Follow Up vs. Followup – Which is Correct?
The choice between follow up and followup hinges on their grammatical function. Follow up (two words) is almost exclusively used as a phrasal verb, meaning to pursue or continue. Followup (one word) serves as a noun or an adjective, referring to an action or item that follows something else. Both are correct, but their roles in a sentence differ.
Follow up or Followup – Which is Correct?
Both “follow up” and “followup” are correct in American English, but they function as different parts of speech. The core difference lies in whether you need a verb phrase or a noun/adjective. “Follow up” (two words) is the phrasal verb, indicating an action. “Followup” (one word) is the noun or adjective, describing a subsequent action, meeting, or item.
To determine which to use, consider a “swap test”: if you can replace it with a single action word (like “investigate” or “continue”), you likely need the verb “follow up.” If you can replace it with a noun (like “continuation” or “next step”) or an adjective (like “subsequent”), you likely need “followup.”
| Word | Part of Speech | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Follow up | Phrasal Verb | To pursue, investigate further, or take subsequent action. | “I will follow up with the client tomorrow.” |
| Followup | Noun / Adjective | A subsequent action, meeting, or communication (noun); relating to a subsequent action (adjective). | “The followup email is crucial.” (adjective) “We need a followup on this issue.” (noun) |
How to Use Follow up
As a phrasal verb, “follow up” means to pursue something further, investigate, or take additional action related to a previous event. It always implies an action being performed. It can be transitive (taking an object) or intransitive (not taking an object). When transitive, the object can come between “follow” and “up” or after the entire phrase.
Example 1: “The sales team needs to follow up on all leads from the conference.” (Intransitive, meaning to take further action regarding the leads)
Example 2: “Please follow your doctor’s instructions up carefully.” (Transitive, separable phrasal verb)
Example 3: “I will follow up with you next week to check on your progress.” (Intransitive, meaning to contact again)
What are the different forms of Follow up?
As a verb, “follow up” conjugates like a regular verb:
- Present Tense: follow up, follows up
- Past Tense: followed up
- Present Participle (Gerund): following up
- Past Participle: followed up
Examples: “She is following up on the complaint.” “They followed up on the initial meeting.”
Etymology of the word Follow up
The phrase “follow up” combines the verb “follow” (from Old English folgian, meaning “to go after, pursue”) with the adverb “up” (from Old English upp, meaning “upwards, on high”). The combination to form a phrasal verb with the specific meaning of pursuing or investigating further developed over time, becoming common in the 19th and 20th centuries as English phrasal verbs gained prominence.
How to Use Followup
“Followup” (one word) functions as either a noun or an adjective. As a noun, it refers to a subsequent action, meeting, communication, or event that serves to continue, reinforce, or check on something that came before. As an adjective, it describes something that is a subsequent action or communication.
Example 1: “The manager scheduled a followup meeting for Friday.” (Adjective, describing the meeting)
Example 2: “We sent a followup email after the interview.” (Adjective, describing the email)
Example 3: “The doctor ordered a followup to monitor the patient’s recovery.” (Noun, referring to the subsequent appointment/check)
What are the different forms of Followup?
As a noun, “followup” can be pluralized:
- Singular: followup
- Plural: followups
Example: “We have several followups pending from yesterday’s calls.”
As an adjective, “followup” does not change form.
Etymology of the word Followup
The single-word “followup” evolved from the phrasal verb “follow up.” It emerged as a compound noun/adjective to specifically denote the *result* or *nature* of the action described by the phrasal verb. This compounding is a common process in English, where a verb-adverb combination becomes a unified noun or adjective (e.g., “break down” becoming “breakdown,” “set up” becoming “setup”). Its usage as a single word gained significant traction in the mid-20th century, especially in business and medical contexts, to concisely refer to a subsequent action or item.
Related Concepts
Understanding the distinction between “follow up” and “followup” is a prime example of differentiating between phrasal verbs and compound nouns/adjectives. A phrasal verb is a verb combined with an adverb or a preposition (or both), creating a new meaning (e.g., “give up,” “look into,” “break down”). The individual words retain their separate identities. A compound noun or compound adjective, on the other hand, is formed when two or more words are joined to create a new word with a single meaning. These compounds can be written as one word (e.g., “followup,” “headache”), hyphenated (e.g., “sister-in-law,” “long-term”), or as separate words (e.g., “ice cream,” “real estate”). The key is that the compound functions as a single part of speech, whereas a phrasal verb retains the verb’s grammatical role.
Examples from Media and Literature
- “We need to follow up on this lead immediately before it goes cold.” (Phrasal verb)
- “The detective promised a thorough followup to the initial investigation.” (Noun)
- “After the interview, a polite followup email can make a strong impression.” (Adjective)
- “It’s essential to follow up with patients after surgery to monitor their recovery.” (Phrasal verb)
- “The journalist’s article included a critical followup piece on the scandal.” (Adjective)
Practice Exercises
Choose the correct word to complete the sentence.
- Our team needs to ________ on the outstanding tasks by end of day.
- Did you send the ________ email to the candidate?
- The doctor scheduled a ________ appointment for next month.
- I will ________ with the vendor about the delayed shipment.
- The police conducted a thorough ________ after receiving new information.
Answer Key
- follow up
- followup
- followup
- follow up
- followup
Follow up Synonyms
| Synonym | Definition |
|---|---|
| Pursue | To continue to follow or strive for; to carry out. |
| Investigate | To carry out a systematic or formal inquiry to discover and examine the facts of (an incident, allegation, etc.) so as to establish the truth. |
| Continue | To resume an activity after an interruption; to persist in an activity. |
| Track | To observe or monitor the progress or course of (something). |
| Revisit | To consider or discuss (a subject or problem) again. |
Followup Synonyms
| Synonym | Definition |
|---|---|
| Continuation | The action of continuing or the state of being continued. |
| Sequel | A published, broadcast, or recorded work that continues the story or develops the theme of an earlier one. |
| Aftermath | The consequences or after-effects of a significant unpleasant event. (Often used for negative outcomes, but can imply a subsequent period.) |
| Postscript | An additional remark at the end of a letter, article, or book. |
| Extension | A part that is added to something to enlarge or prolong it. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Question 1: Is “follow up” ever hyphenated?
“Follow-up” (hyphenated) is sometimes used as a compound adjective (e.g., “a follow-up report”) or compound noun (e.g., “we need a follow-up”). While “followup” (one word) is becoming more common for the noun/adjective form, the hyphenated version is still widely accepted, especially in British English or for clarity. However, the verb form is always “follow up” (two words).
Question 2: Can “follow up” be used as a noun?
No, “follow up” (two words) is exclusively a phrasal verb. When you need a noun or an adjective, you should use “followup” (one word) or “follow-up” (hyphenated).
Question 3: Which form is more formal?
Both “follow up” (verb) and “followup” (noun/adjective) are standard and appropriate for formal writing when used correctly according to their grammatical function. Consistency within a document is key. The single-word “followup” is generally preferred in modern American business and technical writing for its conciseness as a noun or adjective.
Conclusion
The distinction between “follow up” and “followup” is a matter of grammatical role rather than correctness. Use “follow up” (two words) as a phrasal verb to describe the action of pursuing or continuing something. Opt for “followup” (one word) when you need a noun to refer to a subsequent action or a meeting, or an adjective to describe something as subsequent. Mastering this nuance enhances clarity and precision in your writing.
Pro Tip: In professional correspondence, using the correct form demonstrates attention to detail. A quick mental check—”Am I describing an action (verb) or an item/event (noun/adjective)?”—will guide you to the right choice, upholding your professional reputation.
