give up several hours each week to help others

[diamondcutter]

Mario Green and Mary Brown from Riverside High School give up several hours each week to help others.

(from an English textbook for junior high school students by Cengage Learning and PEP)

I wonder if the adverb “up” could be omitted in the sentence above. I think the “give up” above is not the same as it in “give up smoking”. Am I right?

 

[Tarheel]

No. The term give up means the same as volunteer there. They give up those hours in the sense that they contribute those hours.

Yes, it's not the same as give up in give up smoking.

 

[tedmc]

I think "up" can be omitted. To give is to contribute - contribute in terms of one's time for a cause. "To give up one's time" is "to devote one's time".

 

[Rover_KE]

Also, 'give up' in this context means 'spend'.

 

[Tdol]

I think "up" can be omitted. To give is to contribute - contribute in terms of one's time for a cause.

I'm not entirely convinced, but would you stick with to help or use a different verb form?