English, baby!

splitting up

Date: Dec 22 2003

Quote

1. Quote - Listen to the quote and guess what the slang means.

“In hip-hop history, people do their own separate thing. That’s when people start to say, ‘Well, they’re splitting up.’ But we really just wanted to get our own space at a certain time. That’s what it was about.”
- Andre 3000, rapper, talking about the new Outkast double album. (VH1.com)

Definition

1. Definition - Study the definition.

separating, dividing, doing things individually, being apart

2. Use - Learn how the slang is used.

You can use “splitting up” in many different ways. For example, you can use it to describe two people in a romantic relationship that is ending. If they decide to separate from each other, they are “splitting up.”
Or, you can use it to describe objects that are separated. For example, if you have some money that you want to share with others, you could “split up” the money with your friends – giving each of your friends part of the money.
You can also use “splitting up” to describe groups of people that are being divided. For example, if you are doing something in your class, but you need to be in small groups, you could “split up” into groups of 3 or 4 students.

Examples

1. Examples - Hear some example sentences.

””My girlfriend is going to school in California, but we aren’t splitting up. We’re going to try to stay together, even though she’ll be a thousand miles away.”“

””I think Jeff and Andrea split up last night. They both seem really unhappy today. I’ll have to talk to Jeff at lunch today and find out what happened.”“

””The Russians and Americans split up the city of Berlin in Germany after World War II. It was called West Berlin and East Berlin for many years.”“

””The band Jane’s Addiction split up, but then they got back together and made some really good music. They were apart for several years and reunited in 2003.”“

””My brother and sister are always fighting and arguing, so my mom often has to split them up. She makes my brother go to his bedroom and my sister go to hers. They have to stay there for one hour, then they can come back out.”“

Winners

1. Winners - See who guessed the slang definition correctly.

When people are splitting up, they are doing things individually rather than in a group. When a couple splits up, their relationship ends.
by Jack
‘Splitting up’ means to breaking your relationship with something/someone for a short while or forever. Ex: I had a severe disagreement with one of my band members. I could no longer get along with the band. So I split up & persued my career as a solo singer.
by Asad (Karachi, Pakistan)
It means “divide into groups”. For example, our English teacher split us up into five groups to rehearse the conversation described in the lesson.
by Tony (XI’an, China)
if a couple splits up, the relationship between the man and the woman breaks up and they become seperate
by ma (Beijing, China)
To end a relationship. But I think in this case it means stop to talk only to give an opportunite to another person sing a bit, maybe.
by Geovana (Manresa, Spain)
means the end of a relationship, send the seperated ways, each goes his own way.
by shirley (Hangzhou, China)
I guess it means: do their respective thing and don’t be concerned about each other!
by Hu (Chongqing, China)
to finish, to end something.
by Anulka (Glenddale, Ca)
A society or a group had broken up or separated into two or more teams, it might even become individuals. e.g. Germany splitted up into East Germany and West Germany since 1949 and finally merged on 1990.
by Ying Ying (Hong Kong, China)
express the situation that someone sperate or doing something sperately.
by tian (XangTan, China)
That means break up, cleavage.
by Emily (Qinhuangdao, China)
to break up, to quit
by merve (Turkey)
Separating
by Emma (Westcliff on Sea, England)
get separated
by reema
The expression “to be splitting up” means to be divided or separated.
by Orlando (Boynton Beach Fl., United States)
being apart
by coral (Mudanjiang, China)
“splitting up” means mess, in a condition which the things people do don’t go together
by Pink (Hanoi, Vietnam)
splitting up means independent, has own thinking and wants own space.
by luoxin (Xi an, China)
to be unique, to be special one
by ivy (Shenzhen, China)
when people want to have their free time with no interruption; have one’s own world to do what he likes
by XIAN (Hubei, China)
make the different thing from others
by siriporn (Bangkok, Thailand)
it means to do thins in your own way or style,according to what you feel not copying already existent things
by paola (Pasto, Colombia)