Meaning trap
add up
calculate the total
To 'add up' means to calculate the total of several numbers or amounts.
phrasal verbB1common
Don't mix these meanings
Same phrase, different job.
calculate the total
To 'add up' means to calculate the total of several numbers or amounts.
add up (make sense)
Another meaning of 'add up' is 'make sense'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
- Can you add up these receipts for me?money
- In my part-time job, I often have to add up the sales at the end of the day.IELTS speaking
Fix the pattern
Pattern: add up (something)
WrongAdd up them for me.
RightAdd them up for me.
With a pronoun, the object goes in the middle: 'add them up'.
Patternadd up (something)
Use it right
Choose the version that sounds natural in speech.
'Add up' is the everyday verb for totalling numbers; 'calculate the sum of' is textbook.
Build natural chunks
Words that usually travel with it.
add up + numbersthe numbersthe billthe totalthe cost
Don't confuse it
This sense is about numbers and totals, not about logic or sense.
Related
- add up (make sense) — Another meaning of 'add up' is 'make sense'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.