Pick or pick up?

Pick means 'remove small pieces of something from something else, usually with your hands':

• Let's go into the garden and pick some flowers for the dinner table.
• Not: ... pick up some flowers ...
• She earned money during the summer picking fruit on local farms.

Pick can also mean 'choose':

• Have a look at these photos of the walking trip. Pick the ones you want and give me back the rest.

Pick up means 'lift something up using your hands':

• I'm tired of picking up your clothes from the floor! Can't you hang them up properly in the wardrobe?

We can also use pick up to mean 'go to a place and bring something or someone back':

• Let me know what time your flight arrives. I can pick you up at the airport and take you to your hotel.

You will find other meanings of pick and pick up in a good learner’s dictionary.