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B1Planning a Holiday

How to Use 'Book Up' When Planning Your Holiday

Phrasal Verb: book up |Grammar: Present Perfect Passive

Objective

By the end of this lesson, students will understand how to use the phrasal verb 'book up' in the present perfect passive to talk about fully reserved holiday plans.

Article

When you plan a holiday, sometimes you find that popular hotels or tours have already been booked up. This means all the available places have been reserved by other travellers. For example, many beach resorts have been booked up during the summer months because they are very popular. If a hotel has been booked up, it is not possible to find a room there. Many flights to holiday destinations have also been booked up early this year, so travellers need to book in advance. Luckily, some new tours have not been booked up yet, so there are still options for last-minute travellers. It is always a good idea to check if your preferred hotel or tour has been booked up before you decide. If something has been booked up, you might need to look for another option or change your travel dates. Planning ahead helps avoid disappointment, especially when places get booked up quickly.

Grammar Explanation

Meaning

'Book up' means that all available places, tickets, or rooms have been reserved and are no longer available.

Grammar Note

The present perfect passive is used to show that an action was completed recently or has a result now. It is formed with 'has/have been' + past participle (e.g., 'has been booked up').

Usage Tips

  • Use 'has been booked up' to talk about singular places fully reserved.
  • Use 'have been booked up' for plural places or items.
  • Remember it focuses on the result: the place is now full or unavailable.

Examples

The hotel has been booked up for the whole summer.

Talking about a hotel fully reserved.

All the seats on the flight have been booked up.

Talking about flight seats fully reserved.

Unfortunately, the popular tours have been booked up quickly.

Talking about tours fully reserved.

The holiday cottages have been booked up since last month.

Talking about cottages fully reserved.

Many cruise cabins have been booked up for the summer season.

Talking about cruise cabins fully reserved.

Dialogue

Context: Two friends are discussing booking a holiday and checking availability.

A:
I wanted to book the seaside hotel for July, but I think it might be full.
B:
Let me check online. Oh no, it has been booked up already!
A:
That's disappointing. What about the mountain lodge?
B:
It looks like the mountain lodge has also been booked up for July.
A:
We need to find somewhere else quickly, or choose a different month.
B:
Yes, many places have been booked up early this year.

Vocabulary

Reserve
To arrange to keep something for your use later
Example: I reserved a room at the hotel last week.
Synonym: Book
Availability
The state of being able to be used or obtained
Example: Check the availability of flights before you book.
Synonym: Accessibility
Fully
Completely or entirely
Example: The hotel is fully booked for the holiday season.
Synonym: Completely
Popular
Liked or enjoyed by many people
Example: This is a popular destination for families.
Synonym: Favoured
Tourist
A person who travels for pleasure
Example: Many tourists visit the city during summer.
Synonym: Visitor
Disappointing
Not as good as expected
Example: It was disappointing that the hotel was full.
Synonym: Unpleasant
Option
A choice or possibility
Example: We had to find another option for our holiday.
Synonym: Alternative
Advance
Before a particular time; early
Example: It’s better to book flights in advance.
Synonym: Early
Cabin
A small room or house on a ship or in the countryside
Example: We stayed in a cosy cabin near the lake.
Synonym: Lodge
Season
A part of the year marked by particular weather or events
Example: Summer is the busiest holiday season.
Synonym: Period

Tips

  • Always check availability early to avoid places being booked up.
  • Use the present perfect passive to describe places that are now fully reserved.
  • Don’t confuse 'book up' with 'book'; 'book up' means fully reserved.

Summary

In this lesson, you learned how to use the phrasal verb 'book up' to talk about places that are fully reserved when planning a holiday. You also practised the present perfect passive to explain recent reservations that affect availability now.

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