• Exciting news! With our new Ad-Free Premium Subscription you can enjoy a distraction-free browsing experience while supporting our site's growth. Without ads, you have less distractions and enjoy faster page load times. Upgrade is optional. Find out more here, and enjoy ad-free learning with us!

Give in X Give up

Status
Not open for further replies.
A

apparrode

Guest
Can you explain to me the difference between to give up and to give in?

( I have consulted several dictionaries and I understand that the structure is different and they can´t be used interchangeably. But some cases puzzled me.)

E.g: I did my best to do the math test, but it was impossible as it was too hard. So, I gave in. ( Is this correct? I understand to give in as the same as "to accept sth even though you´re reluctant to", but in this case, can you say the that you accepted your defeat, as long as the ficculty of the test overcame you?)

Thanks,

Andréa.
 

Tdol

Editor, UsingEnglish.com
Staff member
Joined
Nov 13, 2002
Member Type
Native Language
British English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
Japan
They have a similar meaning and can usually be used interchangeably in BE. ;-)
 

henry

Member
Joined
Mar 7, 2004
I agree that they are very close in meaning. Have a look at the two definitions.

#1 If someone gives in, it means then usually that one admits that one has been defeated.

#2 If someone gives up= one stops trying to do something.

:roll:
 

MikeNewYork

VIP Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2002
Member Type
Academic
Native Language
American English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
United States
apparrode said:
Can you explain to me the difference between to give up and to give in?

( I have consulted several dictionaries and I understand that the structure is different and they can´t be used interchangeably. But some cases puzzled me.)

E.g: I did my best to do the math test, but it was impossible as it was too hard. So, I gave in. ( Is this correct? I understand to give in as the same as "to accept sth even though you´re reluctant to", but in this case, can you say the that you accepted your defeat, as long as the ficculty of the test overcame you?)

Thanks,

Andréa.

Usually, one "gives in" to another person. One usually "gives up" on a task. In your example, I would use "give up". One can "give up" on a person, but that usually means to stop trying to help him.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top