Take action means to start doing something to deal with a problem. It is used when people move from talking to doing: take action on climate change, take action against fraud. The expression is neutral and suits both work emails and essays.
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take action on/against + noun; take action to + verb; take immediate/urgent action
- The school took action after several parents complained about bullying.
- Governments must take action to reduce plastic waste in the oceans.
- If you notice a data leak, report it at once so the IT team can take action.
What changed
First versionThe manager promised to take actions after our complaints.
RevisionThe manager promised to take action after our complaints.
It is tempting to make action plural, since several steps may be involved. But in this expression action has no -s and no article: it means action in general, not one specific act. Only the -s was removed.
Take measures is similar, but it refers to specific steps, so measures is almost always plural: The school took measures to improve safety. Take action is broader: to stop waiting and start acting.
Your turn
The river has flooded twice this year, so the council must ___ to protect local homes.
Show the answer
take action — It is time for the council to start acting, which is take action. Accept measures is not a natural combination: accept means to agree to something, while measures and action go with take.
Write about a problem in your city, office or university. Say who should take action and what exactly they should do.
Our city council should take action on night-time noise by banning delivery trucks after 11 pm.
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