Phrasal verb: To Add Up

Add up (Phrasal Verb)

Meaning: Add up in American English is an expression used for casual conversations that means to make sense or to be reasonable. We usually use this phrasal verb in a negative sentence = "doesn't add up."

  • If something adds up, it makes sense. It is probable or correct.
  • If something doesn't add up, it doesn't make sense or it is unreasonable.

Take a look at this sentence:

"Her story didn't add up, I think she's lying."

What do you think this phrasal verb means here? You can guess the meaning of this phrase based on the sentence. 

"Her story didn't add up" here means it didn't make sense. Something about it seemed not logical or strange, it didn't add up.

Another way of saying "Her story didn't add up" is:

"Her story doesn't make sense."


Example Dialogue


Student: "I'm sorry, I don't have my homework finished because I got into a car accident last night, and I had to go visit my grandmother in the hospital. And then I've lost my homework. It was eaten by the dog."

Teacher: "Oh, your story doesn't add up. I think you're lying. You just didn't do your homework."

  • This story seems unbelievable, so the teacher thinks the student's story doesn't make sense, it's not logical, so it doesn't add up.


Example Sentences

  • His theory doesn't add up. 'I don't think he did enough research'.
  • My brother’s home is twice the size of mine. He's thinking about getting a bigger house. He is single and lives alone. It doesn’t add up.
  • She says she is working a lot of overtime, but she never has any money. It doesn’t add up.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Idiom/Phrase: "It's on the tip of my tongue"

Image
  "It's on the tip of my tongue" Meaning If something that you want to say is on the tip of your tongue, you think you are sure you know it such as a word, an answer, or a name, but that you cannot remember it at the moment. Often, when you have a word on the tip of your tongue, you can remember what letter it starts with, or what sound it ends Example Dialogs Scene 1: Two friends are talking ... Friend 1: What was the name of that mystery movie we saw last year? I can't quite remember the name.  Friend 2: Oh yeah.  It was a really good movie.  The name is on the tip of my tongue.  Friend 1: It was a strange name.  Give me a minute and I think I can recall it. Scene 2: Two colleagues are talking ... Colleague 1: Do you remember the name of that software we saw demonstrated at last year's trade show?  Colleague 2:  The one that was supposed to amalgamate all customer service help tickets?  Colleague 1:  Yes, that one. What was th...
Read more

Idiom: Behind bars

Image
  "Behind bars" Meaning The idiom 'behind bars'  means in jail or prison. If you say that someone is behind bars, you mean that they are in prison. This idiom is often used as the phrase ‘put someone behind bars.’ Related words:  in jail or prison , incarcerate, imprison, lock up Origin The idiom “ behind bars ” has been in use since the early 18th century. The word “bars” in this idiom refers to the iron bars conventionally used to confine convicted criminals in jails, prisons, or cells. Example Sentences He has spent most of his life behind bars. If you keep hanging around with the wrong crowd, you’ll end up behind bars. Until the court hearing, they will remain behind bars. Fisher was behind bars last night, charged with attempted murder. Nearly 5,000 people a year are put behind bars over motoring penalties. I heard Mike's uncle is behind bars again. I wonder what he did this time! Sir, I'm afraid your son has been put behind bars on a charge of...
Read more

Idiom: (It's) the least I (you) can/could do

Image
  "It's the least I can do." Meaning Something you should do A polite answer to someone who thanks you (and you feel or wish you could do more) A common answer to being thanked for doing something is "It's the least I could do," which is basically synonymous with "It was nothing". You use expressions like 'that's the least that I can do' to mean that you are very willing to do it, or to acknowledge someone's thanks. Example Dialogs A: "Thanks for taking me to the bus stop."  B: "You're welcome. It's the least I could do now that I have a car." A: "Thank you so much for the cookies!"  B: "It's the least we can do to repay you for looking after our pets while we were away." A:   "Thanks for cleaning up."  B:   " It's the least I can do , seeing as I'm staying here rent-free." Example Sentences If your mother cooks a special dinner the least you can d...
Read more