Students in our classes often find themselves struggling with the subtle yet significant differences between ‘end’ and ‘end up.
While ‘end’ means the conclusion or finishing of something, example:We ended the meeting at 7 pm yesterday.On the other hand, ‘end up’ refers to unexpectedly arriving at a particular situation, place, or condition as in the example: ‘After the meeting, our intention was a quick dinner and to head home, but we ended up in a karaoke bar!’.’
Consider another instance:
The book was so captivating, I didn’t want it to end. (‘end’ here means I didn’t want it to conclude or finish)
Although the book started off dull, it ended up being utterly captivating. ( Here, ‘end up’ emphasizes the unexpected transformation from initial boredom to eventual engagement)