Take a nap means to sleep for a short time, usually during the day. It is not used about a night's sleep. In British English, have a nap is just as common.
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take a nap; have a nap (UK); a short/quick nap; nap (verb)
- After the night flight, I took a short nap at the hotel before dinner.
- My grandfather has a nap every afternoon, so we never call him after lunch.
- If you feel sleepy on a long drive, stop and take a quick nap.
What changed
First versionMy grandma usually takes nap after lunch.
RevisionMy grandma usually takes a nap after lunch.
The article is easy to drop here, but a nap is one short sleep, something you can count, so it needs a: takes a nap.
Take a nap is a short sleep during the day. Sleep in means to sleep later than usual in the morning: On Sundays I sleep in until ten. After a sleepless night, people say get some sleep, because it is no longer about a short rest.
Your turn
I felt sleepy after the meeting, so I ___ for twenty minutes on the office sofa.
Show the answer
took a nap — Twenty minutes on the sofa after a meeting is a short daytime sleep, so took a nap is correct. Slept in means sleeping later than usual in the morning, but this is the middle of the working day.
Describe your day off. Say when you usually sleep during the day and for how long.
On Sundays I usually take a nap after lunch for about half an hour.
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