English Phrasal Verbs

A phrasal verb is a verb followed by a preposition or an adverb.
The combination creates a meaning different from the original verb.

Commonly-used phrasal verbs.

Phrasal Verbs with TAKE

Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Example
Take after	Resemble in appearance or character	Jamie really takes after his father.
Take apart	Dismantle or separate the components	The technician has to take the machine apart to repair it.
Take away	Cause something to disappear	The doctor gave me tablets to take away the pain.
Take away	Buy food at a restaurant and carry it elsewhere to eat it.	Two beef curries to take away please.
Take back	Agree to receive back/ be returned.	We will take back the goods only if you can produce the receipt.
Take back	Retract or withdraw something said	I take back what I said about cheating. I didn't mean it.
Take care of	Look after	I'll take care of your plants while you're away.
Take off	Leave the ground (a plane)	The plane took off at 7 o'clock.
Take off	Remove something	May I take off my jacket? It's warm in here.
Take in	Allow to stay in one's home	The old lady next door is always taking in stray cats and dogs!
Take in	Note with your eyes and register.	Amanda took in every detail of her rival's outfit.
Take in	Understand what one sees, hears or reads; realise what is happening.	The man immediately took in the scene and called the police.
Take on	Hire or engage staff	Business is good so the company is taking on extra staff.
Take out	Remove or cause to disappear	Try this. It should take out the stain.
Take out	Extract from somewhere	Sam took out a pen to note down the supplier's address.
Take out	Invite somone to dinner, the cinema, etc.	Her boyfriend took her out for a meal on her birthday.
Take out	Obtain a service or document (insurance, loan, etc.)	Many homeowners take out a mortgage when they buy property.
Take to	Begin to like somebody or something.	My parents took to James immediately.
Take to	Make a new habit of something	He's taken to walking in the park every morning.
Take up	Fill or occupy space or time.	There's not much space here. The big table takes up too much room.
Take up	Adopt as a hobby or pastime.	My father took up golf when he retired.
Take up	Start something e.g. a job.	While writing his first book Tony took up a job as a teacher.
Take up	Make something shorter	That skirt is too long for you. It will need to be taken up.
Take up	Continue something interrupted	She took up the story where Bill had left off.

Try this exercise

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