Keep a promise means to do what you promised. The opposite is break a promise. People usually say whose promise it is: keep your promise, she kept her promise.
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keep a/your promise (to + person); keep your word; break a promise
- He kept his promise and paid me back as soon as he got his salary.
- It's hard to trust a manager who never keeps his promises.
- I promised the kids a trip to the seaside, and I'm going to keep that promise.
What changed
First versionShe always holds her promises, so you can rely on her.
RevisionShe always keeps her promises, so you can rely on her.
Hold may look like the right verb, as if you were holding on to your promise. But carrying out a promise in English is keep. Hold promise means something quite different: to look promising, as in The new treatment holds promise.
A close expression is keep your word. Here word always comes with my, your, his and so on, never with an article: He always keeps his word. Kept word or kept the word sounds wrong.
Your turn
Anna promised to help me move, and she ___ her promise: she arrived at eight with her car.
Show the answer
kept — After the colon we see that Anna did what she promised: she arrived with her car. That is keeping a promise, so kept. Held her promise isn't English: the verb for promises is keep.
Think of someone who kept a promise they made to you. Write what they promised and how they kept it.
My neighbour promised to feed my cat while I was away, and he kept his promise: he came twice a day for a week.
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