Phrasal verb
bring sth up
Definition
phrasal verb. to start talking about a specific topic or subject during a conversation.
phrasal verb. to introduce a topic, issue, or suggestion into a discussion or conversation; functions as a transitive phrasal verb.
Examples
“I didn't want to bring up the bill during dinner.”
“She decided to bring the matter up at the next board meeting to ensure everyone was informed.”
“The defense attorney attempted to bring up the defendant's prior charitable works to influence the jury's perception of his character.”
Examples
simple
“I didn't want to bring up the bill during dinner.”
contextual
“She decided to bring the matter up at the next board meeting to ensure everyone was informed.”
complex
“The defense attorney attempted to bring up the defendant's prior charitable works to influence the jury's perception of his character.”
Usage
the object can be a noun or a noun phrase representing the topic being introduced.
Teaching tip
contrast with 'mention' (which can be brief) and 'raise' (often used for issues or questions); 'bring up' implies starting a new thread of conversation.
Pitfall
He brought up to the problem.
He brought up the problem.
do not use 'to' after the particle 'up'; the object follows the phrasal verb directly.
Phrasal verb
Particles
up
Separability
optional
Pattern
bring (+ object) + up (+ object)