- If you are using follow up as a verb, there is a space between the two words.
- If you are using it as a noun or adjective, put a hyphen between the two words: follow-up.
- Some write it together as one word, but that practice is not standard.
When to use follow up
There is a space between follow and up under one condition—you are using follow up as a verb. To follow up means to gather further information or to reinforce or evaluate a previous action. Those who work in the medical field often use this phrase with patients: The doctor will call you to follow up after the surgery to see how you are recovering.
Follow-up vs. followup
Does that mean followup and follow-up are wrong? No, because follow up functions only as a verb. But you might find yourself needing to talk about the act of following up. For example, a news reporter might present a story that gives further information or reports the conclusion of a prior report. The second piece would be a follow-up to the first. Parents might call the school to make sure that their children’s grades are improving after they hire a tutor. They may schedule a follow-up with the teacher. If you use the expression in this way, it functions as a noun. A few dictionaries, such as the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, list followup, written as one word, as an alternative to follow-up with a hyphen. However, others such as Merriam-Webster list only follow-up as standard.
Here’s a tip: Want to make sure your writing shines? Grammarly can check your spelling and save you from grammar and punctuation mistakes. It even proofreads your text, so your work is extra polished wherever you write.
Your writing, at its best
Grammarly helps you communicate confidently
As an adjective, follow-up means intended as a response, a reaction, an evaluation, or a reinforcement of a previous action. For instance, you may be called for a follow-up interview if you did well on your first-round interview, or you may receive a follow-up letter if you write a letter of complaint to a company. In medicine, it specifically refers to an examination to monitor previously administered treatment.
Follow-up and follow up examples
Ford took his time putting together his follow-up, the dreamy, non-linear Nocturnal Animals—but, as he pointed out to Vanity Fair senior west coast editor Krista Smith at this year’s Toronto Film Festival, he hasn’t exactly been idle.
Vanity Fair
In the follow-up study, a team of researchers led by Conny Vrieling, MD, PhD, of the Clinique des Grangettes, Switzerland, sought to reanalyze the prognostic factors related with breast cancer recurrence in a long-term follow-up of the EORCT boost no boost trial.
Breast Cancer News
What’s the right way to write the expression—followup, follow-up, or follow up? The answer is in the details. If you are using the phrase as a verb, your only option is to add a space between follow and up. If you are using the expression as a noun or an adjective, you can choose the universally accepted follow-up or take a chance on followup. In fact, you might want to follow up on followup by keeping an eye on new editions of your favorite dictionary. It just may be coming soon.
FAQs
If you are using follow up as a verb, there is a space between the two words. If you are using it as a noun or adjective, put a hyphen between the two words: follow-up. Some write it together as one word, but that practice is not standard.
Which is correct, follow up or follow up? ›
Is It Follow Up or Follow-Up? If you are referring to the verb, use the unhyphenated verb phrase follow up. If you are referring to the noun or adjective, hyphenate the two words to produce follow-up. You can also write it as one word in informal contexts.
Does follow up question have a hyphen? ›
1. Remember that 'Follow-up' is one word with a hyphen between the two words, 'Follow' and 'Up'. 2. Remember that 'Follow up' with hyphen stands for adjective, while without hyphen stands for verb.
Is the U in follow up capitalized? ›
The AMA Manual of Style states that the second part of a hyphenated compound should not be capitalized if it is a suffix (e.g., -type, -elect, -designate, -wide), or if both parts together constitute a single word (e.g., “Short-term,” “Follow-up,” “Low-level”).
What is a better word for follow up? ›
pursue to a conclusion or bring to a successful issue. “She followed up his recommendations with a written proposal” synonyms: carry out, follow out, follow through, go through, implement, put through accomplish, action, carry out, carry through, execute, fulfil, fulfill.
Is it OK to say follow up? ›
Though not every email will be urgent, like Paul's, you still need to be thoughtful about your subject line. Avoid generic phrases like “Following up” or “Checking in.” Those are not only vague — they may also make the reader feel bad for being slow to respond (even further delaying a prompt reply).
How to use follow up in a sentence? ›
An officer took a statement from me, but no one's bothered to follow it up. They are recording a follow-up to their successful first album. One man was arrested during the raid and another during a follow-up operation. The meeting is scheduled for tomorrow with a follow-up on Saturday.
Is follow up two words or hyphenated? ›
“Follow up” is two words as a verb. As a noun or adjective, use the hyphenated “follow-up.” For example: I want to follow up on our previous conversation. So, I am sending this follow-up email.
How do you use follow up question in a sentence? ›
Examples from the Collins Corpus
- Ask what they enjoy doing and pay attention so you can ask follow-up questions.
- There were no follow-up questions.
- Listen to their replies and ask follow-up questions.
Hyphen
- Use a hyphen to form a single idea from two or more words (socio-economic), and whenever its omission would change the meaning of a phrase: President Dunn will speak to small-businessmen.
- A hyphen can also be used to avoid duplicated vowels and tripled consonants (anti-oppression, pre-empt, hill-like).
follow-on in American English
(ˈfɑlouˌɑn, -ˌɔn) adjective. following or evolving as the next logical step. Aircraft manufacturers can expect follow-on sales for spare parts. [1875–80; n.
How to follow up properly? ›
Best practices for follow-ups
- Know when to back off. ...
- Keep the door open. ...
- Personalize your outreach. ...
- Learn from others. ...
- Keep evolving your follow-up message. ...
- Nail the subject line. ...
- Be brief. ...
- Follow up promptly.
Follow up emails are emails that are sent to a recipient who has already been contacted in the past. They act as messages to remind the recipient of earlier emails that have been sent and to encourage a reply or an action taken on their behalf.
What is a follow up appointment? ›
Overview. Followup is the act of making contact with patients or their caregivers at a later, specified date to check on patients' progress since their last appointment. Appropriate followup can help you to identify misunderstandings and answer questions, as well as make further assessments and adjust treatments.
How do you professionally say follow up? ›
You could try:
- “I'm following up on the below” or “Following up on this [request/question/assignment]”
- “I'm circling back on the below” or “Circling back on this [request/question/assignment]”
- “I'm checking in on the below” or “Checking in on this [request/question/assignment]”
