HOME > WordMaster® > TEAR vs. TEAR UP | 破る、裂く vs. 引き裂く
2004.06.15
Hi! We're smack dab in the middle of June, and we're also in the middle of a great week of WordMasters. Here's another pair of Commonly Confused Words for you!
TEAR vs. TEAR UP 破る、裂く vs. 引き裂くw
- To tear something - such as cloth, paper, or other relatively flexible, thin material - is to divide it along a straight or irregular line by pulling it apart or by cutting it (usually by accident) on something sharp.
To tear up something is to tear it into many pieces in order to destroy it. - tear は、服や紙などのしなやかで薄い物を、引っ張ったり、鋭利なもので(うっかり)切ったりして、真直ぐまたは不規則な裂け目を入れる ―― つまり、破る、裂く、という意味です。
tear up は、その物をだめにするために、ばらばらに破く、という意味です。
- (training a new employee at a movie theater)
When a customer hands you his ticket, tear it in half and give him back the left half. - I tore my shirt on a nail.
- When Bobby left me for another woman, I tore up all his letters.
- When I handed my husband the divorce papers, he tore them up and said he would never sign.
All the best to you today!