Write down means to put something on paper or in your notes so you don't forget it: a phone number, an address, a new word, an idea. You use it for something you have heard or thought of and want to keep. With a pronoun, the phrase splits in two: “write it down”.
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write down + word/number/idea; write it/them down; write down what/where + clause
- I always write down new words with an example, because otherwise I forget them within a day.
- The receptionist wrote down my phone number and promised to call if a place came up.
- Before the meeting, write down the three questions you really need answered.
What changed
First versionI wrote down for an English course that starts in October.
RevisionI signed up for an English course that starts in October.
It may seem that “write down” works for putting your name on a course list, but it only means recording information. When you add yourself to a list of participants, use “sign up for”: “signed up for a course”. Booking a visit to a doctor is not “write down” either: you “make an appointment”.
“Write” without “down” means to create a text: “write an email”, “write an essay”. “Write down” means to record something you have heard or seen so you don't lose it: “write down the address”. Recording sound or video is “record”: I recorded the lecture on my phone.
Your turn
Phones weren't allowed, so instead of recording the talk, I ___ the main points by hand.
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wrote down — Phones weren't allowed, so instead of an audio recording, the main points had to be noted by hand: “wrote down”. “Recorded” would mean saving the talk on a device, and “instead of recording” says clearly that this did not happen.
Describe how you keep track of important things at work or in your studies. Say what exactly you write down and where.
At every team meeting, I write down all the new deadlines in a small paper notebook.
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