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Expressions in English with the Verbs Pay and Keep

Expressions in English with the Verbs Pay and Keep

International English Test Editorial Team·10 Jan 2024·3 min read

Mastering idioms involving “keep” and “pay” can boost your daily English usage, expanding your language skills. Start incorporating them into your conversations now for quick improvement.

The English language consists of a vast number of words, and frequently, words are combined into phrases known as collocations. This article will introduce you to specific phrases in English that involve the words “pay” and “keep.”

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The Most Common Expressions with the Verb KEEP

The verb KEEP in English has a broader range of meanings compared to the word PAY. Therefore, understanding the specific context when it is used with other words is crucial. Failing to do so may lead to confusion and errors in both spoken and written communication.

Here are some instances of fixed expressions with the word KEEP:

  •         Keep a secret –
  •         Keep in touch –
  •         Keep a promise –
  •         Keep the change –
  •         Keep an appointment –
  •        Keep calm –
  •         Keep quiet –
  •         Keep control –
  •         Keep a diary –

https://www.youtube.com/embed/GEUoudvfQYo?feature=oembed

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Popular Phrases with the Verb PAY

The English term PAY encompasses various meanings, mostly revolving around the exchange of money for goods or services. However, there are instances where a specific phrase with this verb takes on an entirely different meaning.

For example:

  •         Pay cash –
  •         Pay the bill –
  •         Pay with a credit card –
  •         Pay someone a visit –
  •         Pay someone a compliment –
  •         Pay attention –
  •         Pay the price –
  •         Pay a fine –

https://www.youtube.com/embed/xT7bjrVZAgE?feature=oembed

By the way, are you familiar with the origin of the well-known contemporary phrase “Keep calm and carry on”?

Interestingly, it originated as a British expression featured on a propaganda poster in 1939 during the early days of the Second World War. Nowadays, with the expiration of licensing rights for this slogan, the phrase “Keep calm and…” has gained popularity on the Internet.

Feel free to replace the ellipsis with your own phrases, such as “Keep calm and learn English!”—it fits perfectly, doesn’t it?

That concludes today’s information.

If you found this article helpful, “Stay calm and share it with your friends!”

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Find out your A1 A2 B1 B2 C1 C2 level of English with our online test and receive your English certificate.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Some of the most common fixed expressions built around keep include keep a secret, keep in touch, keep a promise, keep the change, keep an appointment, keep calm, keep quiet, keep control, and keep a diary. Because keep carries a broad range of meanings, the exact sense depends on the word that follows it, so learning these as set phrases helps avoid confusion in speaking and writing.
Pay usually relates to exchanging money for goods or services, as in pay cash, pay the bill, pay with a credit card, and pay a fine. Some phrases break that pattern and carry a different sense, such as pay someone a visit, pay someone a compliment, pay attention, and pay the price. Treat these as fixed combinations rather than translating each word literally.
When you say keep the change, you are telling someone to hold onto the difference between what they paid and what the item or service actually cost, usually as a tip. It is a fixed expression where keep means to retain rather than store, and you would commonly use it with a taxi driver, a waiter, or a delivery person after rounding up a payment.
Keep calm and carry on began as a British expression printed on a propaganda poster in 1939 during the early days of the Second World War. After the licensing rights for the original slogan expired, the structure keep calm and gained huge popularity on the Internet, where people fill in the ending with their own words, for example keep calm and learn English.
A collocation is a combination of words that native speakers regularly use together, rather than one standalone word. Pay and keep form many collocations, such as pay attention or keep a promise, where the words sound natural together but might not if swapped. Learning these pairings as units helps you produce phrases that sound correct instead of assembling words individually.
Keep has a much broader range of meanings than pay, so the same verb shifts sense depending on the word that follows it. Pay mostly revolves around exchanging money, which makes its phrases easier to predict, while keep can mean retain, maintain, stay, or continue. Paying attention to the specific context each time keep appears is what prevents errors in both spoken and written communication.
International English Test

International English Test Editorial Team

ALTE Associate Member · UK English assessment provider · Est. 2023

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