Pick Up or Drop Off?
Explore how to use “pick up” and “drop off” when making plans for rides, packages, and everyday errands.
Preview
Questions with solutions-
1. 正しい答えを選んでください。
What will Mom do?
Mom will pick me up from school today.
- Collect the speaker at school.
- Take the speaker to school.
- Meet the speaker at home.
The speaker will already be at school.
Show solution
- Collect the speaker at school.
With people, “pick up” means arrive to collect someone and take them somewhere, often by car.
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2. 正しい答えを選んでください。
What happened to the books?
I dropped the books off at the library on my way to work.
- They were collected from the library.
- They were left at the library.
- They were left at the workplace.
The library was a stop during the trip.
Show solution
- They were left at the library.
A drop-off can be a quick stop to leave something while you are traveling somewhere else.
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3. 正しい答えを選んでください。
Which sentence has the same meaning?
Could you pick up the tickets after work?
- Could you pick the tickets after work?
- Could you pick the tickets off after work?
- Could you pick the tickets up after work?
Keep both parts of the phrase: “pick” and “up.”
Show solution
- Could you pick the tickets up after work?
A noun can go between “pick” and “up”: both “pick up the tickets” and “pick the tickets up” are correct.
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4. 空欄を埋めてください。
These bags need to go to Jo's house. Can you ___ there on your way to work?
- drop them off
- drop off them
“Them” takes the place of “these bags.”
Show solution
These bags need to go to Jo's house. Can you drop them off there on your way to work?
A pronoun such as “them” must go between the verb and the particle: “drop them off.”
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5. 空欄を埋めてください。
Yesterday, I ___ my new glasses from the store.
- pick up
- picked up
- picking up
“Yesterday” places the action in the past.
Show solution
Yesterday, I picked up my new glasses from the store.
For the past form, add “-ed” to the verb. The particle “up” stays unchanged.
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6. 空欄を埋めてください。
I can't talk right now. I'm ___ my daughter at school.
- droping off
- dropped off
- dropping off
The action is happening now. Check the spelling of the verb.
Show solution
I can't talk right now. I'm dropping off my daughter at school.
Double the final “p” before adding “-ing”: “drop” becomes “dropping.”
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7. 空欄を埋めてください。
My suit is ready. I'll pick it up ___ the dry cleaner's after work.
- from
- to
- into
The suit is currently at the dry cleaner's.
Show solution
My suit is ready. I'll pick it up from the dry cleaner's after work.
“From” names the place where you collect something before taking it away.
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8. 空欄を埋めてください。
My neighbor will keep the key safe while I'm away.
I'll drop the spare key off ___ my neighbor before I leave.
- at
- with
- from
The neighbor is the person who will receive and keep the key.
Show solution
I'll drop the spare key off with my neighbor before I leave.
Use “with” to name the person who receives something: “drop it off with my neighbor.”
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9. 空欄を埋めてください。
Please drop me off ___ the main entrance, not in the parking lot.
- from
- of
- at
The entrance is the exact place where the ride should end.
Show solution
Please drop me off at the main entrance, not in the parking lot.
Use “at” for a specific drop-off point, such as an entrance or a bus stop.
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10. 正しい答えを選んでください。
What is the speaker expecting?
I'll get picked up outside my building.
- Someone will come to collect the speaker.
- The speaker will collect someone else.
- The speaker will leave a package outside.
The speaker receives the action rather than doing it.
Show solution
- Someone will come to collect the speaker.
“Get picked up” is a common way to describe someone else coming to collect you.
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11. 正しい答えを選んでください。
What has changed in the plan?
Don't pick me up after class. I'll take the bus home instead.
- The speaker wants a ride to class.
- The speaker no longer needs a ride home.
- The speaker wants to be collected at the bus stop.
The bus replaces the original travel plan.
Show solution
- The speaker no longer needs a ride home.
“Instead” shows that the bus is an alternative to the planned pickup, not an extra part of it.
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12. 正しい答えを選んでください。
What does the driver plan to do?
“Can you stay for dinner?”
“Sorry, I can only drop you off. I have to get back to work.”- Stay until dinner is over.
- Return to collect the other person after dinner.
- Leave after taking the other person there.
The driver has another place to be.
Show solution
- Leave after taking the other person there.
Dropping someone off does not mean staying with them after they arrive.
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13. 正しい答えを選んでください。
Where does the passenger's ride begin?
Please pick me up at the office and drop me off at the gym.
- At the office.
- At the gym.
Follow the two actions in the order they happen.
Show solution
- At the office.
A pickup and a drop-off can describe the two ends of one ride.
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14. 正しい答えを選んでください。
Where is the coat while it is being cleaned?
I dropped off my coat at the cleaner's on Monday. They said it would be ready to pick up on Friday.
- At the owner's home.
- At the cleaner's.
- In the owner's car.
The owner leaves the coat first and collects it later.
Show solution
- At the cleaner's.
For services such as cleaning or repairs, you often drop an item off before picking it up again.
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15. 正しい答えを選んでください。
What will Nina do with the bike?
Nina: I can pick up your repaired bike, but I can't drop it off at your place.
Owen: No problem. I'll collect it from your garage tonight.- Take the broken bike to the repair shop.
- Bring the repaired bike to Owen's home.
- Bring the repaired bike from the shop to her garage.
Notice where Owen plans to collect the bike later.
Show solution
- Bring the repaired bike from the shop to her garage.
Picking something up does not necessarily include delivering it to its owner's home.