BBC Learning English Face up to Phrasals Fred & Betty: Is this the End? _________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Face up to Phrasals bbclearningenglish.com BBC Learning English 2008 Page 1 of 1

Episode 4: Who's the Liar! Fred: Don't listen to Martin, Betty! It's not true! He's making it up! Is Martin a liar? Go to episode 5 to find out!

Make up

Meaning: if you make something up, you invent an untrue story or explanation, often in order to hide the truth.

Grammar: This phrasal verb must have an object. The object can go between the verb and particle, or after the particle. If you want to use a pronoun, it must go between the verb and particle.

She made up an excuse She made an excuse up She made it up She made up it

Example sentence: Charlie didn't want to admit that he hadn't done his homework, so he made up a story about leaving it on the bus.

Synonyms: invent, devise, concoct, fabricate, cook up, manufacture, come up with