Broken up and Broken

Question

Hi friends,Could you please tell me different between these sentences:The paint was broken up in eighteenth century,The paint was broken in eighteenth century,and another one:I am going to open up my office.I am going to open my office.Thanks, Masoud

MrPedantic · Accepted Answer

Hello Masoud

It's difficult to say without more context; but I'd say that in the "office" example, the "up" adds a little more emphasis to the act of opening the office.

The "paint" example sounds rather strange. Is there a typo?

MrP

Masoud · Answer

Thanks MrP,

The complete sentence is:

Becouse the Maesta was broken up in the eighteenth centry, the power and beauty of Duccio's original work must be imagined today from its scattered parts.

I am now opening up my own company. ( This is context of an invition card.) could you explain me a little more about this sentence?

M

MrPedantic · Answer

Hello Masoud

Thanks for that – it's much clearer now!

In the first example, "broken up" means "intentionally divided into its constituent panels".

In the second example, "open up" has the sense of "start up". The present continuous tense here ("I am opening up") gives a sense of doing something "now" that will continue into the "near future" (though the present continuous can have other implications too, in other contexts).

MrP

Milky · Answer

Masoud
Hi friends,

Could you please tell me different between these sentences:

The paint was broken up in eighteenth century,

The paint was broken in eighteenth century,

and another one:

I am going to open up my office.

I am going to open my office.

Thanks,

Masoud

The use of "up" in such expressions commonly expresses perfectivity (i.e. completion, totality.).

E.G. Eat your dinner.

Eat your dinner up. (Finish it completely)

"Broken up into pieces" is a common expression.

MrPedantic · Answer

MilkyThe use of "up" in such expressions commonly expresses perfectivity (i.e. completion, totality.).

Interesting.

How does that work with "open up"?

MrP

Milky · Answer

MrPedantic
Milky
The use of "up" in such expressions commonly expresses perfectivity (i.e. completion, totality.).

Interesting.

How does that work with "open up"?

MrP

I suppose that would depend on what the speaker means by "open up". Some commentators have noticed that particles such as "up" are added to express an action that leads to a conclusion. Others have said that a resultant state is being expressed. But, we should be cautious when assinging perfectivity to all uses of phrasal verbs over simplex verbs. Phrasal verbs such as "chatter away" and "***** about" do not express completion but incompletion. Also, often, a more intense feeling about the action is expressed through the added "particle".

Possibilities:

I'm going to open up an office/I'm going to open an office. (Same meaning, but with more an action with intensity expressed in the former example.)

I'm going to open my office after a long winter. (?Open for business)

I'm going to open up my office after a long winter. (?Completely open all doors and windows in order to air it the office open))

------------

Milky · Answer

( "eat" is atelic but
"eat up" is telic)

According to:

http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/b-greek/1998-June/000149.html

MrPedantic · Answer

We also have to bear in mind the possibility that the speaker has an unusual personal sense of the difference between "open" and "open up"; or uses words carelessly; or has been badly advised; or has misunderstood good advice.

The longest threads in this forum relate to defective utterances.

MrP

Broken up and Broken

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions