Do You 'Take Note' or 'Make Note'?
2021-07-17
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1This week on Ask a Teacher, we answer a question from Galmesa from Ethiopia:
2Dear VOA, I have a question for you.
3At school I usually get asked the difference between the phrases "take note" and "make note."
4Would you tell me? -Galmesa, Ethiopia
5Hello Galmesa! You say that you are often asked about these phrases at school.
6It sounds like you might be an English teacher. Am I right?
7In any case, you ask a good question.
8The phrases "take note" and "make note" are sometimes interchangeable.
9But there are small differences between the two phrases.
10When used as an idiom, or expression, the phrase "take note" means to notice something.
11If you take note of something, you pay special attention to it because you think that it is important or has value.
12We often use this phrase in commands and questions.
13Listen to some examples:
14If you are driving this afternoon, take note of the weather.
15We saw a warning on the news for storms in the area.
16Did you take note of how they made the metal handicrafts?
17But if you add an -s to "take note," the meaning changes.
18"Take notes" means to write something down for the purpose of remembering it.
19People often take notes in classes and meetings, and at talks or other events when they want to recall information later.
20Listen to this how this speaker uses the phrase:
21I watched an excellent program about the symbiosis of sea creatures. I even took some notes.
22Now let's move to our next phrase.
23The usual wording in American English is "make a note of," which means to write or record something quickly as a reminder.
24So "make a note of" has a similar meaning to "take notes."
25You might also hear the phrase "make a mental note."
26It means to make a special effort to remember something in your mind.
27For example, a person might say:
28I will make a mental note to pick up the materials on my way home.
29And that's Ask a Teacher for this week.
30I'm Alice Bryant.
1This week on Ask a Teacher, we answer a question from Galmesa from Ethiopia: 2Question: 3Dear VOA, I have a question for you. At school I usually get asked the difference between the phrases "take note" and "make note." Would you tell me? -Galmesa, Ethiopia 4Answer: 5Hello Galmesa! You say that you are often asked about these phrases at school. It sounds like you might be an English teacher. Am I right? In any case, you ask a good question. 6The phrases "take note" and "make note" are sometimes interchangeable. But there are small differences between the two phrases. 7Take note 8When used as an idiom, or expression, the phrase "take note" means to notice something. If you take note of something, you pay special attention to it because you think that it is important or has value. We often use this phrase in commands and questions. Listen to some examples: 9If you are driving this afternoon, take note of the weather. We saw a warning on the news for storms in the area. 10Did you take note of how they made the metal handicrafts? 11But if you add an -s to "take note," the meaning changes. "Take notes" means to write something down for the purpose of remembering it. People often take notes in classes and meetings, and at talks or other events when they want to recall information later. Listen to this how this speaker uses the phrase: 12I watched an excellent program about the symbiosis of sea creatures. I even took some notes. 13Make a note of 14Now let's move to our next phrase. 15The usual wording in American English is "make a note of," which means to write or record something quickly as a reminder. So "make a note of" has a similar meaning to "take notes." 16You might also hear the phrase "make a mental note." It means to make a special effort to remember something in your mind. For example, a person might say: 17I will make a mental note to pick up the materials on my way home. 18And that's Ask a Teacher for this week. 19I'm Alice Bryant. 20Alice Bryant wrote this lesson for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. 21_____________________________________________________________ 22Words in This Story 23phrase - n. a group of two or more words that express a single idea but do not usually form a complete sentence 24interchangeable - adj. capable of being used in place of each other 25handicraft - n. an object made by skillful use of your hands 26symbiosis - n. the relationship between two different kinds of living things that live near and depend on each other