Show notes with examples: 1. Finish up “finish” and “finish up” are not very different. A native speaker will likely prefer to use the phrasal verb, though. Martha finished up her bachelor degree last year and has been working since then. You finish up the dishes while I deal with the garbage. Others that mean "finish up": wrap up, wind up The CEO wrapped up the meeting before 4pm so that she could send her employees home early. It was Friday! Hey, can you wind the meeting up early today? I need to go home! 2. Another phrasal verb that uses “up” is “break up.” There are at least three main meanings for this phrasal verb. 1) “Break up” can mean to break into multiple pieces. Here are two examples: Can you break up that chocolate bar so we can share it? The ice on the river is breaking up because the sun is shining. 2) “Break up” can mean “to end a relationship.” When two people break up, that’s it, their relationship is over—no more marriage or dating. Sheila broke up with Ted because he never did the dishes. 3) another meaning of “break up” is about video or audio calls. When there is a lag, and the call freezes repeatedly, we can say it (or the other person) is breaking up. For example, Damien, you’re breaking up. Call me back when you’re out of the mountains. 3. Another fun phrasal verb is to “shake things up.” Things is usually the object of this phrasal verb. This basically means to try something new, to do something differently than usual. Consider these examples to hear how this works: We have eaten the same food every night for the last week. Let’s shake things up—I’m ordering sushi burritos. Mary and Alex were very bored of retirement and decided to shake things up by going skydiving.