Make up for it meaning in English

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Definition

to make up for (something): to compensate for (something) verb
I need to make up for my lack of sleep: I'm going to bed for two weeks!
I'll make it up to you somehow, can I take you out for dinner tonight?.
When I was younger, I never danced but now, I'm making up for lost time and I go to a disco every night!

Examples

  • "Tell him I'll pick up a bottle of Seamus Dog Whiskey to make up for it."
  • "We are going to make up for lost time."
  • "But I'm sure you'll agree that the view from the master bedroom more than makes up for that."
Exercise 1
Choose the best definition for each expression from Bob's email.

"I won't be able to make it to the meeting" = Bob the meeting.

"I'll pick up a bottle" = Bob will a bottle.

"I'll buy him a bottle of whiskey to make up for it" = Bob will buy a bottle of whiskey .

"We could postpone the meeting" = Bob wants to the meeting.

"I can't find anyone else to take him". = In the context of his email, Bob can't find anyone to his son.
Choose the best definition for each expression from Bob's email.

"I won't be able to make it to the meeting" = Bob cannot attend 1 the meeting.

"I'll pick up a bottle" = Bob will buy 2 a bottle.

"I'll buy him a bottle of whiskey to make up for it" = Bob will buy a bottle of whiskey to compensate for his absence 3.

"We could postpone the meeting" = Bob wants to delay 4 the meeting.

"I can't find anyone else to take him". = In the context of his email, Bob can't find anyone to transport 5 his son.
1 cannot attend: The expression "I won't be able to make it to the meeting" expresses that someone cannot attend or assist a meeting. The expression is synonymous with the phrase "I won't be able to attend the meeting".
1 is canceling: To "cancel" a meeting means to "annul" or "call off" a meeting. Bob is not canceling the meeting, he is trying to temporarily postpone the meeting because he cannot "make it" or "attend" the original time set for the meeting.
1 will arrive late to: This is not a good choice. If Bob is unable "to make it to a meeting", it doesn't mean that he will arrive late to the meeting, but rather that he cannot attend or be present at the meeting.
2 buy: This is correct. In this context, to "pick up" a bottle means "to buy" one. Example: On your way home, could you pick up a bottle of wine?
2 lift: To "lift" an object is to physically "raise" or elevate it. In another context, "to pick up" can mean to physically lift an object, however in Bob's email, this is not the case.
2 open: Bob is "buying" a bottle of whisky for Bruno, not "opening" a bottle of whiskey. The phrasal verb to "pick up" does not indicate that one will "open" an object.
3 to compensate for his absence: The idiom "to make up for (something)" means "to pay back" or "to compensate" for it. Example: "I'm sorry I hit your cat, what can I do to make up for it?" Note that the compensation is not necessarily financial.
3 to express his respect: The idiom "to make up for (something)" is not a gesture of respect, but rather a gesture to "compensate" for something.
3 to make Bruno forget about it: The idiom "to make up for (something)" is not an attempt to make someone forget about something, but rather a gesture to "compensate" for something.
3 that he brewed himself: Bob's expression is not an indication that he himself "brewed" the whiskey himself.
4 delay: The verb "to postpone" means to "delay" or to "put off" something, such as a meeting, to a later time. Example: We need to postpone the meeting until next week because Bob won't be there.
4 cancel: To "cancel a meeting" means to "annul" or to "call it off" entirely. Bob does not want to cancel the meeting, just to "postpone" it to a later date.
4 skip: To "skip" a meeting means to fail to attend a meeting. It is true that Bob will not be able to attend the meeting, however this is not what Bob "wants", nor does it express the meaning of the term "postpone".
5 transport: This is the best choice. Bob writes, "I have an appointment to take my infant son to the pediatrician at 2:30". "To take someone somewhere" means "to transport" them, usually by car.
5 pick up: To "pick someone up" from the doctor's office means to "retrieve" them, or bring them back home from the doctor's office. Example: I will pick you up after school. This is a bit different in meaning than the verb "to take" in this context.
5 babysit: Although Bob is looking for a babysitter, when he writes that he "can't find anyone to take him", he is referring "to transporting" or "bringing" his son to the doctor's office, not that he is looking for someone to babysit him.

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