Phrasal verb TAKE

PART 1
(from Michael McCarthy, Felicity O’Dell English Phrasal Verbs in Use )
A. Take in a physical sense
If you take apart something or take something apart you separate it into its different parts.
Rod loves taking clocks apart, but he never manages to put them together again.
If you take back something or take something back, you return it to the person or
organisation that you bought or borrowed it from.
When you go into town to take back your library books could you also take these trousers
back to the shop for me – they're too small.
If you take aside somebody or take somebody aside, you separate someone from a group of
people so that you can speak to them privately.
My boss took me aside at the Christmas party and told me he was going to give me a
promotion in the New Year.
If you take off, you suddenly leave a place, without telling anyone where you are going.
Most people stayed at the party until quite late, but Rose took off early for some reason.

B. Take in an abstract sense

phrasal verb meaning example

take up sth or start doing a particular job or My son has recently taken up stamp
take sth up collecting as a hobby.
activity
take off sth or subtract a particular amount from The shop assistant took off ten per cent
take sth off a total because the item was damaged.
(sth)
take away sth subtract a first number from a If you take 11 away from 33, you're left
or take sth second number with 22.
away
take back sth admit that something you said I shouldn't have called you lazy - I take it
or take sth was wrong back.
back
take in sth or look at something carefully He showed us a photo of his house, but I
take sth in noticing all the details was so tired that I didn't really take it in.

C. Other senses of take

Lucy has started swimming regularly. She has taken out (1) a year's membership at a local sports club
and has taken to (2) going to the swimming pool every lunch hour. She is so taken up with (3) her
swimming that she wouldn't even take me up on (4) my offer to buy her lunch in the best restaurant in
town. The exercise certainly takes it out of (5) her – she is too exhausted to go anywhere in the
evenings.

(1) subscribed to or registered for something (3) very busy doing something
officially; (4) accept
(2) started to do something often (5) makes her feel very tired
Part 1.
1. Each line of this text contains a phrasal verb with take, but some of them are used incorrectly. If a
line has a correct phrasal verb, tick the box. If the line is incorrect, cross out the incorrect word and
write the correct word in the box.

EXAMPLE The watch was broken so I took it off to the shop. back
I bought a new jacket but it had a mark on it so I took it back. _________
The shop assistant took me offside and told me that _________
if I was prepared to keep the jacket she would take away __________
ten per cent. I didn't really take in what she was saying at first, _________
but once I understood, I decided to take her over on the offer. _________

2. Use a phrasal verb from the opposite page to complete these dialogues.
Roy: I find it very offensive that you called Ciaran an idiot.
Kim: OK, OK. Sorry, I shouldn't have said it. I …………………….

Matt: Fiona seems really keen on her tennis these days.

Clare: Yes, she's really ……………….it. She's so ……………………. with it that she's stopped going
to the swimming pool.

Jim: I tried to clean the inside of my computer and I've put all the bits back but I have two bits left
over.
Len: Well, I'm not surprised! I warned you not to …..………. in the first place.

Brian: I get so bored since I retired from my job.

Miriam: Well, why don't you ………………. golf?

Ali: What's this figure here, £30?

Paul: It's what you get when you …………… £15 …………. from £45.

Anoma: You look exhausted these days.

Terry: Yes, teaching 28 hours a week really …………… me.

Hilary: Geoff left very suddenly, didn't he?

Kersty: Yes, he just ……………… without even saying goodbye.

