Idiom
Take advantage of
Can I say 'take an advantage of' or 'take the advantage of'?
To take advantage of something means to make good use of a favorable condition or opportunity. To take advantage of someone means to treat a person unfairly or use their weakness for selfish gain.
Key points
- Use take advantage of with circumstances and offers to describe practical choices, and reserve the personal object pattern for unfair exploitation.
- Keep the phrase intact without adding articles before advantage, and conjugate the verb take accurately for time.
- Place the noun phrase directly after the preposition of without inserting extra articles before advantage.
This lesson has 5 stages. You can stop at any time and continue later.
Stage 1 of 5
Understand
What it means, when to use it, and mistakes to avoid.
Examples
Our team took advantage of an empty conference room to plan the project.
Why it works: The empty room was an available resource, so the phrase describes practical use rather than unfair behavior.
2 more examples
-
A reliable manager will never take advantage of an employee who fears speaking up.
The human object and power difference signal unfair exploitation.
-
You should take advantage of our morning workshop while seats remain open.
The workshop is a helpful opportunity offered to participants.
Read the full guide
Spotting the positive opportunity meaning
Take advantage of can mean making use of an opportunity, such as a discount, good weather, or extra time. It can also describe exploitation. Ask what the person does and who benefits or loses; an inanimate object does not automatically make the action fair or harmless.
-
We should take advantage of an early lunch hour to run our errands.
Why it works: An early lunch hour gives the speaker a chance to run errands.
-
Local families took advantage of sunny weather by walking in the city park.
Why it works: The weather provided an ideal natural condition for outdoor activity.
Your turn
Which sentence shows the positive meaning of taking advantage of a situation?
Answer: Elena took advantage of an empty quiet office to review the financial report.
Show the answer
Answer: Elena took advantage of an empty quiet office to review the financial report.
Elena uses a peaceful workspace constructively, which matches the positive opportunity sense without causing harm.
Identifying unfair treatment or exploitation
When a person, a weakness, or a generous trait comes after the preposition, the phrase takes on a negative meaning. It shows that someone is behaving selfishly by using another person's kindness, inexperience, or silence. Listeners hear this as a clear moral criticism of the person doing the taking.
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A careless roommate might take advantage of your willingness to wash dishes.
Why it works: Using someone's helpful nature unfairly creates resentment.
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The contractor took advantage of an elderly homeowner by doubling the agreed price.
Why it works: The action exploits vulnerability for personal profit.
This also comes up in The upper hand and One-off.
Your turn
Why does saying 'He took advantage of Maria' sound critical?
Answer: It means he treated Maria unfairly for his own personal gain.
Show the answer
Answer: It means he treated Maria unfairly for his own personal gain.
The usual critical reading here is that he treated Maria unfairly. This is a contextual interpretation, not a rule that every person object makes a sentence exploitative.
Checking what follows the preposition
Look at both the object after of and the wider situation. Taking advantage of lower fares usually means using an opportunity. Taking advantage of a person often suggests unfair treatment. These are useful clues, not automatic rules: context shows whether the speaker approves of the action.
-
Commuters take advantage of cheap bus fares during off-peak morning hours.
Why it works: The commuters make use of lower fares during off-peak hours.
-
Do not take advantage of someone who cannot easily refuse your request.
Why it works: A person in a weak bargaining position deserves fair treatment.
Your turn
Which option is an opportunity involving a discount rather than a person?
Answer: a temporary discount on annual train passes
Show the answer
Answer: a temporary discount on annual train passes
A temporary discount is an opportunity to save money. The full context, not object type alone, determines whether an action is fair.
Keeping the fixed three-word phrase
The usual pattern is take advantage of, without an article before advantage. You can add modifiers, as in take full advantage of. Keep of before the opportunity or person in this pattern. Do not turn the familiar unmodified form into a rule that no extra word can ever appear.
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New residents take advantage of free language classes at the community center.
