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Jesusengland Posted 18 years ago
Grammar

It took ages to clean up the mess

Hello.

-It took ages to clean up the mess.
-It took ages to clean the mess.

Do to clean and to clean up have the same meaning ?
Do mess and dirt have the same meaning?

Thanks.
  

Top answer

In your sentences both work - clean/clean up. Mess is not the same as dirt. Mess implies some kind of disorder whereas dirt is just dirt!

— Optilang

  • In your sentences both work - clean/clean up.
  • Mess is not the same as dirt.
  • Mess implies some kind of disorder whereas dirt is just dirt!
  • Tidy yourself up - you look a mess!
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5 Answers
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In your sentences both work - clean/clean up.

Mess is not the same as dirt. Mess implies some kind of disorder whereas dirt is just dirt!

Tidy yourself up - you look a mess!
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Jesusengland-It took ages to clean up the mess.
-It took ages to clean the mess.

Do to clean and to clean up have the same meaning ?
They a
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Hello.

But I can't understand well.

Why is it said "you're cleaning up the mess" and not "you're cleaning the mess"?

Thanks.
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An example of a mess is a clutter of papers and books on a table.
Cleaning is washing or polishing.
Are you taking each piece of paper and each book off the table and washing or polishing it and then placing back on the table? No. Therefore you are not cleaning the mess.
You are rearranging the papers and books so that they are more neatly stacked and ordered. You pick up (an
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Hello.

So, is it wrong to say "to clean the hotel, room..." (instead of "to clean up the hotel, room)?

Thanks.
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