do up vs make up vs put up vs decorated up (GiU Additional, phrasals)
The frame
Section titled “The frame”Their house is really nice now. They’ve done it up really well. ✓
do up = renovate / refurbish / decorate-and-repair a property.
The up-family trap
Section titled “The up-family trap”| phrasal | meaning | why not here |
|---|---|---|
| do up | renovate, refurbish (house/property) | ✓ “really nice now” = transformation |
| make up | invent (a story/excuse); apply cosmetics | ✗ “made it up” = fabricated |
| put up | erect (shelf, tent, picture); host | ✗ building/installing, not renovating |
| decorated up | ✗ — decorated is already complete, never takes up | “decorated it really well” (no up) |
do up details
Section titled “do up details”- Active: They’ve done the house up really well / done it up (pronoun splits)
- Passive: The house was done up (common — “a done-up cottage”)
- do-up nouns: “a doer-upper” (BrE slang = fixer-upper house)
Source
Section titled “Source”English Grammar in Use, Additional Exercises — Phrasal verbs (Units 137–145). Ebot lesson 2026-09-05.