Mom asked them to tidy up.

Meaning: The mother requested her children to organize and clean up their belongings.

Choice of Words: Mom is a common word for mother. Asked is the past tense of ask, which means to request something. Tidy up means to make something neat and orderly.

Alternative Expressions

Mom requested that they clean up.

Meaning: This sentence means the same thing as the first sentence, but it uses more formal language. It's like saying, Mom is asking you to clean up the toys in a polite way.

Choice of Words: Mom is the name of a person. Requested is a more formal word for asked. That is a conjunction that introduces a subordinate clause. They refers to the people that Mom is talking to. Clean up is a verb phrase that means to make something neat and organized.

Mom told them to make the place look nice.

Meaning: This sentence means the same thing as the first two sentences, but it uses different words. It's like saying, Mom wants you to make the room look neat and tidy.

Choice of Words: Mom is the name of a person. Told is a verb that means to give someone instructions. Them refers to the people that Mom is talking to. Make is a verb that means to create something. The place refers to the area that Mom is talking about. Look nice is a verb phrase that means to appear pleasing to the eye.

Related Expressions