tough to keep that up

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "tough to keep that up" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when discussing the difficulty of maintaining a certain behavior, standard, or effort over time. Example: "After a few weeks of intense training, I found it tough to keep that up without feeling exhausted."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Wiki

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

60 human-written examples

"But it's tough to keep that sort of level of intensity up.

BBC

But the salaries in our league range from $13,000 to $150,000, and for the guys with families it is tough to keep giving that up to chase a dream that doesn't happen.

The New York Times - Sports

"What we find with these frameworks and tooling, is that it's not easy to set up as an integrated offering, and the evolution is happening so fast that it's tough to keep up with what you should be using in terms of APIs around that". The service is designed to alleviate those issues for developers.

TechCrunch

"What we find with these frameworks and tooling, is that it's not easy to set up as an integrated offering, and the evolution is happening so fast that it's tough to keep up with what you should be using in terms of APIs around that".

TechCrunch

You have to keep that anxiety up!

WikiHow

It's getting tough to keep up with all of the location-related developments leading up to this year's SXSW, and they just keep coming.

TechCrunch

If there's one problem with Netrunner it's that, as a living card game, it's tough to keep up with.

Vice

The actors acknowledged that the constant revisions were tough to keep up with.

The New York Times

Watson is five shots clear of the Australian now - if he can keep his recent form up, he'll be tough to keep up with today.

The Guardian - Sport

At that point, Na said, "I knew it was going to be tough to keep up with them because they're going to start taking off".

The New York Times

And some people accept that it's just business and it's tough to keep up with everyone.

TechCrunch

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "tough to keep that up" when you want to emphasize the difficulty of maintaining a certain level, pace, or standard over a period of time. It implies that the initial effort or intensity is hard to sustain.

Common error

While "tough to keep that up" is widely understood, it might be perceived as slightly informal in certain professional or academic settings. Consider using more formal alternatives like "difficult to sustain" or "challenging to maintain" in those situations.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "tough to keep that up" functions as an adjective phrase followed by an infinitive phrase. It describes the difficulty of maintaining a specific action, state, or level over time. Ludwig shows examples where this phrase is used to express challenges in sustaining effort or intensity.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

67%

Wiki

21%

Formal & Business

4%

Less common in

Science

4%

Encyclopedias

0%

Academia

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "tough to keep that up" is a common expression used to describe the difficulty of maintaining a certain level, pace, or standard. According to Ludwig AI, the phrase is grammatically sound and usable in written English. While versatile, it's important to consider the context, as more formal alternatives may be suitable for professional or academic writing. It is frequently found in News & Media. Therefore, when looking for alternatives, think about replacing words like "tough", "keep" and "up" with words like "difficult", "sustain" and "maintain" to achieve similar meaning.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

difficult to maintain that level

Replaces "tough" with "difficult" and restructures the sentence to emphasize maintaining a specific level.

hard to sustain that effort

Substitutes "tough" with "hard" and "keep up" with "sustain", focusing on the effort involved.

challenging to continue at that pace

Uses "challenging" instead of "tough" and specifies "at that pace" to highlight the speed or rate of progress.

struggling to uphold that standard

Replaces "tough" with "struggling" and "keep up" with "uphold", emphasizing the maintenance of a standard or expectation.

finding it hard to persevere

Focuses on the difficulty of continuing despite challenges, highlighting the act of persevering.

it's a struggle to keep it going

Simplifies the original phrase to a more general expression of difficulty in maintaining something.

difficult to keep the momentum

Emphasizes maintaining momentum, which implies sustained effort or progress.

hard to keep the rhythm

Focuses on maintaining a consistent rhythm or pattern, suggesting a challenge in keeping up.

demanding to maintain

Uses "demanding" to convey the level of effort required for maintaining a certain condition or pace.

strenuous to uphold

Replaces "tough" with "strenuous" which means requiring or using great exertion.

FAQs

What does "tough to keep that up" mean?

It means that it is difficult to maintain a certain level of effort, intensity, or standard. It implies that while achieving something initially might be possible, continuing at that level is challenging.

What can I say instead of "tough to keep that up"?

You can use alternatives like "difficult to maintain", "hard to sustain", or "challenging to continue" depending on the context.

Is "tough to keep that up" grammatically correct?

Yes, "tough to keep that up" is grammatically correct and commonly used in English. Ludwig AI confirms its usability in written English.

In what contexts is it appropriate to use "tough to keep that up"?

It is appropriate in a variety of contexts, particularly when discussing challenges in maintaining a certain pace, standard, or level of effort. However, in more formal settings, consider using alternatives like "difficult to sustain".