Cut Up: (4)

Grammar Tense Structure:

• Present Tense: cut / cuts up
• Past Tense: cut up
• Past Participle: cut up
• Present Participle: cutting up

1: If you cut something up, you use a knife or scissors to make the object into many small pieces

separable & non-separable phrasal verb

• He has to cut the chicken up for the children to eat.
• He has to cut up the chicken that’s already been cooked and is still boiling in the pot.
  
• Can you cut up the picture with the all of us in it standing under the Eiffel Tower?
• You need to cut up all the red onions that are in the small brown bag

2: To drive aggressively and move into the path of another driver as you overtake them

separable phrasal verb

• The driver started shouting at the boy racer who cut him up at the traffic lights.
• The young driver cut the motorbike up on the country road and he ended up in a ditch.

3: A sports pitch becomes churned and a huge mess and because of too much activity

non-separable phrasal verb

• After the game, the football pitch was cut up and needs to be relayed before the next match.
• The racecourse was severely cut up after more than 20 horses were racing on it.

4: When you are upset or very sad about some disappointing or bad news

separable & non-separable phrasal verb

• I was so cut up after the news I didn’t get the job.
• She was so cut up with all the bullying and criticism.
• It cut me up when I didn’t get the promotion I was promised!