ENGLISH
REFERENCE

ball up

phr. v..
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford

phr. v.. to squeeze or fold something into the shape of a small round ball.

phr. v.. to compress a flexible material, typically paper or fabric, into a spherical shape; can also describe a person curling their body or hands into a tight, rounded position.


SIMPLE

He balls up the paper and throws it away.

CONTEXTUAL

She was so frustrated that she balled up her fists and took a deep breath.

COMPLEX

The artist would ball up his sketches and toss them into the corner whenever he felt his creative vision was failing him.

Particles
up
Separability
optional
Pattern
ball + (object) + up
Usage

usually used with materials like paper, cloth, or parts of the body like fists.

Teaching tip

this is a highly visual verb; you can demonstrate it with a piece of scrap paper to help students remember the physical action.

Pitfall

He balled the paper up it.He balled the paper up.when using a pronoun like 'it', it must come between the verb and the particle or after the particle, but you cannot repeat the object.

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