Clear up, sort out, work out, figure out

[sarares]

Hello friends,

Clear up,
sort out,
work out,
figure out

This four phrasal verbs have a similar meaning, but I am looking for a little more specific comprenhension of the differences among them.

Could you tell me if this sentence is OK?

For clearing up this problem, there are a lot of operations to sort out but if it doesn’t work out you can figure it out using a computer

Thank you in advance

Sara

 

[aztlaniano]

The sounds fine to me.

 

[Chez]

clear up - clarify
sort out - untangle and put into logical order/sequence/groups
work out - succeed/go well
figure out - use mental processes to solve a problem.

There's a further thing to bear in mind if you include Br Eng. We use 'work out' to mean figure out' in Br Eng. We 'work out a problem'. We understand and sometimes use 'figure out' as well, and we also use 'work out' as you have used it in your sentence. Just to add to your difficulties!

 

[aztlaniano]

There's a further thing to bear in mind if you include Br Eng. We use 'work out' to mean figure out' in Br Eng. We 'work out a problem'. We understand and sometimes use 'figure out' as well, and we also use 'work out' as you have used it in your sentence. Just to add to your difficulties!

Very useful, Chez!
I have one minor quibble - I believe "work out" is a synonym for "figure out" in AE, when the subject is a person or persons. (Although I've actually been to the US only twice in this millenium, I read US newspapers and see US television programmes.)
What is not used in this sense in AE (as far as I know) is "suss out".
Though I imagine most Americans would be able to suss out the meaning of "suss out" once they got over their initial perplexity.

 

[sarares]

Thanks you,
But in some cases the four of them , I think, are synonyms, for example, in Maths. If you are talking about a Maths problem you can say

I have to Work out this problem
I have to Figure out this problem
I have to Sort out this problem
I have to Clear up this problem

Sara

 

[Chez]

It is possible, but not very likely, that you would say 'sort out' or 'clear up' a maths problem. You sort out something that is in a muddle, so if someone has started a maths problem and gone wrong, you might say 'I'll have to sort it out', but I don't think you would start a maths problem from fresh and use 'sort it out'.

Also, you would definitely NOT say 'work out' a problem in AE. I have worked in co-edition publishing, where texts have to be acceptable to US and UK audiences, and 'work out' is not used in this sense at all (it either means to work out physically at the gym, or to turn out successfully, as previously stated).

It's the same problem with 'clear up' because that means to tidy up a mess or misunderstanding.

So, in Br E, 'work out' and 'figure out' can mean the same, but not in US Eng. And. otherwise, there are clear differences between the phrases.

 

[sevengem]

Could you please give further explanations on how "figure out" and "work out' are different in AE?

 

[aztlaniano]

Could you please give further explanations on how "figure out" and "work out' are different in AE?

Como comentó Chez, "work out" puede significar:
- hacer ejercicio
- salir bien/dar resultados

Pero diría que también -y en esto me atrevo a discrepar con Chez - puede funcionar como sinónimo de figure out -deducir, resolver un problema, sacar una conclusión - aunque reconozco que este uso es infrecuente en el inglés americano, a gran diferencia del caso en el inglés británico.
Un ejemplo:
They're (the IRS, Hacienda en EEUU) doing this to give folks who are having difficulty another avenue to work out a solution, especially for folks who haven't had trouble paying their taxes in the past.
http://www.myfoxdfw.com/dpp/good_day/What-If-I-Miss-the-Tax-Deadline%3F

While working out math problems, you first have to know how much your kid knows about the topic.
http://www.kidsmath.org/kids-math-problems.htm

 

[AL-HAMBRA]

OK, quite interesting.

I have a new phrasal verb, SORT OUT and Lay out. I think as synonyms
What´s difference between them?

Thanks

 

[aztlaniano]

I have a new phrasal verb, SORT OUT and Lay out. I think as synonyms
What´s difference between them?

Sort out - poner orden, organizar, clasificar y también, sobre todo en británico, solucionar, arreglar, reparar

lay out = colocar (normalemente toda una serie de cosas), exponer