put your hands up/put up your hands

[MOYEEA LEE]

Hello, everyone

I'm not sure why "put your hands up"(put up is not a phrasal verb here)

But we can still say "put up your hands?"

Thanks so much!

 

[jutfrank]

I wonder -- why do you say it's not a phrasal verb?

 

[jutfrank]

Piscean -- I was asking MOYEEA LEE

I'm not sure why "put your hands up"(put up is not a phrasal verb here)

 

[MOYEEA LEE]

Thanks so much for your help!

I have looked up many dictionaries, there is no explanation tells " put up" is a phrasal verb when it means putting something to a higher position.

Besides, wikipedia says that phrasal verbs' meanings are normally different with the normal meanings.

 

[Rover_KE]

Besides, wikipedia says that phrasal verbs' meanings are normally different with the normal meanings.

I hope it says '...different from the normal meanings'.

 

[Matthew Wai]

I have looked up many dictionaries, there is no explanation tells " put up" is a phrasal verb when it means putting something to a higher position.

http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/put-up?q=put+up
Scroll down to 'put something↔up'.

 

[ChinaDan]

So many meanings to "put up", but I didn't find any listings supporting the idea that "put up your hands" means to raise them. I've always considered that phrase one of those grammatical cock ups you sometimes hear become common, but nevertheless incorrect.

The list I found included:
to-
- erect, build
- preserve, can
- nominate
- provide (funds) in advance
- provide lodgings
- startle (game animals) from cover
- offer for sale
- make a display
- engage in

I recall in Australia a vernacular usage meaning to put away.

But I've never seen anything that shows "put up your hands" to be meaningful.:?:

 

[Skrej]

I imagine if someone pointed a gun or knife at you and yelled 'put up your hands', you'd immediately parse it without problem.

 

[Matthew Wai]

I didn't find any listings supporting the idea that "put up your hands" means to raise them.

'put something↔up
1 to raise something'── quoted from the link in post #9.

 

[ChinaDan]

I imagine if someone pointed a gun or knife at you and yelled 'put up your hands', you'd immediately parse it without problem.

When I hear someone say, "I don't know, go axe the boss", I comprehend they want me to get information from the boss, not to go all Friday the 13th. Doesn't make the statement any less wrong.

 

[ChinaDan]

'put something↔up
1 to raise something'── quoted from the link in post #9.

Exactly right, Matthew. Replace "something" with "your hands", and you get "put your hands up", which means to raise them.

But when they say "put up something", it has a whole lot of different meanings; none of them really mean to raise your hands, even though we understand (viscerally, if a gun is pointed at us :shock that is what is meant.

 

[emsr2d2]

If anyone ever points a gun or knife at me and says "Put your hands up", maybe I'll try to distract them by saying "Just a moment please. First tell me if you were using a phrasal verb just then". I don't fancy my chances of still being upright three seconds later. :shock:

 

[ChinaDan]

Over the years, I have heard countless colleagues telling pupils "Put up your hand(s)", and I have said it myself. It is true that "Put your hand(s) up" is far more common, but nobody I have met in schools has ever doubted that the former means exactly the same as the latter.

It's the same with "Take out your books/Take your books out" and "Put away your books/Put your books away".

Excellent points, granted.

But then, an awful lot of people say they "lay down to sleep at night". Very common usage. Still wrong. Well, until a critical mass is achieved and Oxford or some such accept popular demand :shock:

 

[emsr2d2]

It's true that that usage is wrong but that's because "lay" is the wrong verb entirely. That's not the same issue. Piscean was merely explaining that the word order makes no difference to the meaning in those example.

 

[MOYEEA LEE]

Thanks so much!

But for many words like"take out" "bring down". I can't find.

But can we say: I took out three plates from the box.

Please bring down two bottles.

Thanks so much!

 

[Raymott]

The problem with the plates in the box example is that you have another prepositional phrase that messes it up. I'd say, "I took three plates out of the box."
Your second sentence sounds OK.

Regarding your initial assumption in post 1, please don't say "This isn't a phrasal verb because I can't find anywhere that says it is" or generally, "This is not true, because I have no confirmation of it." That's wrong.

 

[ChinaDan]

It's true that that usage is wrong but that's because "lay" is the wrong verb entirely. That's not the same issue. Piscean was merely explaining that the word order makes no difference to the meaning in those example.

"...merely explaining..." intended to invoke a sense that Piscean is correct, and I need tutoring.

Piscean is expressing an opinion, or at best, an interpretation. I'm doing the same, and I've backed my view with data as well. I fully understand Piscean's argumnet; I simply disagree.

Furthermore, the point, which you have deftly skipped over, is that an argument was being presented based on "validity by common usage". My example of "lay" was a clear rebuttal to that premise of logic. Your counter that "lay" is simply a mistake of verb, and thus invalid, is completely non sequitur.

 

[ChinaDan]

The gist of that article:

1. There is a common error people make
2. Here is the historical reasons they make it
3. Here is how to know how to recognize the wrong way.
4. Here is how you learn how to choose the correct way
5. Hopefully people will cease making the error.

My point about this thread:

1. There is a common error people make
2. Here is the historical reasons they make it
3. Here is how to know how to recognize the wrong way.
4. Here is how you learn how to choose the correct way
5. Hopefully people will cease making the error.

I can't really claim to have done #2; I don't know the history of the error, only speculation.

I appreciate the validation. Cheers! :up:

 

[ChinaDan]

You appear to have missed the last lone of post 22.

Not at all, but I had previously addressed that aspect of your post; perhaps you missed it. I searched several dictionaries for "put up", and produced:

The list I found included:
to-
- erect, build
- preserve, can
- nominate
- provide (funds) in advance
- provide lodgings
- startle (game animals) from cover
- offer for sale
- make a display
- engage in

I recall in Australia a vernacular usage meaning to put away.

 

[MOYEEA LEE]

Not at all, but I had previously addressed that aspect of your post; perhaps you missed it. I searched several dictionaries for "put up", and produced:

Thanks so much for your help!

But some for "take out"(take out the dishes from the box), "send out " (send out the food to this room) I can't find phrasal verb meaning explanation in dictionaries.

But if I can say " take out what you put in the box" "send out what you bought"?

Because some phrases like "set free the bird" , I didn't find a sentence like "set free what you caught"

Thanks so much!