To the surprise of everyone at the party, Geoff suddenly took off without saying goodbye.
Part 2. (from Michael McCarthy, Felicity O’Dell English Vocabulary in Use, Unit 90: Expressions with bring and take)
A. Here are some common phrasal verbs with take.
Doesn’t he take after his father! They even sound the same. [resemble]
I wish I could take back what I said to her. [withdraw]
It’s hard to take in his lectures – he speaks in such an abstract way. [absorb, understand]
She was completely taken in by him and agreed to give him all her money. [deceived]
Sales have really taken off now – we should make a good profit this year. [started to improve]
The plane took off two hours late. [left the ground]
She’s very good at taking off her teacher – she sounds just like her. [imitating]
We’ll have to take on more staff if we’re to take on more work. [employ; accept]
She took to him at one and they soon became close friends. [formed an immediate liking for]
When did you take up golf? [start (a hobby)].
B. Here are some common idioms with take.
Don’t let him take advantage of you. [unfairly use superiority]
After 20 years of marriage he takes her for granted. [doesn’t appreciate her qualities]
I took it for granted you’d come – you always do. [assumed]
She immediately took control of the situation. [started organising]
His unkind words took my breath away. [surprised]
She loves taking care of small children. [looking after, caring for]
We took part in a demonstration last Saturday. [participated]
The story takes place in Mexico. [happens]
He doesn’t seem to take pride in his work. [draw satisfaction from]

Exercises
1.Write possible answers to these questions using one of the phrasal verbs.
1. How did you like her? ……………………
2. Who does your little boy resemble? ……………………
3. Have you any special hobbies? ……………………
4. How’s your new business doing? ……………………
5. What is a mime? ……………………
2. Reword these sentences using expressions with take.
1.The story of the film happens in Casablanca during the war. ………………..
2.How does she always manage to be so calm about things? .………………..
3.The view from the top of the hill was astonishing. .………………..
4.He capitalised on her weakness at the time and she sold it to him. .………………..
5.The main function of a nurse is to look after the sick. . ………………..
6.You shouldn’t assume that anyone or anything will always be the same. ……………
7.We participated in a charity concert last week. . ………………..
8.Dick immediately started organising the situation. . ………………..
3. Fill the gaps with appropriate prepositions or particles.
Sophie was brough up in England in the country. When she was 17 she went to visit an aunt in New York.
She was nervous when her flight to New York took (1) …….. six hours late and the cold New York winter
brought on a nasty cold. But she soon began to feel at home and was taking the city (2) ……..granted. Living
there really brought out the best in Sophie. She had always enjoyed taking (3) ……….her teachers and now
she decided to take (4) …… drama. She took part (5) ……. an amateur production. She took a great pride (6)
…….. her performance, which was so successful that a professional drama group was keen to take her (7)
…... Although acting is a difficult career, they were sure she could bring it off. The suggestion took her breath
(8) ………. at first but then she decided that she had really taken (9) ……. acting and wanted to make it her
career. Her father couldn’t take the idea (10) ……… at first as he had assumed she would go for a job taking
care (11) ……. children. He said she had been taken (12) ……. by false promises but eventually she brought
him round and he took (13) …….. what he had said. Her mother took it all (14) …….. her stride from the
start. Now Sophie’s career has taken (15) ……… and she’s becoming famous all over the world.
4.Choose ten of the phrasal verbs with take which you particularly want to learn and write them
down in a coherent paragraph of your own.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
PART 3
A. Fill in the gaps. Provide the meaning/synonym of the phrasal verbs.

away back down in off on out up

1 Tom looks tired. I think he has taken ______ too much work. ………………….
2 The dentist told me he would have to take my bad tooth ______. ………………..
3 I have to take the car ______ to the garage for a service tomorrow morning. ……………………
4 The boss told his secretary to take ______ everything he said. She got her pencil and paper ready.
……………..
5 My electric razor has broken. I’ll have to take it ______ to the shop where I bought it. ……………
6 It’s so hot today that I think I’m going to have to take ______ my jumper. ……………….
7 The soup was cold, so the waiter took it ______. ……………………
8 When I was young, my parents took me ______ the Eiffel Tower in Paris. ………………
9 He opened his case and took ______ some writing paper. ……………………
10 The police took the thief ______ in a police van. ……………………….

