Phrasal verbs · Free lesson
Give up trying: say when an attempt stops
You try the same puzzle several times. Then you decide to stop. Here is a useful way to explain that decision.
Professor Scott MendozaMeaning in this lesson
give up
Stop an activity or an attempt.
Example
“Rosa gave up trying to open the old suitcase.”
Rosa stopped making attempts to open it.
The short answer
Give up can mean stop an activity or stop trying. Name an action with an -ing form: give up trying, give up searching. The past form is gave up.
Name the attempt after give up.
Start with the person and give up. Add an -ing action when the listener needs to know what stopped. “I gave up trying to repair the lamp” tells us that the repair attempts ended. It does not tell us that the lamp was repaired. If the activity is already clear, “I gave up” can be enough.
Keep the action clear.
Did you manage to open the suitcase?
No. I gave up trying after half an hour.
Gave up tells us the attempts stopped. No tells us Rosa did not succeed in this situation.
Describe the attempt
Name what stopped
Give up trying to fix the lamp.
Match the time
For a finished past event, say gave up.
Keep the result separate
Say whether you succeeded if that matters to the story.
Try it now
Check what you’ve learned.
Read all answers and explanations
Omar gave up trying to repair his radio. What does this sentence directly report?
Omar stopped trying to repair the radio.Omar stopped trying to repair it. The sentence does not report a successful repair or a planned short break before another attempt.
Complete: “Don’t give up ___ the answer.”
looking forUse an -ing action after give up: looking for the answer.
Choose the finished past statement.
Last night, I gave up trying.Gave is the past form of give. Keep trying after up.
Put it into practice
Repair the explanation.
Keep the same past event: Leo stopped attempting to unlock the door.
Leo gave up to try to unlock the door.
See a model answer
Leo gave up trying to unlock the door.
Only the form immediately after gave up needs repair. Keep the attempt and its time unchanged.
A little more clarity
Common questions
A few useful details before you move on.
Can I just say “I give up”?
Yes, when the listener knows which attempt or activity you mean. Naming the activity makes an unclear situation easier to understand.
During a puzzle: “I give up. What is the answer?”
Why can “to” still appear after trying?
The two patterns have different jobs: give up + trying, then try + to do something. “Gave up trying to open it” combines them.
“I gave up trying to reset the clock.”
Take it into your day
Think of a small task you stopped trying to do. Explain it with “I gave up trying to…” and one reason.
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