student asking question

Is the first “back up” a phrasal verb, and the second one “backup” is a noun?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

You are correct! "Backup" is considered either a noun or an adjective while "back up" is considered a verb. The noun "backup" means to have a secondary copy of something or extra. It is commonly used in computer technology, especially when it comes to having "backup" files or documents. As an adjective, "backup" means being the extra or secondary item, such as a backup generator or a backup of files. Here are a couple of examples as backup being used as a noun and adjective: Ex: I keep backups of my important documents just in case if my computer breaks down or if I need them. Ex: Please keep a backup of your tax documents. Ex: The military needs backup! Ex: Start the backup generator. We need to have electricity in the hospital. The verb "back up" means to support someone or something, to put something in reverse, or to make a copy of something. Using back up can be a little confusing, but if you just pay attention to the sentence structure, you will be just fine! Here are a few examples: Ex: My friends are always my back ups if something were to go wrong. Ex: Please back up the car into the garage. Ex: Make a back up of this document please. I know this is a lot of information and maybe a bit confusing, but a general rule is "back up" is a verb and "backup" is a noun or adjective.

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