"quit" vs "give up"

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

-The teacher asked the students to …talking.
a) give up b)quit

My answer is : give up - but in the key answer is : quit
Doesn’t “give up " mean “stop” ?
We can say " He gave up smoking. " - or “He quitted smoking.” and if give up means stop doing habits ,I think in that sentence” the teacher asked the students to …talking,it’s a custom and students always talk in the class…could you show me the difference?
I would be grateful.

2

Hello Sultano,

“To give up X” has a sense of “to stop doing X from personal volition”. But in this context, where “ask” implies “order”, there is a sense of a requirement imposed by the teacher.

Best wishes,

MrP

3

Of course 90% of the time in the classroom the teacher will ask the pupils to “stop” talking.

But with these two…quit is definitely the right option. It implies the immediate halting of something that is currently being done.

“give up” however is used in different circumstances.
You give up smoking, or drinking, or chocolate. But it is possibly something you choose to do. you can’t really give up talking because it implies to never do it again.

you can also give up ON something
so you are trying to achieve something
maybe get a job
or go out with a girl

But when you realise you can’t do it anymore and will stop trying…then you give up trying to go out with her (for example)
again, this can’t be used with the teacher/pupil scenario

4

[quote=“Benjamin”]
Of course 90% of the time in the classroom the teacher will ask the pupils to “stop” talking.

"you can also give up ON something
so you are trying to achieve something
maybe get a job
or go out with a girl

but sometimes we can say quit this/that job.and that means he/she will never do it again.

5

Hello Sultano,

I think the essential difference here (as Benjamin has noted) is as follows:

  1. to quit doing X = to stop doing X.
  2. to give up doing X = to stop doing X through one’s own choice.

“Quit” is neutral, as regards whose choice it is: you can “quit your job”, where it’s your choice; or you can obey a command to “quit talking!”, where it’s the teacher’s choice.

But a command to “give up talking!” would contain a contradiction: if you “give up” something, it’s your own choice, whereas the imperative suggests it’s the teacher’s choice.

All the best,

MrP