Meaning trap
build up
praise or promote
To talk about someone or something in a very positive way to make them seem important or impressive.
Don't mix these meanings
Same phrase, different job.
To talk about someone or something in a very positive way to make them seem important or impressive.
Another meaning of 'build up' is 'increase gradually'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
- The manager really built up the new project in the meeting.communication
- Sometimes, companies build up their products to attract more customers.IELTS speaking
Fix the pattern
Pattern: build (someone/something) up
WrongThey built up it too much.
RightThey built it up too much.
With a pronoun, the object goes in the middle: 'build it up'.
Patternbuild (someone/something) up
Use it right
Choose the version that sounds natural in speech.
'Excessively extolled prior to release' is formal; 'built it up' is the natural, slightly wry verb.
Build natural chunks
Words that usually travel with it.
build up + hypeit uptoo muchthe hypeso much
Don't confuse it
Not the same as 'show off', which means to display oneself, not to praise others.
Related
- build up (increase gradually) — Another meaning of 'build up' is 'increase gradually'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.