Grammar fix
chalk up
attribute to / regard as the result of
to say that something happened because of a particular reason, or to consider something as being caused by something else, often used for explaining success, failure, or an event.
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
She chalked her poor exam results up to a lack of sleep rather than a lack of ability.
Many people chalk up their career success to having supportive mentors early on.
Fix the pattern
One small grammar move makes it sound right.
Not: I chalked it up for experience.
Say: I chalked it up to experience.
'Chalk something up TO [a cause]', not 'for'.
Which sounds natural?
Tap the one a native speaker would say.
'Attributed to a deficiency of preparation' is formal; 'chalk up to' is the casual idiom.
Build natural chunks
Words that usually travel with it.
chalk up to
- to experience
- to bad luck
- it up to
- another