Take up means to start doing something new, such as a sport, a hobby or music, or to fill a certain amount of space or time. The first meaning describes a new interest that becomes regular: “take up yoga”. The second shows how much space or time something uses: “the desk takes up half the room”.
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take up + hobby/sport/instrument; take up + space/room/time; take it up
- I took up running last spring to deal with stress at work.
- This old sofa takes up half of our living room.
- During exam season, essay writing takes up most of my weekends.
What changed
First versionThe new wardrobe takes up too much place in the bedroom.
RevisionThe new wardrobe takes up too much space in the bedroom.
When you mean free space that something can fill, the word is “space” or “room”, not “place”. “Place” is a particular spot or venue: “a nice place for dinner”. So a wardrobe “takes up space”.
In the second meaning, “take up” is close to “take”, but slightly different. “It takes two hours” means the task needs two hours. “It takes up two hours of my evening” stresses that those hours come out of your own time and are no longer free for anything else.
Your turn
My doctor told me to get more exercise, so I've decided to ___ tennis.
Show the answer
take up — The sentence is about starting a new sport, so “take up” fits. “Take on” means to accept work, a task or responsibility, and it is not used for starting a sport like tennis.
Is there a hobby or sport you have taken up in recent years? Write when you started and how much time it takes up each week.
I took up swimming two years ago, and now it takes up about four hours of my week.
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