grammar · neutral
take precedence over + noun/gerund
to be considered more important than something else and therefore be dealt with first
Examples
“In emergency planning, saving lives must take precedence over protecting property.”
“Long-term environmental concerns should take precedence over short-term profit.”
“For the committee, public health will take precedence over political considerations.”
Band 8 sentence
“When allocating limited resources, policymakers must ensure that public welfare consistently takes precedence over short-term economic gains.”
Collocations
- take precedence over + other considerations
- should/ must take precedence over
Common mistakes
The safety measures precede over profits.→Safety measures should take precedence over profit.
take precedence to environmental issues→take precedence over environmental issues
This should take priority than others.→This should take priority over others.
Say it for a higher band
5more important than→6have priority over→7+take precedence over
Synonyms
take priority over
be more important than
Easily confused
precede
“A short summary often precedes the main report.”
take priority over
“Public safety takes priority over commercial interests.”
Related words
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In Comparatives
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