The verb 'take' alone means to grab something, carry something, or accept something. 'Take this book.' 'Take your bag with you.' But when 'take' combines with a particle, it makes phrasal verbs with very different meanings. 'Take off' means a plane leaves the ground, or to remove clothes. 'Take on' means to accept new work or a new responsibility. 'Take over' means to take control of something. 'Take after' means to look or behave like a parent. 'Take up' means to start a new hobby or activity. Each is its own fixed expression with its own meaning. Many are idiomatic — the meaning cannot be guessed from 'take' plus the particle. 'Take after' has nothing to do with going after someone — it means to look like a relative. Students who know 'take' alone cannot understand or use these phrasal verbs without explicit teaching. This lesson covers the most useful take phrasal verbs at B1 level.
Before you start — think honestly about your own teaching and experience.
Look at the examples. Answer each question before reading the explanation — this is how your students will learn too.
The plane took off at exactly nine o'clock.
She took off her coat when she came inside.
The new manager took on more staff for the busy season.
His daughter took over the family business last year.
She takes after her mother — they look exactly alike.
My father took up gardening when he retired.
The firefighters took down the old tree after the storm.
I took back the book to the library.
What does 'take' mean in each sentence? Can you guess the meanings from the parts?
'Take' alone means grab, carry, or accept. But in each sentence here, take combines with a particle to make a different meaning. 'Take off' has two meanings — a plane leaves the ground, and to remove clothes. 'Take on' means to accept new work or staff. 'Take over' means to take control. 'Take after' means to look or behave like a relative. 'Take up' means to start a new hobby. 'Take down' means to remove something tall (a tree, a poster). 'Take back' means to return something. Some of these (take off clothes, take down a tree, take back a book) are close to the literal meaning of take. Others (take after, take on, take over, take up) are idiomatic — the meaning cannot be worked out from the parts. Students need to learn each phrasal verb as its own fixed expression with its own meaning.
take after (= look or behave like a parent or older relative)
My son takes after his grandfather — they have the same nose.
take on (= accept new work or responsibility; hire new staff)
The school is taking on three new teachers next term.
take over (= take control of something — a business, a country, a job)
When the boss retires, his deputy will take over.
take up (= start a new hobby, sport, or activity)
She took up swimming last summer and now goes every day.
take in (= absorb information, understand; also: deceive someone)
It is a lot of information — let me take it in.
These meanings are not predictable. Why are they particularly important?
These idiomatic take phrasal verbs cannot be guessed. 'Take after' has nothing to do with going after someone — it means to look like a relative. 'Take on' does not mean place on — it means accept or hire. 'Take over' does not mean place over — it means take control. 'Take up' does not mean lift — it means start a new activity. Students who try to translate these word by word will produce wrong meanings. The only way to learn them is as fixed chunks. They are very common in everyday English — talking about family ('she takes after her mother'), work ('he took over the business'), hobbies ('I took up running'). A student who avoids these has to use longer formal alternatives — resembles, accepted, succeeded, started. The phrasal verbs sound more natural in everyday speech. Mastering 8 to 10 useful take phrasal verbs is high-value work at B1.
The plane took off two hours late because of bad weather. (= leave the ground)
Please take off your shoes before coming inside. (= remove clothes or items)
Her new business has really taken off — she now has 50 customers. (= become successful quickly)
The head teacher took off three days from work to attend the conference. (= take time away from work)
Why does one phrasal verb have so many meanings? How can students choose the right one?
'Take off' has at least four meanings, all useful. Context decides which is meant. With planes, helicopters, or rockets, take off means leave the ground. With clothes, shoes, or accessories, it means remove. With businesses, careers, or new ideas, it means become successful quickly. With time and work, it means be absent for a period. Students need to recognise each meaning in context. Reading the surrounding words helps: 'plane' or 'flight' suggests leaving the ground. 'Coat', 'shoes', or 'jacket' suggests removing. 'Business', 'career', or 'idea' suggests becoming successful. 'Day', 'week', or 'leave' suggests time off. The same flexibility applies to other take phrasal verbs — take in has at least three meanings (absorb information, deceive, give shelter). Students should learn the most common meaning first and add others as they meet them in reading.
