phrasal verb · neutral
take seriously
UK/teɪk ˈsɪəriəsli/US/teɪk ˈsɪriəsli/take·SE·ri·OUS·ly
task2speaking
to regard something or someone as important and deserving of attention
Examples
“The government must take climate science seriously.”
“If employers don't take young people's concerns seriously, they may lose talent.”
“I told him my idea and he didn't take me seriously.”
Band 8 sentence
“Policymakers must take the findings of independent research seriously when drafting legislation.”
Collocations
- take someone seriously
- take an issue seriously
Word family
take seriously verb + adverbserious adjectiveseriously adverb
Common mistakes
take serious→take seriously
take it serious→take it seriously
Say it for a higher band
5believe→6treat seriously→7+take seriously
Synonyms
treat seriously
regard as important
Easily confused
take to heart
“She took his criticism to heart and worked harder.”
Related words
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