-n participle · A1
Verb take
take – took – taken
carry; need (time)
Usage and typical errors
Take covers taking ('take a photo'), carrying ('take me home'), lasting ('it takes two hours') and sitting ('take an exam': in English exams are 'taken', not 'given'). The vowel shifts o→oo→a in take/took/taken, a pattern shared with shake and mistake. Essential phrasals: take off (depart, of planes), take after (resemble), take over (take control). Typical error: 'take a decision' — it's 'make a decision'. And 'take part in' (participate) appears in exams more often than it looks. 'Take after', 'take up' (start a hobby), 'take on' (assume) and 'take off' add four verbs for the price of one. Exams love them for exactly that. 'How long does it take?' uses take impersonally — practice it separately. Pair take phrasals with their opposites: take off/land, take on/avoid. Opposition strengthens memory.
Same pattern: -n participle
| Base | Past | Participle | Gloss |
|---|---|---|---|
| bear | bore | born | endure |
| bite | bit | bitten | nibble |
| break | broke | broken | shatter |
| choose | chose | chosen | select |
| draw | drew | drawn | sketch |