| Phrasal verb | Meaning | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| take off | 1) Plane leaves ground 2) Remove clothes 3) Become successful 4) Time off work | The plane took off late. / Take off your coat. / The business took off. / She took two days off. | Multiple meanings — context decides. With clothes, splits with object: take off the coat / take it off. |
| take on | Accept new work or responsibility; hire staff | The school took on three new teachers. / She took on too much work this year. | Idiomatic. Often used in work contexts. Splits with object. |
| take over | Take control of something | When the boss retired, his deputy took over. | Idiomatic. Often used about businesses, jobs, countries. Can stand alone or with object. |
| take after | Look or behave like a relative | My son takes after his grandfather. | Idiomatic — cannot be split. Stays together as 'take after + person'. |
| take up | Start a new hobby or activity | She took up gardening last year. | Idiomatic. Followed by a hobby or activity. Splits with object. |
| take down | Remove something tall; write down information | They took down the old building. / The student took down the address. | Two meanings. Splits with object: take it down. |
| take back | Return something; admit a comment was wrong | I took back the book to the library. / I take back what I said earlier. | Two meanings. Splits with object. |
| take out | Remove from inside; take someone on a date | Take out the rubbish. / He took her out for dinner. | Two meanings. Splits with object: take it out. |
| take in | Absorb (information); deceive; give shelter | There is a lot to take in. / He took us in with his story. / They took in the orphan. | Idiomatic with multiple meanings. Context decides. |
| take away | Remove; subtract | Please take away the empty plates. / Take away three from ten. | Splits with object. Also a noun: 'a takeaway' = food bought to eat at home. |
NOTE 1 — Each take phrasal verb is its own item: Do not teach them as 'take' + a choice of particle. Each combination is fixed. Take off (clothes), take on (accept work), take over (control), take after (resemble) are all completely different actions, not different meanings of one verb. Students must learn each as its own chunk.
NOTE 2 — Multiple meanings need separate teaching: Several take phrasal verbs have more than one common meaning. Take off has four — plane, clothes, success, time off. Take in has three — absorb, deceive, shelter. Each meaning fits different contexts. Teach the meanings separately with clear examples to prevent confusion.
NOTE 3 — Take after cannot be split: 'Take after' is a special case — it cannot be split with an object. Always 'take after + person' or 'take after + my mother'. 'Take her after' is wrong. Most other take phrasal verbs split normally with nouns and must split with pronouns (take it off, take them down).
NOTE 4 — Idiomatic vs literal: Take off (clothes), take down (a tree), take back (a book) are close to the literal meaning of take. Take after (resemble), take on (accept), take over (control), take up (start hobby) are idiomatic. Teach the literal ones first — they are more accessible — and the idiomatic ones once students are confident.
NOTE 5 — Why students avoid take phrasal verbs: Many B1 students recognise these in reading but do not use them actively. They use longer formal alternatives — depart, accept, control, resemble, start. The phrasal verbs sound more natural in everyday speech. Active practice — using the verbs in real situations — moves them from passive to active use.
Phrasal verbs with take are some of the most useful at B1 level. They cover many common situations: planes (take off), clothes (take off, take in), work (take on, take over, take up), family resemblance (take after), travel (take to). A student who masters 8 to 10 take phrasal verbs gains significant fluency for daily conversation, work talk, and family discussions. The challenge is that several are idiomatic and must be memorised. Teaching them with clear context — situations where they would naturally be used — helps fix them in memory. Pairing them with the get-family lesson (#20) and the put-family lesson (#34) gives students three productive phrasal verb sets to draw from.
Create a take phrasal verb map with 'take' in the centre and the particles around it: off, on, over, after, up, out, down, back, away, in. For each particle, write a short meaning and an example sentence. Refer to the map regularly. The visual layout shows that take is a family of expressions, not a single verb.
Choose the correct take phrasal verb for each sentence. Think about the meaning the context requires.
Each sentence has a problem with a take phrasal verb — wrong choice, wrong preposition, or wrong word order. Find the error and explain.
Use this sequence directly in class — guided discovery, no textbook needed. Tap each step to mark it done.
STEP 1 — Take alone vs take with particles (4 min): Write 'take' on the board. Ask students what take alone means (grab, carry, accept). Then add particles: take off, take on, take over, take after, take up. Show that each combination has its own meaning, often very different from take alone.
STEP 2 — The literal ones (5 min): Drill the more literal take phrasal verbs first: take off (clothes), take down (something tall), take back (return), take out (remove). These are close to the literal meaning of take. Have students produce sentences using each in everyday contexts.
STEP 3 — The idiomatic ones (8 min): Focus on the idiomatic take phrasal verbs: take after (resemble a relative), take on (accept work), take over (take control), take up (start a hobby). Give clear examples of each. Drill the meanings until students recognise them automatically.
STEP 4 — Take off — multiple meanings (5 min): Spend focused time on 'take off' because it has at least four common meanings. Plane: 'the plane took off'. Clothes: 'take off your coat'. Success: 'the business took off'. Time: 'I took two days off'. Show how context decides which meaning fits.
STEP 5 — Match the situation (8 min): Give students six situations and ask them to use the right take phrasal verb for each. A child who looks like her father (take after). A worker who accepts a difficult new project (take on). A student starting a new sport (take up). A new owner of a shop (take over). A traveller removing a coat (take off). A driver returning a borrowed car (take back). Discuss as a class.
Use directly in class — copy, adapt, or read aloud. No printing needed.
For each strategy, choose the option that best describes where you are now.
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