BBC | British Council

Phrasal verbs with ‘take’

For each of the six questions choose the one correct answer.

1. When his father retires, he’s planning to take _____ his factory in Beijing.
a. off
b. after
c. up
d. over

2. Our plane took ____ 2 hours late!

a. over
b. up
c. off
d. after

3. Why do so many men take ____ golf when they retire?

a. over
b. off
c. up
d. after

4. Roberto gets angry a lot, he takes _____ his father.

a. over
b. off
c. in
d. after

5. When I heard she was pregnant, I couldn’t take it _____ at first.

a. after
b. over
c. in
d. off

6. I was completely taken ____ when he told me he was working late at the office.
a. after
b. in
c. over
d. after

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BBC | British Council

Phrasal verbs with take

Answers

1:
a. ‘Take off’ usually refers to planes or clothes!
b. ‘Take after’ means ‘similar to’.
c. ‘Take up’ means begin a sport or hobby.
d. Correct - He plans to ‘take over’ the factory – take control of it.

2:
a. ‘Take over’ usually means take control of.
b. ‘Take up’ means begin a sport or hobby.
c. Correct - The plane ‘took off’ 2 hours late is correct. It departed or left the ground.
d. ‘Take after’ means ‘similar to’.

3:
a. ‘Take over’ usually means take control of.
b. ‘Take off’ usually refers to planes or clothes!
c. Correct - ‘Take up’ means begin a sport or hobby.
d. ‘Take after’ means ‘similar to’.

4:
a. ‘Take over’ usually means take control of.
b. ‘Take off’ usually refers to planes or clothes!
c. ‘Take in’ means to try to understand something or to fool someone.
d. Correct - ‘Take after’ means ‘similar to’. ‘He takes after his father’.

5:
a. ‘Take after’ means ‘similar to’.
b. ‘Take over’ usually means take control of.
c. Correct - Take in’ means to try to understand something – often used in the
negative.
d. ‘Take off’ usually refers to planes or clothes!

6:
a. ‘Take after’ means ‘similar to’.
b. Correct - ‘Take in’ means to be fooled by someone. ‘I was taken in by his lies’
c. ‘Take over’ usually means take control of.
d. ‘Take after’ means ‘similar to’.

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