Grammar fix
shut up
stop talking rudely
A blunt and often rude way to tell someone to stop talking.
How oftenCommon
LevelB1
Used inMostly spoken
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
He told his brother to shut up, and the room suddenly went quiet.
When I was a child, my parents never told me to shut up, but they did ask me to speak more quietly.
Fix the pattern
One small grammar move makes it sound right.
Not: (to a stranger) Shut up, please.
Say: (to a stranger) Could you keep it down, please?
'Shut up' stays rude even with 'please'; with people you don't know, say 'Could you keep it down?'
Don't confuse it
Other ways to say it
Tell someone to stop talking
How bluntNeutral instructionRude command
keep quietAsk or tell someone not to talk or make noise.pipe downInformally tell someone to stop making so much noise.
shut upYou're here · A blunt, often rude command to stop talking.