Meaning trap
grow up
become an adult
To change from being a child to being an adult, both physically and mentally.
Don't mix these meanings
Same phrase, different job.
To change from being a child to being an adult, both physically and mentally.
Another meaning of 'grow up' is 'stop behaving childishly'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
I grew up in a small town by the sea.
When I was a child, I grew up with my grandparents, so family has always been important to me.
Fix the pattern
One small grammar move makes it sound right.
Not: I grew up in a farm.
Say: I grew up on a farm.
'Grow up ON a farm' (but 'IN a town/city').
Which sounds natural?
Tap the one a native speaker would say.
'Grow up' is the natural verb for where you spent childhood. 'Was raised' works but is more formal and shifts focus to the carer.
Build natural chunks
Words that usually travel with it.
grow up + place
- in London
- on a farm
- abroad
- near the sea
Don't confuse it
Related
Other meanings and phrases to compare.
- grow up (stop behaving childishly) — Another meaning of 'grow up' is 'stop behaving childishly'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.