I once started reading a novel with so many repetitions of take that I lost track of the storyline. About 10 percent in, I abandoned the book.
A recent short story suffering from the same problem inspired me to write this post.
If the verb take is one of your challenges, read on to discover more than 350 ways you can replace it in your writing.
Start With These Phrases and Others Like Them
The most common — and easiest — instances of take to replace are take+[noun phrase] combinations such as these:
- take a boat: boat, cruise, sail
- take a bow: bow, acquiesce, genuflect, nod, salaam
- take a break: break, ease off, relax, rest, stop
- take a breath: breathe, inhale, respire
- take a breather: relax, chill, unwind
- take a class: enroll, learn, register, study
- take a gander: look, peek, peer, rubberneck
- take a hard line: be austere, be severe, be stern, be strict
- take a hike: hike; leave, scram, skedaddle, vamoose
- take a hint: figure out, get, grasp, realize, understand
- take a lesson: learn, receive instruction, recognize, realize
- take a life: assassinate, execute, kill, murder
- take a look: look, examine, observe, scrutinize
- take a moment: pause, stop for a moment
- take a nosedive: nosedive, plummet, plunge
- take a peek: peek, glance, peep, preview, skim
- take a photograph: photograph, shoot, snap
- take a plane: fly, travel by air
- take a pledge: pledge, covenant, promise, vow
- take a ride: ride, commute, drive, journey
- take a risk: risk, chance, dare, gamble
- take a seat: sit, ensconce, perch, plop down, relax
- take a shot: shoot, fire, pull the trigger
- take a spouse: espouse [dated], marry, wed
- take a stand: choose, decide, resolve
- take a tour: tour, explore, sightsee, visit
- take a trip: journey, travel, trek, voyage
- take a vote: vote, choose, pick, select
- take a walk: walk, amble, march, meander, wander
- take an interest: join in, participate, partake
- take an oath: pledge, promise, swear, vow
- take control: acquire, assume responsibility
- take five/ten: delay, interrupt, pause, wait
- take great pains: moil [dated], strive, sweat, toil
- take notice: notice, detect, discern, perceive
- take offence: bristle, disapprove, object, protest
- take one’s time: dawdle, delay, lollygag, procrastinate
- take responsibility: accept responsibility, bear, shoulder
- take shape: crystalize, develop, form, gel, materialize
Now that you see the pattern, check your WIP for phrases that begin with take a(n), took a(n), etc. Analyze their meanings, and then replace with alternative wording.
You’ll see a few more take+[noun phrase] combinations in the Clichés and Idioms section.
The Writer’s Lexicon series
and additional resources on my Facebook page.
Verbs and Phrasal Verbs
Does your WIP mention an accountant who dishonestly takes money out of clients’ accounts? Embezzle would be a better verb than take.
What about a military unit that takes assets from the locals? There’s a verb for that: commandeer.
How about a thief who takes money from the pockets of passersby? There’s a verb for that, too: pickpocket.
Review this list of verbs to see if one or more suits your storyline better than take.
A to L
abscond with, acquire, adopt, amputate, annex, appropriate, arrogate, borrow, bring along, capture, carry, cart, claim, collect, commandeer, conduct, confiscate, convey, cop, courier, cut off, detach, embezzle, expropriate, ferry, filch, get, glom, grab, guide, haul, help oneself to, hijack, impound, lead, liberate, lift
M to W
misappropriate, nick, obtain, opt for, peculate, pick, pickpocket, pilfer, pilot, pinch, poach, pocket, procure, purloin, receive, regain, remove, repossess, retrieve, rob, secure, seize, select, sequester, shepherd, shoplift, snaffle, snatch, snitch, steal, swipe, thieve, transport, usher, wrest
Clichés and Idioms
A Google search for “idioms” “take” (including quotation marks) generates almost 22 million results.
Did you just take a double take? No wonder it’s so easy to take this annoying little word too far. Take a grip on yourself now, take the bull by the horns, and take a look at a few take phrases you could take out of your WIP by taking a bit of time and effort.
Remember the novel I mentioned near the beginning of this post? Déjà vu.
