Phrasal Verb: Bring up

Bring up is a separable phrasal verb. This means you can split it. You can put a noun in the middle. You can also put a noun at the end. Both ways are correct in English. However, pronouns like it or them are different. They must go in the middle. You cannot say bring up it. That sounds very strange to native speakers. Yes, even native speakers mess this up sometimes. Just remember the "sandwich rule." The pronoun is the filling in the sandwich. It stays between bring and up. This makes your English flow much better. It is a small rule with a big impact.

1. 1Using bring up follows a few simple steps.
2. 2Choose your subject like I, You, or They.
3. 3Pick the correct tense for the verb bring.
4. 4Use bring for the present tense.
5. 5Use brought for the past tense.
6. 6Decide where to put your object.
7. 7Place the object after up or between them.
8. 8Always put pronouns in the middle position.
9. 9For example, I brought up the kids is good. I brought them up is also good. But I brought up them is a mistake. Keep your pronouns in the middle. It is like a safe zone for them.

Use bring up when talking about family. It describes the work of raising a child. You can use it for your own childhood. You can use it for your friends. It is a warm and personal phrase.

Another time to use it is in meetings. Use it when you want to mention a topic. Imagine you are at a job interview. You want to talk about your skills. You can bring up your past experience. Or imagine you are ordering food. You want to ask about a discount. You bring up the coupon you have. It is perfect for starting new discussions. It feels polite and professional. It shows you are confident in your speaking.

Do not use bring up for physical lifting. If you lift a box, use pick up. Bring up is for ideas or people. It is not for heavy objects.

Also, do not use it for growing tall. If a plant gets bigger, it grows. If a person gets taller, they grow up. Bring up is the action the parents do. The child is the one who grows up. This is a very common mix-up. Think of bring up as the help given. Think of grow up as the natural process. Do not use bring up for pets usually. We often use raise for animals. Keep bring up for humans and conversations.

Many people say bringed up. This is not a real word. The past tense is always brought up. It is an irregular verb pattern.

Another mistake is the pronoun placement. People say I will bring up it. This feels very clunky and wrong. Always say I will bring it up.

Some people use bring up for themselves. They say I brought up in London. This is wrong because it needs an object. You should say I was brought up in London. This is the passive form. It means your parents raised you there. It is a small change but very important.

Let's compare bring up with grow up. This is the biggest hurdle for learners. Bring up needs a parent or guardian. My mom brought me up. Grow up is about the child's life. I grew up in Italy.

Compare it also with mention. Mention is more formal than bring up. You might mention a fact in a report. You bring up a topic in a chat.

Finally, compare it with raise. These are almost the same for kids. She raised three kids is like She brought up three kids. However, raise is used for animals too. You raise chickens, but you don't bring them up. Unless the chickens are very talented!