Phrasal Verb - Add up

Study the vocabulary list and complete the activities below.

• Add up (Meaning 1): To calculate the total by finding the sum of several numbers or amounts.
  • Wait a second, I need to add up the bill to make sure they didn't overcharge us.
  • When you add up all the hours you spend on your phone, it’s quite shocking!
• Add up (Meaning 2): To make sense; to seem reasonable, logical, or consistent (very often used in the negative form: it doesn't add up).
  • She said she was at home all night, but her car was seen downtown; her story just doesn't add up.

Grammar Structure:

• add up (intransitive - no object)

• add + something + up (separable - the object can go in the middle)

• add up + something (the object can go after)

ACTIVITIES

Activity 1: Unscramble

Click the words to put them in the correct order and make a logical sentence.

Activity 2: Gap Fill

Complete the sentences using the correct form of add up.

1. I’ve checked the numbers three times, but they still don't to the right total.

2. The detective felt that the witness's testimony didn't .

3. Can you help me how much money we spent on vacation?

4. If you all the small mistakes, the project becomes a disaster.

5. Everything she says seems true; it all perfectly.

Activity 3: Reading Comprehension

Read the short dialogue and select the correct answers.

The Broken Window

Mom: "Bobby, how did the living room window get broken?"

Bobby: "A giant bird flew into it while I was doing my homework!"

Mom: "That doesn't add up, Bobby. First, there are no giant birds in this neighborhood. Second, I found your baseball right next to the broken glass. When I add up the facts, it seems like you were playing ball in the house again."

1. Why does the mother say Bobby's story doesn't "add up"?

A) Because giant birds are common everywhere.

B) Because there are no giant birds in the neighborhood and she found a baseball.

C) Because Bobby is very good at doing math homework.

2. What physical object did the mother find near the window?

A) A baseball.

B) A giant bird.

C) Bobby's homework.

3. In the last sentence, is the mother doing math or using logic?

A) She is doing math.

B) She is looking for the bird.

C) She is using logic and consistency.