move me up

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keannu

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Does this "move me up" mean "move my body upward= help me get up" or "move me over to the ward"?

ex)After I spent three months in the hospital because I had broken legs, the doctors told me that I showed absolutely no improvement. I worried about whether I would remain a cripple the rest of my life. I thought worry was preventing me from getting well. So I urged my doctor to move me up to the next ward because the patients were allowed to do almost anything they cared to do....
 

SlickVic9000

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This is difficult to answer because it's rather contextual.

To me, the phrase seems to imply the ward is on the next floor, but it could also be inferred that he sees the next ward as an upgrade, so he metaphorically wants to be "moved up" to the next ward. It's quite probably a little bit of both.
 

rainous

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My read is the patient is referring to transferring to a more open ward
where rules and restrictions are less strictly imposed on patients, where he believes
he can do whatever he wants to his heart’s content. (which is very unlikely)

(I sense the phrase “move up” is what the patient settled for after failing to come up with more suitable terms)
 

keannu

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My read is the patient is referring to transferring to a more open ward
where rules and restrictions are less strictly imposed on patients, where he believes
he can do whatever he wants to his heart’s content. (which is very unlikely)

(I sense the phrase “move up” is what the patient settled for after failing to come up with more suitable terms)

Maybe you are right...
 

keannu

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This is difficult to answer because it's rather contextual.

To me, the phrase seems to imply the ward is on the next floor, but it could also be inferred that he sees the next ward as an upgrade, so he metaphorically wants to be "moved up" to the next ward. It's quite probably a little bit of both.

Could you tell me what Americans feel when they hear "move sb/sth up" in various situations? Depending on that we can probably determine what it means.
Why doesn't it mean "going up to the upper floor" when it has "up"?
This is the whole story.
ex)After I spent three months in the hospital because I had broken legs, the doctors told me that I showed absolutely no improvement. I worried about whether I would remain a cripple the rest of my life. I thought worry was preventing me from getting well. So I urged my doctor to move me up to the next ward because the patients were allowed to do almost anything they cared to do. In this ward, I became interested in games with other fellows, reading books and painting with oils. I kept myself so busy that I had no time to worry about my physical condition. At the end of three months, the entire medical staff came to me and congratulated on my recovery. As soon as I got my mind off myself, I made an amazing improvement.
 

SoothingDave

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Medically speaking, a "downgrade" is when someone's condition gets worse. So moving "up" would be a good thing. It has to do with the level of care required and the condition of the patient.

Not which story of the building they are on.
 
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