Listening exercises with “Keep up”
to keep up with somebody/something = to stay level, equal or up to date with somebody or something.
This could often be used in a physical sense. For example, imagine a parent walking quickly along the street with their child behind them. If the child is walking slowly, the parent might turn around and say, “Keep up!”. They want the child to stay level with them, not to fall behind.
This phrasal verb could also be used in a non-physical sense, such as with speech. e.g. He gave me the instructions so quickly that I could hardly keep up.
We can also use this phrasal verbs to communicate the idea of staying up to date with the news or developments. e.g. As a fashion designer, it’s very important that I keep up with the latest trends.
If you say, “I can’t keep up”, it means that it is too difficult or impossible for you to stay at the same level as someone or something. e.g. Technology changes so quickly these days that I can’t keep up anymore.
Have a go at these micro-dictation exercises to hear this expression being used in context – how much can you understand?
Leave a Reply