很多实义动词本身不能跟抽象的宾语，但是当它们与小品词连用时，既保留了原先的用法，又可以跟抽象的东西当宾语，如 clean，它既可以作形容词，也可以作动词。
除了作形容词，clean 还可作动词时，意为“除去…的灰尘，使…干净，打扫”。作及物动词时，接具体的东西当宾语，例如：I'm going to clean the windows this morning.You should always clean your teeth after meals.但是短语动词 clean up 不但可以接具体的东西当宾语，也可以接抽象的东西，它的意思不仅只有”打扫干净“，还有其他的意思。
一、clean (sth) up，意为”打扫，清扫，把…弄干净 “，例如：He always expected other people to clean up after him.You really need to clean up your room. It's like a pigsty in there!Get me a sponge so I can clean this sticky table up.给我拿块海绵，这样我就能把这张粘糊糊的桌子擦干净。I'll clean up the baby while you take the stroller out to the car.
二、clean sth up，意为”清理，清除（污染物）“，例如：$250 million was spent on cleaning up groundwater contamination at the former factory's site.Under pressure from the public, many regional governments cleaned up their beaches.
三、clean up 单独使用，意为”赢钱，赚大钱，发财”，用于非正式的场合，例如：I'm buying you dinner because I really cleaned up at the poker game last night!If our little invention gets mass-produced, we'll clean up!This film should clean up at the box offices.
四、clean sth up，意为“整肃（犯罪或腐败），（警察或当局）肃清”等，例如：This part of town used to be dominated by the drug trade until the police were able to clean it up.在警方可以肃清之前，镇上的这一地区过去一直以毒品交易为主。Last week the Government announced plans to clean up the mortgage industry.
五、clean (yourself) up，意为“ 把（身体）洗干净“，尤指干脏活后，例如：
I need to change and clean up.
我需要换洗一下。
Go and clean yourself up.
去梳洗干净吧。
六、cleanup
短语动词 clean up 对应的名词是 cleanup，例如：
The cleanup after the oil spill cost over $10,000,000.
