Is the Sentence 'What Are You Up to Now' Correct? Exploring Grammar and Usage

The phrase 'What are you up to now' is a common expression used in everyday conversations. While its grammatical correctness might be questioned due to its redundancy, its usage and context can provide insight into its appropriateness and meaning.

Common Usage and Context

The question 'What are you up to now' is often used to inquire about someone’s current activities or what they have been doing recently. This phrase is particularly useful in informal settings, such as casual conversations with friends, family, or colleagues. For example:

Example:
Person A: 'What are you up to now?'
Person B: 'I am working on a project, but I also plan to spend some time with my family this weekend.'

Even though the exact meaning may depend on context, this phrase is generally correct and conveys a sense of interest in the other person's current activities.

Grammatical Correctness and Redundancy

The phrase 'up to' can be seen as a preposition, which is why we might question its grammatical correctness. However, many expressions in English are not strictly governed by grammar rules but rather by common usage and intuition. In the case of 'up to,' the phrase 'up to no good' or 'he’s up to something' illustrates its usage and meaning quite clearly.

For example:

Example:
Person A: 'Up to no good.'
Person B: 'Oh, what are you up to now?'

Here, 'What are you up to now' implies that the person is asking if the other individual is engaging in any suspicious or secretive activities.

Pleonasm and Redundancy

When examining the phrase more closely, we can see that it is technically a pleonasm, which is a figure of speech where more words are used than are necessary to convey the meaning. The terms 'currently' and 'these days' often overlap in their meaning, leading to redundancy.

Example:

'What are you currently doing' could be rephrased as 'What are you doing these days.' Both phrases mean the same thing: asking about the person's current activities.

Example:

'What are you up to now' could be more appropriately phrased as either 'What are you doing currently' or 'What are you doing these days' to eliminate redundancy.

For instance, saying 'I’m currently reading poetry but not these days' would be a sensible answer to the question. It clearly indicates that the person has been reading poetry but is no longer doing so, which is a meaningful and concise response.

Conclusion

In conclusion, while the phrase 'What are you up to now' has some redundancy and overlaps in meaning with 'What are you doing these days,' it remains a correct and commonly used expression in English. However, to avoid redundancy, it would be ideal to state either 'What are you doing currently' or 'What are you doing these days,' depending on the context and intention of the speaker.