Clean or clean up

Question

I know that there are verbs like phrasal verbs which need a particle to change their meaning, but there are a group of verbs which do not change their meaning at all although you add the particle.

For example: "clean" and "clean up" mean the same. Which is the difference between them?. I know that there are more verbs like these.

As always, I would like to know your answers.

Answer 1

Heidita said:

but when you say: clean up your room, don't you mainly mean: tidy up your room? If you say; clean your room, it mostly means: clean, like in tidying and hoovering etc.

No, the terms are identical.

I suppose everyone has a different idea of what level of "clean" you want a room to be. When my son says his room is "clean" it's still a disaster area in need of serious help. When I "clean up" my kitchen it involves doing the dishes, washing the floor, etc.

I see, that clears things up! jeje - 00494d19, Sep 23, 2009

Answer 2

When used as a verb, I'd say there is very little difference between "clean" and "clean up."

Please clean (clean up) your room.

I have to clean (clean up) this mess.

Hmmm, Marianne, possibly I am wrong, but when you say: clean up your room, don't you mainly mean: tidy up your room? If you say; clean your room, it mostly means: clean, like in tidying and hoovering etc.

In the US, the word "tidy" is a little old fashioned. Most people would use "clean" for both picking up the clutter and for vacuuming and dusting, etc. - Nicole-B, Sep 23, 2009

Heidita, you can also use "clean up" for picking up the clutter, vacuuming, and dusting. - --Mariana--, Sep 23, 2009

What is it they say about great minds Marianne....jeje - Nicole-B, Sep 23, 2009

Answer 3

The main difference would be whether you used it transitively or intransitively.

I have to clean my room before I go. (transitive)

I have to clean up before I go. (Intransitive)

We also use clean up reflexively.

I need to clean [myself] up before I leave.

I need to shower, shave, put on a fresh set of clothes, etc.

Answer 4

I have just found some information in a book about “phrasal verbs”. It appears the following information:

When you use “tidy up” you mean that you tidy according to the standard way.

I really must tidy up my bedroom.

Answer 5

Hmmm, Marianne, possibly I am wrong, but when you say: clean up your room, don't you mainly mean: tidy up your room? If you say; clean your room, it mostly means: clean, like in tidying and hoovering etc.

In my own experience, the difference in usage probably has more to with the rules that people's parents enforced regarding this.

For example, growing up I remember having friends who when told to straighten up or clean up their rooms, it meant mainly to tidy up (i.e. let's see some floor space underneath all those clothes, toys etc..). I have also had friends that if they were told to clean up that meant not just to put their stuff away; it also meant to sweep, mop, vacuum, dust, polish, scrub the floors, wall, ceiling and anything else in the room that was not breathing.

In my own experience, clean and clean up are usually used interchangeably, any subtle difference in meaning is usually overlooked in common usage.

thanks izan:) - 00494d19, Sep 23, 2009

Answer 6

Whether there is a definite rule or not, I'm not sure. In Spanish, we're told that there are certain things we just need to get "the feel" of. This may or may not be one of those cases.

I think that whether you use "clean" or "clean up", most people will understand what you are trying to say. Once you hear English speaking people use those expressions (which they do every day), you will naturally know what to say.

Answer 7

Sorry, Qfreed, but in my dictionary "clean" and "clean up" appear as transitive verbs.

A. clean verb transitive a (remove dirt from) ‹ house / windows / carpet › limpiar; ‹ car / floor › lavar, limpiar; ‹ blackboard › borrar, limpiar;

have you cleaned your teeth?

¿te has lavado los dientes?;

B. clean up [v + o + adv, v + adv + o] a ‹ room / garden › limpiar;

I’ll just clean myself up before they arrive.

Voy a arreglarme or lavarme un poco antes de que lleguen.

I mean, both of them appear with an object.

It can be used both ways. I cleaned up playing poker last night. No direct object. - 0074b507, Sep 23, 2009

I cleaned up my act. (transitive) - 0074b507, Sep 23, 2009

Answer 8

Usually we would use the term "clean up" in reference to cleaning a messy room, i.e. you would tell a child to clean up his room. An idiom we use is also "You need to clean up your act." Which means you need to make some changes to improve your life and your behavior. The word clean alone would be used in reference to a specific item, like I need to clean the mud off these shoes.

I know I am not giving you the specific grammar rules. This is just the way I would use this verb in every day language. Every time you post a thread I want to pull out my English grammar book.

There is also the expression "clean off" as in "clean off the table" . - Nicole-B, Sep 23, 2009

Answer 9

When used as a verb, I'd say there is very little difference between "clean" and "clean up."

Please clean (clean up) your room.

I have to clean (clean up) this mess.