Meaning trap
take down
write down information
To write information, notes, or details, especially when someone is speaking or giving instructions.
Don't mix these meanings
Same phrase, different job.
To write information, notes, or details, especially when someone is speaking or giving instructions.
Another meaning of 'take down' is 'remove from a high place'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
- Let me take down your phone number so I don't forget it.study
- In meetings, it's important to take down key ideas so you can remember them later.IELTS speaking
Fix the pattern
Pattern: take something down
WrongGive me a second to take down them.
RightGive me a second to take them down.
With a pronoun object, put it in the middle — 'take them down', not 'take down them'.
Patterntake something down
Use it right
Choose the version that sounds natural in speech.
Natural; 'record the particulars as you dictate' is clerk-speak.
Build natural chunks
Words that usually travel with it.
take down + infothe detailshis numbernotesan address
Don't confuse it
'Take down' is often used for notes or information, while 'write down' can be used more generally.
Related
- take down (remove from a high place) — Another meaning of 'take down' is 'remove from a high place'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.