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Grammar fix

take care

look after

to look after someone or something and make sure they are safe, healthy, or in good condition.

collocationB1common

Hear it in context

Notice where the phrase sounds natural.

  • Can you take care of my dog while I'm on holiday?daily life
  • In my culture, it's common for children to take care of their elderly parents at home.IELTS speaking

Fix the pattern

Pattern: take care of [noun/pronoun]

WrongShe takes care her parents.

RightShe takes care of her parents.

Take care OF someone — don't drop 'of'.

Patterntake care of [noun/pronoun]

Use it right

Choose the version that sounds natural in speech.

Stiff She is responsible for attending to the welfare of her elderly parents.

Natural She takes care of her elderly parents.

Natural; 'attending to the welfare of' is care-plan language.

Build natural chunks

Words that usually travel with it.

  • take care of
    ofyourselfgood carethe kids

Don't confuse it

'Take care' (goodbye) is different from 'take care of' (look after).

Try it in Daily Speak →