act up (no object): misbehave (for people); not work properly (for machines).
"The babysitter had a difficult time. The children acted up all evening."
"I guess I'd better take my car to the garage. It's been acting up lately."
act like (inseparable): behave in a way that's like _____ .
"What's wrong with Bob? He's acting like an idiot."
Note: This phrasal verb is very informal.
add up (1. no object): logically fit together.
"His theory is hard to believe, but his research adds up."
Note: This phrasal verb is often negative."His theory seems, at first, to be plausible, but the facts in his research don't add up."
add up (2. separable): find the total.
"What's the total of those bills? Could you add them up and see?"
add up to (inseparable): to total.
"The bills add up to $734.96. That's more than I expected!"
ask out (separable): ask for a date.
"Nancy has a new boy friend. Joe asked her out last night."
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