Keep up with means to move or work as fast as someone or something so that you do not fall behind. It can be about pace: keeping up with your group, a fast speaker or a flow of tasks. The second meaning is to stay informed about news or changes: “keep up with the news”.
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keep up with + person/class/work; keep up with + the news/changes; can't keep up (with)
- I walk quite fast, so my friends often struggle to keep up with me.
- It's hard to keep up with the reading when you work full-time.
- I read a tech newsletter every week to keep up with changes in my industry.
What changed
First versionIn the first week of the course, I couldn't keep up the other students.
RevisionIn the first week of the course, I couldn't keep up with the other students.
When you say who or what you cannot keep pace with, you need “with” after “keep up”: “keep up with the other students”. Without “with”, “keep up” means to continue or maintain something: “keep up the good work”. So without the preposition, the sentence loses the meaning you need.
“Catch up with” means to reach the same level after you have already fallen behind: After my illness I had to catch up with the class. “Keep up with” means to stay level and not fall behind in the first place.
Your turn
The guide walked so fast that half of our group couldn't ___ him.
Show the answer
keep up with — The sentence names the person the group could not keep pace with, so “with” has to follow “keep up”. Without “with”, “keep up” means to continue or maintain something, and a person cannot come straight after it.
Think of something at work or in your studies that is hard to keep up with. Write what exactly you struggle to keep up with and what you do so that you don't fall behind.
At my new job I find it hard to keep up with all the emails, so I check them twice a day at fixed times.
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