Why it works: The phrase uses bare advantage without any definite or indefinite article.
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You can take advantage of our library catalog without paying any registration fee.
Why it works: The preposition of connects the phrase smoothly to the resource.
Your turn
Which sentence uses the correct fixed phrase structure?
Answer: You should take advantage of this free training session.
Show the answer
Answer: You should take advantage of this free training session.
The fixed idiom requires take advantage of without articles before advantage and with of as the preposition.
Changing the verb for tense and time
While advantage and of remain unchanged, the verb take must adjust to match the grammar of your sentence. Use took for completed events in the past, takes for third-person present habits, and taking after continuous auxiliary verbs or prepositions. Forgetting to conjugate the verb is one of the most common errors for intermediate learners.
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Yesterday we took advantage of an open table near the window.
Why it works: Took indicates a completed past event.
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She is taking advantage of evening computer courses while working full time.
Why it works: Taking combines with is to show an ongoing present activity.
Your turn
Which option correctly completes the sentence about yesterday? 'Yesterday morning, our team ________ an open workspace.'
Answer: took advantage of
Show the answer
Answer: took advantage of
A past time marker like yesterday requires the simple past form took.
Contrasting practical benefit with duty
You can take advantage of a learning opportunity even when attendance is compulsory. The phrase highlights how you use what is available, not whether you were required to be there. Simply attending and making good use of a session are different ideas.
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Employees can take advantage of wellness stipends to buy gym equipment.
Why it works: The stipend is an optional benefit provided by the employer.
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Staff members must submit their quarterly expense sheets before Friday afternoon.
Why it works: Mandatory paperwork is an obligation, not an opportunity you choose to exploit.
Your turn
Which option describes using a hotel service as an opportunity to reach a museum?
Answer: Using a free shuttle bus provided by your hotel to reach the museum
Show the answer
Answer: Using a free shuttle bus provided by your hotel to reach the museum
The shuttle option names the service and how it is used. An obligation can also provide an opportunity; compulsory attendance is not a ban on the idiom.
Hearing connected speech and weak forms
In natural speech, native speakers rarely pronounce each word in isolation. The second syllable of advantage carries primary stress, while the first vowel reduces toward a neutral schwa sound. Furthermore, the final sound of advantage links smoothly into the unstressed preposition of, which often sounds like a quick weak form. Paying attention to these links helps you catch the phrase in fast conversations.
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You can take advantage of our audio guides near the front gallery.
Why it works: The sounds link together as take-ad-VAN-tij-uv without a pause.
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We should take advantage of every sunny morning before winter arrives.
Why it works: The preposition connects directly into the vowel sound of every.
Your turn
Which syllable in the phrase 'take advantage of' carries primary stress?
Answer: The second syllable of advantage
Show the answer
Answer: The second syllable of advantage
The word advantage is stressed on its second syllable (-van-), while neighboring vowels reduce.
Choosing clear workplace phrasing
Because this expression carries two contrasting meanings, careless writing can create unintended confusion. If you write that your organization wants to take advantage of partner companies, clients might read it as selfish exploitation. In professional emails, name the specific program, data, or joint resource to make your constructive intent obvious to every reader.
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We want to take advantage of our partner company's regional delivery network.
Why it works: Specifying the delivery network clarifies that the collaboration is professional and beneficial.
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Our office took advantage of shared research findings to update our policy.
Why it works: Targeting the research findings avoids any ambiguous suggestion of exploiting people.
Your turn
How can you make your intended meaning clearer when using take advantage of?
Answer: Explain the opportunity, how it is used, and who benefits.
Show the answer
Answer: Explain the opportunity, how it is used, and who benefits.
The details help readers understand the action. Merely naming a resource does not establish that its use is fair or legitimate.
Use it naturally
How people really use “take advantage of”
Neutral Fine almost anywhere, at work or with friends.
