English Language

Polly

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Hia


Lovers of the English language might enjoy this. It is yet another example of why people learning English have trouble with the language. Learning the nuances of English makes it a difficult language. (But then, that's probably true of many languages.)

There is a two-letter word in English that perhaps has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that word is 'UP.' It is listed in the dictionary as being used as an [adv], [prep], [adj], [n] or [v].


It's easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but 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 and we use it to brighten UP a room, 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 little word has a 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 1/4 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 t he 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 does not rain for awhile, things dry UP.

One could go on & on, but I'll wrap it UP , for now ........my time is UP , so time to shut UP!

Hope you liked it.
I must own UP this was passed onto me, so I thought I would share it with you
:D:D
 
Polly,
I know that you believe I understand what I think you said, but I’m not sure I realize that what you said is not what you meant, I think

Dezi
 
up seems to change the meaning aswell. stumped to a lot means lost dont know cannot think no idea .. stumped up means its cost me money :D:D
 
I came to this forum to polish UP my English or to warm it UP a little bit. But what I see now: you all made it UP so I’m pretty mixed UP now. I give it UP to UPhold appaerances; you can all go UP my back now if you rub in UP again.
Thumbs UP
:p:D:D
 
the up shot of it is the english language is weird :eek: as are we english :D . take for instance UPSIDE DOWN. how can the upside be down as the upside must be uppermost all the time no matter whether it be upside down or upperside up :confused: i am :D:D:D
 
Polly,
I know that you believe I understand what I think you said, but I’m not sure I realize that what you said is not what you meant, I think

Dezi

I know that you believe you understand what you think I said , but I'm not sure you realise that what you heard is not what I meant.
Robert McCloskey
 
Ups again

Hi Polly,

I will give a clue! Put a space between the 3rd letter and fourth letter, between the 6th and the 7th letter....and so on! you can work out the rest of it yourself .. and NO, it is not Irish!

Len
 
English

Hi friends

Clue number 2! After inserting the spaces just reverse the order of the letters! See - it is easy.

Len
 
I got fed UP halfway through, sorry to bring that UP polly but you know when you get ill You throw UP, well you are really throwing DOWN............. Well I am UP to my neck in this now so I can only Pack UP, or Give UP, because its begining to bring me DOWN and being a DOWN and out and DOWN at heel I don't want to let you DOWN, by being DOWN cast...... I mean life is just full of UPS ... and ..DOWNS:D
 

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