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THEME THURSDAY: EXPRESSIONS WITH LAUGHTER (CRACKING UP)

18 / 05 / 2017
Phrasal Verbs

THEME THURSDAY: EXPRESSIONS WITH LAUGHTER (CRACKING UP): meaning and examples

Hello everyone!

Today we are continuing our Theme Thursday about expressions with laughter. We are not looking at an expression today, but rather a phrasal verb: TO CRACK (SOMEONE) UP.

Definition: to laugh a lot. To cause someone to laugh a lot.

Example 1: You crack me up!

Example 2: This show cracks me up when I watch it.

Example 3: I was cracking up last night when my dog was playing with her toys. 

This phrasal verb can be transitive (examples 1 and 2) or intransitive (example 3). When the verb is transitive, it is obligatorily SEPARABLE.

NOTE: There is also a definition of the intransitive version of this phrasal verb that means "to undergo a mental breakdown."

Example 4: John cracked up after his father died and he lost his job; he's not doing very well.

However, today we only wanted to concentrate on the happier meaning of the verb. :-)

That's it for today. Thanks for reading!