Below you will find two of the uses of the phrasal verb 'take away' which you are likely to find used in the Cambridge Advanced exam.

In addition to the meaning/definition for each use, you will also find two examples of it being used with each meaning (to help you better understand its use and the context it is used in).

In order to remember these uses, make sure to make an example in your own words with the phrasal verb.

Use 1

To remove something from someone so they don't have or can't use it anymore.

Whenever I do anything really bad my parents TAKE AWAY my mobile phone. I only get it back when they feel I've been punished enough.

To prevent the man from leaving the country, the police TOOK AWAY his passport.

Click here to watch a YouTube video on this meaning of the phrasal verb

Use 2

To learn something important from something you have done, read or been told.

For me personally, the thing that I TOOK AWAY from the course was not things I can do to live a better life, but that failure is important.

Thank you for coming to hear me speak. I hope that by the end you will hear something that you can TAKE AWAY and use in your own life.

Click here to watch a YouTube video on this meaning of the phrasal verb


Return to the list of 50 commonly phrasal verbs in the CAE exam.