Is anything holding you up at work?
Listen in today as Lindsay and Aubrey talk about phrasal verbs that use the word ‘up.’
You’ll learn these common phrases and how you can use them in the business world.
Held up at work?
Lindsay asks Aubrey if there is anything holding her up at work lately.
This means something that is hindering you from moving forward or progressing.
Aubrey mentions that she had to send an email to a software company that hosts their course platform.
Waiting for their response is holding her up.
It can be frustrating but she is hopeful it will get resolved soon.
Lindsay agrees that if your workflow is being disrupted, it can feel frustrating because it halts your productivity for the day or the week.
Today’s episode is part 2 of a series.
In part 1, they discussed phrasal verbs with ‘up’ we use both at work and in conversations such as ‘hold up’, ‘keep up’, and many more.
You can listen to this series out of order.
Part 1 is episode AEE: 2386 Wait Up! English Phrasal Verbs for Softening Imperatives.
Don’t miss it to learn more about these phrasal verbs.
Phrasal verbs with ‘up’
Today you’ll learn several phrasal verbs that have the word ‘up’ in them.
These are often much more informal than verbs with the same meaning.
Lindsay and Aubrey share the definitions and some examples with a mini-roleplay too.
#1: Hold up
This means the same as ‘wait.’
It is often used to interrupt when something is surprising.
Example:
- Hold up. Did you say they haven’t signed the contract yet?
Mini roleplay
Lindsay: So we won’t know about that until Q2 but we can…
Aubrey: Hold up, why won’t we know about that until Q2?
#2: Keep up
This is an expression used to tell someone to pay attention and follow along.
Another meaning is to stay up-to-date and on track.
Examples:
- We’re going to go through the next agenda items quickly so please try to keep up.
- I’m having a hard time keeping up with my tasks.
#3: Bring up
This means to raise a matter for discussion or to take something into consideration.
Examples:
- I need to bring up our concerns at the next meeting.
- Sorry to bring this up again, but we still need to resolve the HR issue.
#4: Speak up
This is used to express one’s opinions frankly and openly.
The second meaning of ‘speak up’ is talk more loudly.
Examples:
- I’ve witnessed some disturbing behavior and it’s time I speak up.
- You need to speak up if you want your boss to know how hard you’ve been working!
- Speak up! We can’t hear you very well.
#5: Build up
This is used to establish and develop an organization or situation over a period of time.
Another meaning to the phrase ‘build up’ is to increase gradually, typically of something negative and leading to a problem or crisis.
You can use the phrase ‘build up’ as a noun to mean a gradual accumulation or increase, typically of something negative and typically leading to a problem or crisis
Examples:
- We’ve been building up our staff and are now in a good position to expand.
- Forms that need to be processed are building up. We may need to hire another person to help with this workload.
- We have quite a buildup of forms that need to be processed.
Roleplay
Here is a quick roleplay using the phrases shared in today’s episode.
This will help you better understand how to use these in a typical English conversation.
In this scenario Aubrey and Lindsay are in a stand up marketing department meeting.
Aubrey: I’ll be tackling logo selection today. We have a buildup of options since I’ve been having a hard time keeping up with submissions.
Lindsay: Sounds good. I know those had been building up for awhile. That’s good though – I’m glad so many were sent in.
Aubrey: Yes! I was going to bring that up at the meeting this Friday. That was a great idea to ask for submissions from all departments.
Lindsay: Hold up. Was that Anne’s idea? I’m glad she spoke up!
Takeaway
We use many phrasal verbs with ‘up’ in business English.
Use today’s tips to speak up at work in a native and natural way.
You want to grow your vocabulary arsenal so you get to keep the conversation exciting and dynamic and not use a lot of boring and basic phrases.
Expressing yourself well is very important to create good connections, even at work.
You need the words to use to share your ideas and projects you’re working on.
Use these phrasal verbs to make your conversations sound more natural.
What are other phrasal verbs do you often hear at work?
Share one in the comment section below.
