Work Up: (3)
Grammar Tense Structure:
- Present Tense: work / works up
- Past Tense: worked up
- Past Participle: worked up
- Present Participle: working up
1: When you gradually improve at something difficult that you do regularly, you work up to that improvement.
non-separable phrasal verb
- You’ll never be immediately fluent in English, you have to practice consistently and work up to it
- I was so unfit when I started training I could only manage about 1km or running, but after 5 months, I’ve worked up to 5km
2: When you gradually develop the energy, confidence, courage, and so on, to do something difficult or something you do not want to do, you work up the energy, confidence, courage, and so on. When you gradually develop a feeling, you work up the feeling.
non-separable phrasal verb
- It took me such a long time to work up the nerve to ask my boss for a raise.
- I really worked up a sweat in the gym today. I feel amazing
- Working up a sweat at the gym really works up an appetite for when you finish.
3: When you are anxious, worried, or upset about something, you are worked up or worked up about it.
adjective – informal
- What are you all worked up at, it’s me the boss wants to see, not you!
- Don’t get all worked up, I’ve called the boss to say we are stuck in traffic and will be there as quick as I can and she was ok.
