ENGLISH
REFERENCE

grind up

phr. v..
B1 Intermediate Oxford

phr. v.. to crush something into very small pieces or a powder.

phr. v.. to reduce a solid substance to small particles or powder through mechanical pressure or friction; transitive phrasal verb.


SIMPLE

You need to grind up the coffee beans first.

CONTEXTUAL

The chef uses a mortar and pestle to grind up fresh spices for the curry paste.

COMPLEX

The industrial machinery is designed to grind up recycled plastic into fine pellets for manufacturing new containers.

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

usually used with food, minerals, or solid materials that can be crushed.

Teaching tip

remind students that the past tense is 'ground up', which is a common source of confusion with the noun 'ground'.

Pitfall

He grinded up the pepper.He ground up the pepper.the verb 'grind' is irregular; the past tense and past participle form is 'ground'.

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