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Anonymous Posted 14 years ago
Vocabulary

"put up" and "get by"

Are these two verbs somewhat interchangeable?
  

Top answer

No, not in any context that I can think of. Could you give an example of a sentence where you think they are interchangeable?

  • No, not in any context that I can think of.
  • Could you give an example of a sentence where you think they are interchangeable?
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18 Answers
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No, not in any context that I can think of. Could you give an example of a sentence where you think they are interchangeable?
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Are these two have different meanings? or I am making a mistake?

I can get by with four computers at the moment.
I can put up with four computers at the moment.
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I can get by with four computers -- but I wish I had more!

I can put up with one annoying neighbor -- but two is just too much!

In other words, if you put up with something, you can tolerate it. But it would be better if it were not there at all.

If you can get by with something, it's barely sufficient. it would be better if there were more.
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Thanks, so "get by" means the situation is working but you wish for better whereas "put up" means the situation is in the margin of the toleration. However, both of them bear the meaning of being not suitable. Right?
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youzou However, both of them bear the meaning of being not suitable. Right?
True, but both rabbits and seals are covered with fur. I don't think unsuitability is a sufficient measure of synonymy.
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A mad scientist is doing some complex computations and his deadline to finish is one month. If he had 100 computers, he could divide the computation over all the computers and finish in 1 day.. He could get by with just four computers; each computer would work on the problem for 25 days.
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A business person has four computers - his smart phone, his work com
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These are used together in certain situations, so there is a kind of relationship between them. But their meanings are different and they can't be interchanged:

I put up a good front and was able to get by customs without being searched.

The police put up a roadblock but we had disguised ourselves well and were able to get by it with no trouble.
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Mister Micawberbut both rabbits and seals are covered with fur.
I am so grateful for your answer, and I have no intention to be ironic and I just want to learn. In my language when someone talk like this it means that he/she wants to be ironic that the second person do not understand and it can be assumed that the first one is mocking the other one. Is it the
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In my language when someone talk like this— Talks like what? I think you have run into a far greater language problem for yourself than merely learning the vocabulary and grammar of L2. What tells you that what I have written is ironic or in any other way confrontational?
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No. I told you that I just want to learn English culture. Perhaps you misunderstood that. I give you an example why that was important for me. Well, in English I've learnt that I should ask with more delicate way, for instance use "Could", "Would" or more casual "Can" when I am asking for something to be polite, otherwise it perhaps sounds rude. For instance, I can ask a stranger in the street "Wh

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