Difference between “grow up” and “bring up”
“Bring up” vs. “Grow up”: difference and rules of use
When learning English, phrasal verbs often present difficulties in understanding and usage. Today, we’ll examine in detail two similar but different phrasal verbs: “grow up” and “bring up”.
Grow Up
“Grow up” describes the natural process of children getting older, bigger, and more mature.
Examples:
- I grew up in a small town where everybody knew each other. (Я виріс у маленькому містечку, де всі знали один одного.)
Bring Up
“Bring up” refers to the act of raising and educating children by parents or guardians.
Examples:
- My parents brought me up to be polite and respectful. (Мої батьки виховали мене ввічливим і шанобливим.)
These phrasal verbs highlight different aspects of development and upbringing, with “grow up” focusing on the natural process and “bring up” emphasizing the role of caregivers. Let’s consider each of them in more detail.
Grow Up
“Grow up” is a phrasal verb that means “to mature”, “to become an adult”, or “to develop physically, emotionally, or intellectually”. This phrasal verb is used when referring to the natural process of growth, development, and maturation of a person.
Examples:
- I grew up in a small town.
- Children grow up so fast these days.
- She grew up to be a successful businesswoman.
- When I grow up, I want to be a doctor.
- Children need a safe environment to grow up happily.
Usage
- Process of maturing:
- Children grow up quickly.
- Growing up in a big city can be challenging.
- Emotional maturity:
- He needs to grow up and take responsibility for his actions.
- Growing up means learning to deal with disappointments.
- Intellectual development:
- Reading books helped her grow up intellectually.
- As he grew up, he developed a keen interest in science.
- Figurative meaning:
- The project grew up from a simple idea to a comprehensive plan.
- Their friendship grew up over the years.
Grammatical Features
- Intransitivity: “Grow up” is an intransitive verb, meaning it doesn’t require a direct object and cannot form a passive voice.
- Incorrect: He was grown up by his parents.
- Correct: He grew up with loving parents.
- Tenses: Like other verbs, “grow up” can be used in various tenses depending on the context.
- Past: She grew up in the 90s.
- Present: Children grow up so fast these days.
- Future: One day, you will grow up and understand.
Bring Up
“Bring up” is a phrasal verb with two main meanings: a) “to raise” or “to rear” – when talking about the process of raising children by parents or guardians. b) “to raise a topic” or “to mention something in conversation” – when referring to introducing a new topic in a discussion.
Usage
- In the sense of “to raise”:
- My grandparents brought me up after my parents died.
- She was brought up in a strict household.
- It’s challenging to bring up children in today’s world.
- They brought up their children to be respectful and kind.
- In the sense of “to raise a topic”:
- He brought up an interesting point during the meeting.
- I don’t want to bring up the past, but we need to discuss what happened.
Grammatical Features
- Transitivity: “Bring up” is a transitive verb, meaning it requires a direct object.
- Correct: She brought up her children well.
- Incorrect: She brought up well.
- Passive voice: “Bring up” can form a passive voice.
- He was brought up by his grandmother.
- The issue was brought up during the meeting.
- Tenses: “Bring up” can be used in various tenses depending on the context.
- Past: They brought up an important topic.
- Present: She brings up her children with love and care.
- Future: I will bring up this matter at the next meeting.
Main Differences Between “Grow Up” and “Bring Up”
- Active vs. Passive:
- “Grow up” is a natural process that happens to a person.
- “Bring up” (in the sense of raising) is an active action performed by others (usually parents or guardians).
- Subject of action:
- With “grow up”, the subject is the person who is growing.
- With “bring up”, the subject is the person who is raising or the one who is raising a topic in conversation.
- Context of use:
- “Grow up” is often used to describe the place or conditions in which a person grew.
- “Bring up” in the context of raising children is more about the methods of upbringing and values instilled in the child.
- “Bring up” is also used to describe introducing a new topic in conversation.
- Grammatical features:
- “Grow up” is an intransitive verb, meaning it doesn’t require a direct object and cannot form a passive voice.
- “Bring up” is a transitive verb, meaning it requires a direct object and can form a passive voice. For example:
- I was brought up in a loving family.
- After his parents passed away, he was brought up by his older sister.
Compare:
- I grew up in the countryside.
- I was brought up to respect my elders.
It’s important to remember that although these phrasal verbs are related to the process of growing up and upbringing, they have different shades of meaning and are used in different contexts.
Exercise for Practice (“grow up” or “bring up”)
Try to fill in the blanks using “grow up” or “bring up” in the correct form:
- My parents _____ me to be honest and hardworking.
- He _____ in a big city, but now he prefers living in the countryside.
- How were you _____ by your parents?
- Children who _____ with pets often learn responsibility early.
- She was _____ by her aunt after her parents divorced.
- The manager _____ the issue of overtime pay during the staff meeting.
- As they _____, many people change their perspectives on life.
- It’s not polite to _____ sensitive topics at the dinner table.
Answers: 1. brought up, 2. grew up, 3. brought up, 4. grow up, 5. brought up, 6. brought up, 7. grow up, 8. bring up.
Understanding the difference between “grow up” and “bring up” will help you express your thoughts more accurately in English and avoid mistakes in using these phrasal verbs. Remember the different contexts of their use and the grammatical features of each.