B. Fill in the gaps. Provide the meaning/synonym of the phrasal verbs.

after away in off on out to up
1 After getting his new job, he took his wife ______ to a restaurant to celebrate. ……….
2 The flight to Rome takes ______ in twenty minutes. ……………..
3 They took ______ each other the moment they met and have remained together ever since. ………….
4 Do you know what you are left with when you take an odd number ______ from an even one? Another
odd number. ……………..
5 People keep on telling me I take ______ my father, at least in looks. ……………….
6 Since her promotion she has had to take ____ various new duties, so she’s busy these days. …………
7 I took my trousers to the dry cleaners to have them taken ______ because they were too long. ……….
8 Look at him! He hasn’t taken ______ a single word of what I’ve been saying to him. …………….
9 He only started water-skiing last summer, but he’s taken ______it like a duck to water. ……………
10 After all that slimming, she’s having to take ______ all her skirts and trousers. …………………….

C. Fill in the gaps. Provide the meaning/synonym of the phrasal verbs.

in off on out over up

1 Multinational companies have taken ______ all the small businesses around here. …………..
2 The poor girl was completely taken ______ by his lies. …………….
3 The company had to take ______ more workers to deal with the demand. ……………..
4 When he could no longer run for the bus without getting out of breath, he decided to take ______
jogging. ……………..
5 I like it when comedians take ______ politicians and make satirical jokes. ……………….
6 The post office is taking ______ people to deliver letters over Christmas. ………………
7 The cops usually take ______ the robbers in Hollywood films. ………………………
8 Don’t be taken ______ by everything you see on the television. It’s not always true. ………………
9 If you want to keep your hands occupied, why don’t you take ______ knitting? …………..
10 The army has taken ______ in Fredonia. They say they will hand back power next March. …………

D. Rewrite the sentences (where space is provided) replacing underlined words or phrases by phrasal
verbs or fill in the gaps using proper phrasal verbs. Some of the sentences may sound awkward as they
stand.

