The phrasal verb that we are going to look at today is one of those that you come to understand after seeing many examples, but which in practice is extremely difficult to translate. There is not, in fact, a good equivalence for work up in Portuguese. So what we are going to do today is to try to understand the general idea that this verb conveys, but without focusing too much on specific translations.
Let’s start with some examples, so you can start to intuitively understand the most common sense of work up ; then we will move on to explanations.
It’s strange, but I can’t work up any enthusiasm for the trip.
It’s strange, but I can’t generate enthusiasm for the trip.
We worked up a real appetite climbing in the mountains .
We work up a real appetite by climbing the mountains.
He worked up the courage to ask her for some help .
He mustered up the courage to ask her for help.
As you can see, in each of the above cases work up was translated differently: “generate” (enthusiasm), “open” (appetite), “gather” (courage). But although the translation varies, you may notice that there is a common theme here, as in all cases work up refers to the “creation” of a sensation or emotion (enthusiasm, appetite, courage) through any effort whatsoever.
In the first case, the subject of the sentence makes an effort but cannot create enthusiasm for the trip. In the second, the effort of walking (or climbing) through the mountains is what generates (creates) the appetite. In the third, it is implied that it took time for the subject to “gather (create) the courage” to ask for help.
With that, we have the main meaning of work up . However, there are other senses as well. Read on and let’s go through them one by one.
1 – As we have just seen, work up means “to generate”, “to gather”, “to open (appetite)”, and so on. Check out:
It’s strange, but I can’t work up any enthusiasm for going on this trip.
It’s strange, but I can’t generate enthusiasm for the trip.
We worked up a real appetite climbing in the mountains.
We work up a real appetite by climbing the mountains.
I can’t work up any enthusiasm for this plan.
I can’t muster enthusiasm for this plan.
(Or I can’t get excited about this plan.)
You went running and barely worked up a sweat.
You went out for a run and you’ve barely started to sweat.
(Or…barely “generated” sweat.)
We went for a long walk to work up an appetite.
We went for a long walk to work up an appetite.
I really worked up an appetite on that hike. Let’s grab something to eat.
I worked up a real appetite on the walk. Let’s get something to eat.
Swimming always works up an appetite.
Swimming always whets the appetite.
I wasn’t hungry, but I’d worked up a thirst.
I wasn’t hungry, but I had become thirsty.
(Note that in this last sentence the translation does not show what the English sentence does, namely that “I got thirsty” because of an effort I made.)
You can really work up a sweat doing housework.
You can actually get a sweat doing housework.
Your creative talents can also be put to good use, if you can work up the energy.
Your creative talents can also be put to good use, if you can generate the energy.
Malcolm worked up the nerve to ask Grandma Rose for some help.
Malcolm mustered up the courage to ask Grandma Rose for help.
2 – A second common sense of work up is also “getting nervous/distressed” or “getting agitated”, usually because you are thinking too much about something worrying. In these cases, it is common to use worked up about or worked up over something to say “worried about something”. Check it out:
You’re getting worked up over nothing — I’m sure the doctor will tell you it’s nothing.
You’re getting nervous about nothing. I’m sure the doctor will tell you it’s nothing.
Mom sounded really worked up when I spoke to her on the phone.
Mom sounded extremely nervous when I spoke to her on the phone.
Don’t just lie there working yourself up , do something about it.
Don’t just sit there fretting , do something about it.
Try not to work up Mom too much. We just want to have a nice relaxing afternoon.
Try not to make Mom too agitated . We just want to have a nice relaxing afternoon.
What are you so worked up about?
What are you so excited about ?
3 – Work up can also be used in relation to work. It’s a rarer use, but every now and then you come across it: here, work up means “develop”, “assemble”, “create” or “work on” something in a work context.
I sketched the layout of a prototype store and worked up a business plan.
I made a sketch of a shop prototype and set up a business plan.
I’d like you to work up the next set of guidelines.
I would like you to work on the next set of policies.
They asked me to work up some sample drawings and bring them down.
They asked me to create some model drawings and bring them to them .
(Bring down, in the sentence above, probably implies that “they” meet in an office on a lower floor, in the same building. English and its details…)
If you have time, work some slides up for the presentation.
If you have time, put together some slides for the presentation .
4 – When used in relation to a person’s career, work up means that he has progressed or moved from a lower level to a higher one thanks to his own effort. In cases like this, you’ll often see the phrase work one’s way up . We can usually translate as “forward” or “reach/reach”, but sometimes the entire sentence needs to be restructured so that the translation sounds natural.
You can work up to more advanced techniques once you’ve mastered the basics.
You can get to more advanced techniques once you’ve mastered the basics.
Mr. Mahoney famously worked his way up from an entry level position to become the publisher.
It is famous that Mr Mahoney has progressed from an entry-level position to becoming an editor.
He worked his way up from a paper boy to America’s most famous inventor.
He progressed from a newspaper delivery boy to America’s most famous inventor.
5 – Finally, a very technical sense of work up is to “prepare” a patient for surgery, which actually consists of checking the patient’s history, previous exams, etc., in order to ensure once again that everything is fine. in order before surgery. It is very rare to see work ups in this sense – I myself only became aware of it when writing this post – but we have included some examples just for the sake of conscience. We translate as “prepare” or “fix” in the absence of a better idea, but if any doctor is reading these lines and has a better suggestion, please speak up and correct us!.
The staff worked up three patients for surgery that morning.
The team prepared three patients for surgery that morning.
The doctor tells the nurse to work Mr. Franklin up for surgery.
The doctor told the nurse to get Mr Franklin ready for surgery.
Can you cover the desk for me while I finish working up these patients?
You can cover the table for me while I finish setting up these three patients.
And here we conclude today’s long post . What did you think – were the meanings of work up clear?
