give up/give up on

Question

I'm afraid we have to give up the plan.I'm afraid we have to give up on the plan.Are the above two samples both right? If yes, are there subtle differences between them? Thanks.

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

They both amount to discontinuing the plan.

If you give it up, you simply stop any activity aimed at implementing the plan. It may have been a good plan, but maybe you ran out of money, so you had to give it up. If it was a good plan, you probably didn't give up on it. You still had the potential to produce good results.

If, on the other hand, you give up on it, you not only stop activity, that is, give it up, but you stop it because you can no longer depend on it to give the results you want. You no longer trust it, in a way. Giving up on something may even occur before it has started. You give up on the very idea of trying it. You come to believe that it is useless to continue.

I gave up sweets in order to lose weight. (I stopped eating sweets.)
I gave up on trying to convince them that I was right. (I stopped trying because I lost all confidence that I could convince them. I could see that it was useless. They had already made up their minds.)

CJ

Angliholic · Answer

Thanks, Jim, for the marvellous explanation and samples.

By the way, based on your post, I guess that "give up on the plan" maybe derives from "give up our hope/confidence/expection on the plan." Am I reasonable?

give up/give up on

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