Definition of “Act up”:

The phrasal verb “act up” has several meanings, depending on the context in which it is used:

  1. To Behave Disruptively or Badly:
    • To behave in a way that is disruptive or problematic, often involving misbehavior or troublemaking, especially in children.
  2. To Malfunction or Not Work Properly:
    • To not function correctly or to break down, often used for machinery, equipment, or parts of the body.

Different Meanings and Uses:

  1. Misbehavior:
    • Describes a person, often a child, behaving badly or being troublesome.
  2. Malfunction:
    • Describes something, such as a machine or part of the body, not working as it should or having issues.

Prepositions Used:

  • Commonly used prepositions include: “up” (e.g., “act up during the class”).

Collocations:

  • Act up in class
  • Act up again
  • Act up during
  • Act up when
  • Act up because
  • Act up at night
  • Act up suddenly
  • Act up around
  • Act up due to
  • Act up if

Example Sentences:

  1. The children began to act up as soon as the teacher left the room.
  2. My knee always acts up when it’s about to rain.
  3. The printer is acting up again; it won’t print anything.
  4. Her allergies started acting up during the spring season.
  5. He tends to act up when he doesn’t get enough attention.
  6. The old car started acting up on the way to the office.
  7. The dog acts up whenever there are strangers around.
  8. My back acts up if I sit for too long.
  9. The computer acts up whenever I try to run that software.
  10. The kids act up in class when the substitute teacher is there.
  11. Her stomach acts up if she eats too quickly.
  12. The washing machine has been acting up lately.
  13. He started acting up because he was feeling left out.
  14. The engine acted up during the long drive.
  15. His asthma acts up in cold weather.
  16. The toddler acts up when he’s tired.
  17. My phone acts up whenever I try to open that app.
  18. The microwave acted up and stopped working completely.
  19. The student acts up to get attention from his peers.
  20. The lawnmower started acting up in the middle of mowing the lawn.
  21. Her knee acted up after the long hike.
  22. The television acts up when the weather is bad.
  23. He acts up during dinner to avoid eating vegetables.
  24. The dishwasher acted up and leaked water everywhere.
  25. His arthritis acts up in damp weather.
  26. The software acts up whenever there’s an update.
  27. The children act up when they have too much sugar.
  28. The heater acted up and stopped working in the middle of winter.
  29. She acts up when she’s nervous about something.
  30. The air conditioner acted up and made a strange noise.
  31. The student acted up to make his friends laugh.
  32. The camera started acting up just before the big event.
  33. Her skin acts up when she uses certain lotions.
  34. The microwave acts up if it’s running for too long.
  35. The toddler acted up because he missed his nap.
  36. The computer acted up during the important presentation.
  37. His back acted up after he lifted the heavy box.
  38. The kids act up when they are bored.
  39. The clock acts up and shows the wrong time occasionally.
  40. The cat acts up when it’s time to go to the vet.
  41. The refrigerator acted up and stopped cooling properly.
  42. His allergies act up when the pollen count is high.
  43. The car acts up if I don’t start it regularly.
  44. The baby acts up when he needs a diaper change.
  45. The software acted up and crashed my computer.
  46. The dog acted up because it heard a loud noise.
  47. The oven acts up and doesn’t heat evenly.
  48. The students act up when they are excited about a holiday.
  49. His stomach acted up because he ate something spicy.
  50. The GPS acted up and took us on a longer route.
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