awake / asleep
Awake and asleep are adjectives. Use them with the verb to be:
- He’s awake. = He isn’t sleeping.
- He’s asleep. = He is sleeping.
It’s common to use the expressions stay awake (to continue awake) and fall asleep (to begin sleeping):
- On New Year’s Eve, my children stay awake until midnight.
- I always fall asleep in history class – it’s so boring!
wake up
Wake up is a verb that means to go from asleep –> awake.
- I wake up at 6:00 AM every day.
- My brother usually wakes up at 10:00 AM on weekends.
- Yesterday, I woke up late because my alarm didn’t go off.
Wake up can be used for yourself, or for another person:
- Don’t talk so loudly! You’ll wake up the baby!
- Your sister is taking a short nap. Can you wake her up in about 20 minutes?
Clear up your doubts about confusing words… and use English more confidently!
