Meaning trap
take down
remove from a high place
To remove something that is hanging or placed above you, such as a picture, shelf, or decoration.
Don't mix these meanings
Same phrase, different job.
To remove something that is hanging or placed above you, such as a picture, shelf, or decoration.
Another meaning of 'take down' is 'write down information'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
- Could you take down the clock from the wall for me?daily life
- During the renovation, we had to take down all the shelves in the living room to paint the walls properly.IELTS speaking
Fix the pattern
Pattern: take something down
WrongCan you take down it?
RightCan you take it down?
With a pronoun the object goes in the middle — 'take it down', never 'take down it'.
Patterntake something down
Use it right
Choose the version that sounds natural in speech.
Natural; 'detach from its position' is absurd for a picture.
Build natural chunks
Words that usually travel with it.
take down + thing on the wallthe decorationsthe posterthe tentthe curtains
Don't confuse it
'Put down' means to place something somewhere, while 'take down' means to remove it from a higher position.
Related
- take down (write down information) — Another meaning of 'take down' is 'write down information'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.