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For Life
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!

Today's LessonCATEGORY: Commonly Confused Words
TEAR vs. TEAR UP   破る、裂く vs. 引き裂くw

Explanation

  • 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。

examples

  1. (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.  
  2. I tore  my shirt on a nail.
  3. When Bobby left me for another woman, I tore up  all his letters.
  4. When I handed my husband the divorce papers, he tore  them up  and said he would never sign.

All the best to you today!