Phrasal Verb: Pick up

This is a phrasal verb. It has two parts. The first part is the verb pick. The second part is the particle up. Together, they create a new meaning. This meaning is different from just pick. You are not choosing something. You are lifting or getting something. It is a separable phrasal verb. This means you can put words in the middle. You can say pick up the book. You can also say pick the book up. Both are perfect. It is like a grammar sandwich. The object is the filling in the middle.

1. 1Start with the verb pick.
2. 2Add the particle up.
3. 3Add your object after the particle. Example: pick up + the keys.
4. 4Or, put the object in the middle. Example: pick + the keys + up.
5. 5If you use a pronoun like it or them, use the middle. Example: pick it up.
6. 6Change the verb for different times. Use picked up for the past. Use picking up for right now.

Use it when you lift something physically. Imagine you drop your phone. You need to pick it up quickly! Use it when you go to get someone. Imagine your friend is at the train station. You drive there to pick them up. Use it when you buy something small. You can pick up some milk at the store. Use it when you learn something without trying hard. You can pick up a few Spanish words on vacation. Use it when you answer the phone. You pick up the call to say hello. It is also great for cleaning. You pick up your clothes from the floor. Yes, even native speakers hate doing that chores part!

Do not use it for physical growth. You do not pick up in height. You grow up or get taller. Do not use it for choosing things in a shop. Use pick or choose for that. If you are writing a very formal legal document, avoid it. Use collect or acquire instead. However, for 99% of your life, pick up is better. It feels warm and friendly. Do not use it for waking up. That is get up or wake up. Don't mix those up, or you might try to lift your bed!

The biggest mistake is the pronoun trap. Never say pick up it. It sounds very wrong to a native ear. Always say pick it up. Think of the pronoun as a shy person. They must hide in the middle of the phrasal verb. Another mistake is using the wrong preposition. Do not say pick on or pick at when you mean lift. Pick on means to be mean to someone. You don't want to do that! Also, remember the past tense. It is picked up, not pick upped. The ed goes on the verb, not the particle.

Compare pick up with take up. Take up means to start a new hobby. You take up tennis. You pick up a tennis racket. Compare it with get up. Get up is leaving your bed. Pick up is lifting something else. Compare it with bring up. Bring up is mentioning a topic in a meeting. Pick up is collecting a package. It is like a grammar traffic light. Green means pick up for lifting. Yellow means take up for hobbies. Red means stop and check your dictionary!