Many people learning English have trouble with the nuances of the language. There is one two- letter word that has more meanings than any other and that is ‘UP’. Look the word up in a dictionary and you will find the definition takes up almost a quarter of a page, and can add up to about 30 definitions. It is listed in the dictionary as being used as an adverb, preposition, adjective, noun or verb. There is a book called ‘Up the down staircase’. We open up a shop and close it up at night. We lock up, clean up, fix up and speak up before we shut up.
What do you do after you chop down a tree? You chop it up.