- it doesn’t take a rocket scientist: it’s easy; it’s not difficult; it’s simple
- to give and take: bargain, compromise, cooperate, meet halfway
- to have what it takes: meet the requirements, qualify, succeed
- to let nature take its course: accept, allow, don’t meddle, stand aside
- take a leaf out of someone’s book: copy, emulate, imitate
- take a load off one’s mind: mollify, palliate, relieve, soothe
- take a load off: put one’s feet up, rest, sit
- take a raincheck: delay, postpone, put off, reschedule, wait
- take a second look: reassess, reconsider, reevaluate, reexamine
- take a whip to: whip, flagellate, flog, flay, lash, thrash
- take aback: astonish, dumbfound, jolt, shock, surprise
- take action against: go to court, litigate, prosecute, sue
- take advantage of: exploit, manipulate, milk, victimize
- take an active role: assist, contribute, join, partake, participate
- take at face value: accept, acknowledge, believe, trust
- take behind the woodshed: chastise, discipline, punish, reprimand
- take down a peg: deflate, humble, humiliate, shame
- take for a spin: evaluate, test, try out
- take for granted: assume, presume, presuppose, suppose
- take it easy: relax, rest, slow down, unwind
- take liberties: compromise, endanger, gamble, jeopardize
- take off (1): depart, go, leave, scarper, scoot
- take off (2): become popular, catch on, prosper, succeed, thrive
- take off (3): deduct, remove, subtract, withhold
- take off (4): doff, divest, remove, strip off
- take on: attempt, shoulder, tackle, undertake
- take one’s breath away: astonish, excite, surprise
- take out (1): date, entertain, see, treat
- take out (2): assassinate, bump off, kill, murder, snuff
- take out (3): annihilate, destroy, obliterate, wipe out
- take out (4): extract, pluck out, pull out, remove
- take out (5): alter, customize, let out, resize, tailor
- take some doing: require a lot of effort or work
- take the bull by the horns: dare, risk, show one’s mettle, venture
- take the edge off: alleviate, assuage, ease, mitigate, relieve
- take the first step: begin, commence, launch, start
- take time out: laze, loaf, relax, slacken off, unwind
- take to task: censure, chide, criticize, rebuke, reprimand
- take to the cleaners: cheat, con, dupe, fleece, sucker, swindle
- take too far: exceed, overexert, overdo, overstate
- take unawares: flabbergast, shock, startle, stun, surprise
- you can take it to the bank: it’s true; you can believe it
- you can’t take it with you: enjoy material things before you die
The Writer’s Lexicon series
and additional resources on my Facebook page.
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Good grief how do you come up with these? I am so excited.
Speak about good grief. While reviewing this post for another reason, I realized I hadn’t replied to you. Due to overactive spammers, I’ve changed comment settings.
Thanks, Jacqui. I always enjoy hearing from you.
Thanks Kathy. Great info for novice writers such as I am. I have completed six romance novels, one a 308, 611 word saga. So I now have big job of re-editing them all again for the umpteenth time to check for ‘alternatives’. To launch my books is impossible for me as the cost of publishing is way out of my reach. So I spend most of my days like a hermit, just writing because it’s in my blood, like a virus, lol. This novice thanks you for your hints.
Thanks for stopping by, Pamela.
Have you investigated self-publishing? Can you split the long novel into two separate books?
Thank for your reply.
It could be spit I suppose, Kathie, as it’s in two parts beginning in 1966. P 1 is of the chance meeting of the two main characters in Darwin Australia and going to live in the UK. P 2 is of the four grown children of Lord and Lady Fairbaine; mainly of the twin girls separate trials and tribulations that take place in in Aust’, Saudi, and the UK. and of other character’s interests A short epilogue include infor’ of all characters, while the Duke and Duchess, reminisce in 2005 as they await the arrival of their scattered family home for Christmas at ‘Hawksmoor Hall’ in Yorkshire. I really don’t know if it’s long enough to break up as it’s only 684 A4 pages in 10 font, on last count, as I keep going over it? Two years ago I sent it to publishers in the UK,. they sent word back that they had decided to publish it, but at my cost, $7,000 with film rights and royalties which were quite poor. As much as I wanted my hard work published, I had to refuse as I would have to borrow it, and felt I would never get the money back. The days of Jane Eyre are long gone, it’s all upside down, An unpublished writer now has to pay the publishers. lol. I would send all my stories to Kindle once I’m completely satisfied with them, but their special formatting is too complicated for senior computer dummies like me.
So thanks for listening to my woes lol.
P M.
Nice to hear from you again, Pamela.
First, if you have to pay, the publisher isn’t legitimate. Please don’t be pulled in by vanity presses.
Next: length. Go by word count. A novel is over 80K words, with 120K considered a long novel; therefore, your 308K saga could be split into three books.
The internet has loads of advice for formatting eBooks. With determination, time, and a free program like Calibre, you could create Kindle books on your own. https://calibre-ebook.com/download
Good luck! ✍️
Thanks Kathy, I’ll give it a go.
Hi Kathy,
Brilliant and funny.
Thank you very much indeed.
Thanks, Zarayna!
Hi Miss Kathy,
Thanks for taking a look at how repeating “take” can overtake a story. I’ll take your advice and check my WIP for repetitive words. As always, helpful information.
Here are some more “takes:” take a flying leap, take the cake, take a leak, take great care, take a walk and in baseball, take a pitch, take a sign, take a base, take the field
Excellent examples. Thanks for taking the time to take a look, Lenny!