A: What do you think of Sue Grafton’s books?
B: I love those mysteries! When I started to read A Is for Alibi, I couldn’t put it down. I stayed up till 4:00 in the morning to finish it!
A: Wow! Have you read any of the other books in the series?
B: Oh, yeah. B Is for Burglar, C Is for Corpse… I’m already up to K Is for Killer. Using the alphabet to build a mystery series is such a clever idea. I can’t wait to read all 26 books! I wonder what Z will be!
Question: I’d like to know what “up to” means in the sentence. If I don’t use the phrase, what other words or phrases that I can use?
It means that he/she has already (or almost) finished “i is for internet” and now he/she is going to read “k is for kitty” Or already has started to read the “k is for…” and now he/she is occupied with (by) reading.
Lots of subtle complexities here. “I am up to no good” means doing something that is evil or contrary to the law or good manners. “I am up to my usual tricks” means doing something very similar to what you have done before. Being “up to something” means being capable of doing something; Are you up to reading Sue Grafton’s books?
Professor Stephen Krashen, of “compelling, comprehensible input” for language acquisition fame, tells a good story against himself. A little girl tells him that she is reading Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick”. He could possibly have asked her if she was “really up to it” but instead uses the formulation “Isn’t that rather advanced for you?” Her sensible reply is: “Oh I just leave out the hard bits!”
And that is very good advice for anyone struggling with difficult material in their target language!
Or already has started to read the “k is for…” and now he/she is occupied with (by) reading.