verb
1
BAD : He cut the strip of photographs and gave one to me.
GOOD : He cut up the strip of photographs and gave one to me.
BAD : Then you cut the carrots and put them into the saucepan.
GOOD : Then you cut up the carrots and put them into the saucepan.
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cut up = cut something into small pieces: 'Two-year-olds can't eat meat unless you cut it up for them.'
2
BAD : I cut the picture and stuck it on a sheet of paper.
GOOD : I cut out the picture and stuck it on a sheet of paper.
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cut out = remove a part of something by cutting all around it: 'Each child had to draw a face and then cut it out.'
3
BAD : To build the motorway, they will have to cut a lot of trees.
GOOD : To build the motorway, they will have to cut down a lot of trees.
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cut down = make something tall (such as a tree) fall down by cutting through it close to the ground: 'All the elms were diseased and had to be cut down.'
4
BAD : In the summer I cut my hair very short.
GOOD : In the summer I have my hair cut very short.
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have/get your hair cut: 'When was the last time you had your hair cut?'