be discouraged if you made a mistake; learning is a process!

Conclusion

Mastering the phrasal verb keep up is a rewarding endeavor that significantly enhances your command of the English language. As we've explored, its rich versatility allows it to convey a range of meanings – from maintaining pace and staying informed to continuing efforts and even causing sleeplessness. By familiarizing yourself with its various structures, common contexts, and related synonyms, you can wield keep up with greater confidence and precision. Remember, consistent exposure and active practice are the cornerstones of language acquisition. So, continue to explore, use keep up in your daily conversations and writing, and you'll find your English fluency steadily improving. Keep up the fantastic learning journey!