keep up
BothSense-dependent: some meanings take an object and split, others take none. Check the sense you mean.
How to say it
Stress the particle, not the verb: keep UP. Saying “KEEP up” is the clearest learner tell — the verb stays light and the particle carries the beat.
Link across the gap. The final /p/ of “keep” moves onto the particle and starts its syllable: “keep up” is said “kee-pup”. Pausing between the words is what makes phrasal verbs sound recited rather than spoken.
What it means
To maintain a pace or a standard.
- “Slow down — I can't keep up.”
- “Keep up the good work.”
Similar: maintain, sustain