fill up
SeparableThe object can go before or after the particle — but a pronoun MUST go in the middle: “clean it up”, never “clean up it”.
How to say it
Stress the particle, not the verb: fill UP. Saying “FILL up” is the clearest learner tell — the verb stays light and the particle carries the beat.
Link across the gap. The final /l/ of “fill” moves onto the particle and starts its syllable: “fill up” is said “fi-lup”. Pausing between the words is what makes phrasal verbs sound recited rather than spoken.
What it means
To fill something completely, especially a fuel tank.
- “We'll fill up before we hit the highway.”
- “The stadium filled up an hour before kickoff.”
Similar: top up