ENGLISH
REFERENCE

burn up

phr. v..
B1 Intermediate Oxford

phr. v.. to be completely destroyed by fire or heat. You can also use this to describe someone who has a high fever or is feeling very angry.

phr. v.. to be consumed or destroyed by fire; in a figurative sense, to experience intense heat, a high body temperature, or extreme anger.


SIMPLE

The paper will burn up if it gets too close to the candle.

CONTEXTUAL

Space debris usually burns up when it enters the Earth's atmosphere due to the high speed and friction.

COMPLEX

The satellite was designed to burn up upon re-entry to ensure that no large fragments would pose a risk to populated areas on the ground.

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

often used intransitively for objects in fire, but can be transitive when heat destroys something completely.

Teaching tip

the particle 'up' here functions as a completive, meaning the action is finished or the object is totally destroyed, similar to 'eat up' or 'clean up'.

Pitfall

The house was burn up.The house burned up.the verb must be conjugated for the past tense; 'burn' is the base form.

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