Words it often goes with
- take advantage of an opportunityYou can take advantage of an opportunity to practice with a visiting speaker.
- take advantage of good weatherWe should take advantage of good weather to paint the fence.
- take advantage of someone's kindnessIt is unfair to take advantage of someone's kindness by constantly asking for favors.
What people also say
- “take advantage of the offer” instead of “make utilization of the offer” This sounds natural when you mean accepting an offer that benefits you.
A stronger way to say it
treat someone unfairly for your own benefit → exploit someone
Some employers exploit workers who are afraid to complain.
Questions about "Take advantage of"
Can I say 'take an advantage of' or 'take the advantage of'?
In the pattern practised here, say take advantage of without an article. You can modify advantage, as in take full advantage of. Learn this whole expression rather than adding an article to it.
You should take advantage of our free trial period.
How do I know if the phrase sounds rude or insulting?
The object is a clue, but read the whole sentence. Using a discount often describes a useful opportunity. Taking advantage of someone often suggests exploitation. A resource can still be used unfairly, so its being inanimate does not guarantee a positive meaning.
They took advantage of low interest rates to purchase an apartment.
He took advantage of my trust when I lent him money.
What is the difference between 'take advantage of' and 'make use of'?
Make use of is completely neutral and simply means to utilize something functional, such as equipment or space. Take advantage of emphasizes an opportunity that might expire, a special benefit, or an unfair imbalance between people.
The technician made use of a spare cable to finish the repair.
We took advantage of an early opening to avoid long lines.
Can I use this expression in the passive voice?
Yes, especially when describing someone who has experienced unfair treatment. You can say someone was taken advantage of by an unscrupulous seller or employer. Notice that the preposition of stays at the end of the verb group.
Several junior workers felt they were taken advantage of during the busy holiday season.
Before you go
Remember this
Use take advantage of with circumstances and offers to describe practical choices, and reserve the personal object pattern for unfair exploitation. Keep the phrase intact without adding articles before advantage, and conjugate the verb take accurately for time.
Stage 2 of 5
Listen
Hear it in real sentences, from short to long, and write what you hear.
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Listening 1 of 4
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0:00
- A reliable manager will never take advantage of an employee who fears speaking up.
- You should take advantage of our morning workshop while seats remain open.
Listening 2 of 4
Listen, then type what you hear. Replay as often as you need.
0:00
- A reliable manager will never take advantage of an employee who fears speaking up.
- You should take advantage of our morning workshop while seats remain open.
Try a longer clip. Listen once, then replay the part you missed.
Listening 3 of 4
Listen, then type what you hear. Replay as often as you need.
0:00
- A reliable manager will never take advantage of an employee who fears speaking up.
- You should take advantage of our morning workshop while seats remain open.
This clip is longer. Follow the instruction above the answer field.
Listening 4 of 4
Listen, then type the missing words. The rest of the text is already there.
0:00
- A reliable manager will never take advantage of an employee who fears speaking up.
- You should take advantage of our morning workshop while seats remain open.
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Play the line slowly, then speak at the same time as the speaker. Copy the rhythm, not just the words.
Your turn
Say it your way
Speak for 30 to 60 seconds from memory about a beach vacation with a friend. Explain how you used a sunny morning well and how you kept your friend from paying more than a fair share of the costs.
Use: took advantage of take advantage of
Take ten seconds to think, then answer out loud without looking at the lesson. Speak for the time shown in the task above. Nothing is sent unless you ask for feedback.
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Hear how someone else might say it
On our beach vacation, we took advantage of a sunny morning to go swimming before the clouds arrived. My friend offered to pay for lunch and rent an umbrella because she had more money available. I appreciated that, but I didn't want to take advantage of her generosity. We agreed that she would pay for the umbrella and I would buy lunch. Later, we walked along the shore, which cost nothing. We both enjoyed the day, and neither of us felt that the arrangement was unfair.
Try once more and answer this: What did you do when the weather changed?
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