Take back means to return something to the place you got it from, such as a purchase to the shop, or to admit that something you said was wrong. In the first meaning, people talk about things that didn't fit, library books or rented items: I took the shoes back. In the second, you admit that you said something untrue or unfair: Sorry, I take it back.
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take + thing + back (to + place); take back + noun; take it/that back; take back what you said
- The jacket was too small, so I took it back to the shop and got a refund.
- After the trip, we took the rented bikes back to the hotel.
- I said the plan would never work, but it did, so I take that back.
What changed
First versionI'm going to return back the jacket because it's too small.
RevisionI'm going to take back the jacket because it's too small.
“Return back” may look natural, but “return” already means to take or bring something back, so “back” after it only repeats the idea. Here “return” was replaced with “take”: “take back the jacket”. Simply “return the jacket” would also be correct.
“Give back” means to hand something to its owner, the person you borrowed it from: Can you give me back my charger? “Take back” means to carry something to the place you got it from: I took the books back to the library. And “bring back” means to bring something back to where the speaker is now: Please bring my umbrella back tomorrow.
Your turn
Sorry, I was wrong to call your idea unrealistic. I ___.
Show the answer
take it back — The speaker is withdrawing what they said, so “take it back” is right. “Give it back” means to return something you borrowed to its owner, and here nobody borrowed anything.
Write about something you bought and took back to the shop, or are going to take back. Name the item and explain what was wrong with it.
I took the running shoes back to the shop because they rubbed my heels after the first run.
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