Phrase verb take: features of use, examples and exercises with answers

Phrasal verbs are one of the characteristic features of the English language. They are a whole indivisible semantic unit. The verb is combined with a postposition (preposition or adverb), while its main meaning can change completely or partially. One of the most common mistakes inherent in beginners is an attempt to translate each word. It should be remembered that in English there are a lot of stable expressions that can not be divided into parts, otherwise the meaning will be distorted.

Basic values and forms

This verb refers to the wrong, so the second and third form differ from the standard ones. The forms of the verb take the following:

• Take;
• Took;
• Taken.

The main variant of the translation is "take, take." However, this word covers a wide range of meanings. In addition, the translation should pay attention to neighboring words and context. Stable expressions are presented in this table.

Not all stable word combinations are represented here, this is only a small list. As you accumulate lexical stock, you can supplement your personal dictionary with new expressions.

Phrasal verb to take (in combination with prepositions)

The following table lists the most common cases of using the word take in combination with various pretexts.

Some word combinations have two or more meanings. This feature must be taken into account when translating. However, everything is not as difficult as it might seem at first. Even if you do not know any expression, when reading an article or a book you can guess the meaning of one or another lexical unit from the context and find the right translation. Next, you can specify by dictionary how correctly you understand the meaning. This way of replenishing the vocabulary is much more effective than simply learning a set of words.

Phrasal verb take (in combination with adverbs)

Besides prepositions, phrasal verbs are also often formed with the help of an adverb. There are many different combinations (verb to take + adverb). The following table shows a small list of similar lexical units. As mentioned in the previous section, some expressions have several translation options.

Examples of use

Attempts to memorize word combinations out of context will not lead to success. It is very important to learn how to use new words in practice. In order to master the phrasal verb take , you need to include it in your speech. Here are some examples of its use:

• Whom does Tom take in his family? - Who does Tom look like from his family?
• My hobbies take up a lot of my time. - My hobbies take up most of my time.
• I have taken up the study of Spanish. - I started learning Spanish.
• Most of the planes take off in any weather. - Most of the planes take off in any weather.
• People are always requested to take off their coats at the theater. - In the theater, people should always take off their outer clothing.

Exercises with answers

Another way to master the phrasal verb take is to work out a lot of exercises. Multiple repetition and application of the learned material in practice will help you to orient yourself well in this topic.

Exercise 1

Take up is a phrasal verb that has several translation options depending on the context. The following exercise for translation from Russian into English will help to work out different cases of using this phrase.

• My neighbor took me too long.
• This red wardrobe takes up too much space here.
• Ann, take this book and start reading.
• I intended to become a journalist after school.
• She started playing music three years ago.
• They raised this issue at the meeting.
• She wants to start working. So she starts (to perform duties) next week.

Exercise 2

This exercise is designed to work through some other phrasal verbs.

• Your son is very like you.
• Take off your coat and have a cup of tea.
• Most people take me for my sister, because she looks like me.
• I can not get used to this city.

Answers to the exercises:

Exercise 1

• My neighbor has taken up too much of my time.
• This red wardrobe takes up too much room.
• Ann, take up this book and start reading.
• I intended to take up journalism after school.
• She took up music three years ago.
• They took up this matter on the meeting.
• She wants to start working. So she is going to take up the next week.

Exercise 2

• Your son takes after you.
• Take down your coat and have a cup of tea.
• Most of the people take me for my sister.
• I can not take to this town.

The phrasal verb take is one of the most common, so a detailed study of the various combinations will help greatly to advance in the way of learning English.