Listening exercises with “Back up”
The phrasal verb to back up or to back someone/something up has a few different meanings.
- to back someone up = to support someone
If we are helping or supporting someone in a difficult or challenging situation, then we are backing them up:
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We can use this phrasal verb as a noun, backup, to mean extra support:
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- to back someone/something up = to provide supportive evidence for something, to say that something is true
If someone makes a claim, then they might need to back it up with evidence to show that it is true:
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If someone backs you up in this way, then they are confirming that what you are saying is the truth:
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- to back something up = to make a copy of digital information
If you back up your files, then you are making a copy of them for security, in case anything happens to the original. Again, this is often used as a noun, backup:
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We can use backup more generally, to describe things that can be used if something happens to the original:
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- to back up = to reverse/go backwards
When someone is backing up their car, then they are reversing:
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We can use this phrasal verb figuratively, to ask someone to ‘reverse’ or go back a little bit in what they are saying. This is usually because we want to hear something again, or because we have not understood something:
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Finally, if traffic backs up, then cars are stuck in congestion or a traffic jam.
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Here are some more examples of this phrasal verb being used in context – how much can you understand?
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