1. I was shocked by his rudeness. …………………………………………………………………………

2. She dismantled the clock and couldn’t put it back together.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
3. If you’d like to see the town, I could show you around.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
4. She ______me ______and explained the situation. (to separate sb from the rest of a group in order to
talk to them privately)
5. That was disgusting! I need a drink of water to make the taste disappear.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
6. Ten ______ ______four leaves six (10 – 4 = 6)
7. A cheeseburger and a coffee to carry away, please.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
8. The smell of the sea carried him back to his childhood.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………..
9. I withdraw/retract what I said about you being lazy.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
10. She took a book ______from the top shelf. (remove sth from a high level)
11. They were taking their tent ______ as we left. (to remove a structure by separating it into pieces)
12. I’m going to take next week ______. (to have a period of time as a break from work or school)
13. I withdrew some more money (of my account) yesterday.
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
14. Did you remember to obtain travel insurance?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………….
15. Looking after three young children really _____ a lot ____ ____ you. (wears you out)
16. You shouldn’t take your frustrations ______ ______the kids. (to behave in an unpleasant way towards
sb/sth because you feel angry, disappointed, etc)
17. Would you mind taking us ______the procedure again. (look at and explain important points)
18. My job is starting to take ______my life. (to affect sb so strongly that they are unable to think of sth
else or do anything else)
19. The band’s new album takes ______where the last one left off. (to continue with sth)
20. She took a hot drink ______to bed with her. (to go with sb or take sth to a higher place or to another
part of a building, country, etc.)
21. This table occupies too much room. …………………………………………………………..
22. She took ______a post at Kyoto University. (to start or begin sth, esp. a job)
23. ‘You can borrow the car if you like.’ ‘I might take you ______ ______that.’(to accept an offer)
24. She is very busy with the children.
……………………………………………………………………………………………….
25. I heard Tom has taken ______ ______a supermodel! (to become friendly with sb; to start a
relationship with sb, especially sb who might have a bad influence on you)
E. TAKE. Match the particles with the pictures below. Write situations for each picture using the
phrasal verbs. Provide the meaning/synonym of the phrasal verbs.
F. Fill in the gaps.
1. Emma was somewhat taken __________by his directness. (surprised)
2. Jenni really takes _____________ her mother. To look or behave like an older relative
3. Tom was always taking things _____________ in the garage. to separate sth into all its different parts
4. Voters took _____________ the relationship between the government and the unions in the 1970s. To begin to
dislike someone or sth, especially without a good reason
5. a) She whisked the tray off the table and took it __________. to remove someone or sth, or make sth disappear
b) Fish and chips to take _____________, please. if you buy food to take away, you buy cooked food from a
restaurant and take it outside to eat it somewhere else.
6. a) You’d better take _____________ that remark! to admit that you were wrong to say sth
b) If the shirt doesn’t fit, take it ________. to take sth you have bought back to a shop because it is not suitable
c) Having the grandchildren around takes me _____________ to the days when my own children were small. to make
you remember a time in the past
7. a) She made us take __________ all the posters. to move sth that is fixed in a high position to a lower position
b) Can I just take some details _____________? to write down information
8. a) Don’t be taken _____________ by products claiming to help you lose weight in a week. to be completely
deceived by someone who lies to you
b) Brett’s always taking _____________ stray animals. to let someone stay in your house because they have nowhere
to stay
c) He watches the older kids, just taking it all ________. to understand and remember new facts and information
d) to make a piece of clothing fit you by making it narrower to take sth _______________
9. a) Charlie was taking _____________ his shirt when the phone rang. to remove a piece of clothing
b) I felt quite excited as the plane took _____________ from Heathrow. if an aircraft takes off, it rises into the air
from the ground
c) Mimi became jealous when Jack’s career started taking _____________. to suddenly start being successful
d) I rang my boss and arranged to take some time ________. to have a holiday from work on a particular length of time
e) to copy the way someone speaks or behaves, in order to entertain people –
10. a)We’re taking _____________ 50 new staff this year. to start to employ someone, to hire
b) Don’t take _____________ too much work – the extra cash isn’t worth it. to agree to do some work or be
responsible for sth
c) Her face took _____________ a fierce expression. | His life had taken _____________ a new dimension. to
begin to have a particular quality or appearance
d) Nigeria will take _____________ Argentina in the first round of the World Cup on Saturday. to compete against
someone or start a fight with someone, esp. Someone bigger or better than you
11. a) We’re taking my folks _____________ for a meal next week. to take someone as your guest to a restaurant,
cinema, club etc
b) Before taking a loan _____________, calculate your monthly outgoings. to make a financial or legal
arrangement with a bank, company, law court etc
c) How much would you like to take _____________? to get money from your bank account
d) You can take _____________ six books at a time. to borrow books from a library
e) The building was taken _____________ by a bomb. to kill someone or destroy sth
12. Don’t take it _____________ on me just because you’ve had a bad day. | Irritated with herself, she took her
annoyance _____________ _____________ Bridget. To treat someone badly when you are angry or upset, even
though it is not their fault
13. His only reason for investing in the company was to take it _____________. | Ruth moved into our apartment and
promptly took _____________. To take control of sth
14. a) Sandra took _____________ it straight away. to start to like someone or sth
b) Dee’s taken _____________ getting up at 6 and going jogging. to start doing sth regularly
15. a) Roger took painting _____________ for a while, but soon lost interest. to become interested in a new activity
and to spend time doing it
b) Peter will take _____________ the management of the finance department. | The headteacher takes her duties
_____________ in August. to start a new job or have a new responsibility
c) The hospital manager has promised to take the matter _____________ with the member of staff involved. if you
take up a suggestion, problem, complaint etc, you start to do something about it
d) The little time I had outside of school was taken _______ with work. to fill a particular amount of time or space
e) Rob took _____________ the invitation to visit. to accept a suggestion, offer, or idea
f) to make a piece of clothing shorter
16. I’ll take you _____________ _____________ that offer of a drink, if it still stands. To accept an invitation or
suggestion