take up — use space or time
phrasal verbB2IELTS 6+neutralcommon
to fill or occupy a particular amount of space or time.
Say it like a native
Textbook The new desk occupies a substantial portion of the room.
Native The new desk takes up half the room.
'Take up' is the natural verb for occupying space/time; 'occupies a substantial portion' is technical.
Pattern: take up + amount of space/time
In use
- This sofa takes up too much space in the living room.daily life
- Commuting to work takes up a significant part of my day, which is sometimes frustrating.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ This task takes up of my whole morning.
✓ This task takes up my whole morning.
'Take up' takes the space/time directly — no 'of'.
Common collocations
take up + space/time— space, the whole morning, too much room, your time
Don't confuse it
Different from 'take over', which means to gain control of something.
Related
- take up (start an activity) — Another meaning of 'take up' is 'start an activity'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.