Grammar fix
straighten up
make a room neat
To put things back in their proper places so that a room looks neat.
phrasal verb
How oftenCommon
LevelB1
Used inMostly spoken
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
I’ll straighten up the living room before our friends get here.
When guests are coming over, I usually straighten up the living room and put a few things away.
Fix the pattern
One small grammar move makes it sound right.
Not: I’ll straighten up it before they arrive.
Say: I’ll straighten it up before they arrive.
With a pronoun, put the object between 'straighten' and 'up'.
Don't confuse it
Other ways to say it
Make a messy room neat
Where saidBritishAmerican
tidy upEspecially British, and the everyday choice: put scattered things away so a place looks neat. Americans more often say 'straighten up' or 'pick up'.clean upDeal with a mess, including dirt or scattered things.
straighten upYou're here · Especially American: put things back so a room looks neat.