Phrasal verb
Take part in
What does take part in mean?
Take part in means to join an activity and do something in it, usually alongside other people. Taking part focuses on participation rather than watching from the side. It does not require you to lead, organize, or win the activity; simply contributing your effort counts as taking part.
Key points
- Use take part in before an activity noun or an -ing verb to describe active participation.
- Never place the article a before part.
- Change take to took in the past simple, and keep take in its base form after did, didn't, or modal verbs like can.
Can you use "Take part in" yourself?
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
Twelve students took part in the science fair yesterday afternoon.
Why it works: The past form took shows that the students actively presented projects in the event.
2 more examples
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Anyone in the community can take part in designing the new playground.
The modal can is followed by the base form take and an -ing activity.
-
Did your brother take part in the weekend chess tournament?
The question uses did with the base form take and no article before part.
Read the full guide
Decide whether someone joins an activity
The expression take part in means to join an activity and do something in it, usually alongside other people. If you take part in a quiz, you answer questions with the other players. You do not simply sit nearby; you become an active participant. Taking part does not mean you must win, lead, or organize the event. Simply contributing your effort or sharing in the action counts as taking part.
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Ten neighbors took part in an art workshop on Saturday.
Why it works: The neighbors joined the workshop and made art together.
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You can take part in a neighborhood trivia game tonight.
Why it works: You join the game and answer questions as an active player.
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Carlos wants to take part in an open rehearsal with the community choir.
Why it works: Carlos intends to sing with the choir during their practice session.
Your turn
What does a player do when they take part in a quiz?
Answer: They answer questions along with the other players.
Show the answer
Answer: They answer questions along with the other players.
A player takes part by answering quiz questions. Watching and organizing are different roles in this question.
Distinguish participating from watching
Consider this situation at a community center. Elena is standing near the kitchen door when Marcus walks over with an apron. Marcus asks, 'Do you want to watch the cooking competition, or do you want to join a team?' Elena smiles and says, 'I want to take part.' By choosing that phrase, Elena asks for an apron and a place on a team. If she only wanted to observe from a chair, she would say she wants to watch. Taking part requires action, while watching means staying on the sidelines as an observer.
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Many visitors watch the annual street parade, but fifty dancers take part in it.
Why it works: The visitors observe the event, while the dancers perform in the street.
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Grandpa prefers to watch the chess match while the grandchildren take part.
Why it works: Grandpa acts as an observer, whereas the grandchildren play the moves.
This also comes up in Keep out of and Put behind.
Your turn
At a local sports afternoon, how does a spectator differ from someone who takes part?
Answer: The spectator only watches the match while the participant plays.
Show the answer
Answer: The spectator only watches the match while the participant plays.
To take part means to join in and perform actions, whereas a spectator watches from the side.
Choose a noun or an -ing form after in
The preposition in connects the action of participating to the specific event. You can place an activity noun directly after in, such as a quiz, a game, or a panel discussion. When the activity is an action verb, turn that verb into an -ing form, such as making a group poster or planning the lunch schedule. Do not use an infinitive with to as the name of the activity. You can also say take part in it when the event is already known to both speakers.
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Our class took part in making a large banner for the garden show.
Why it works: The -ing form making names the shared action after the preposition in.
-
Dr. Alvarez took part in an interview about urban wildlife.
Why it works: The noun phrase an interview names the event after in.
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The village festival is tomorrow, and we will take part in it.
Why it works: The pronoun it refers back to the previously mentioned festival.
Your turn
Which sentence correctly names the activity after in?
Answer: We took part in painting the community mural.
Show the answer
Answer: We took part in painting the community mural.
Use the preposition in followed by an -ing form or a noun to name the activity.
Change the verb take across tenses
Only the word take changes when you alter the tense or subject of the sentence. The noun part and the preposition in stay unchanged. In the present simple, write take or takes: 'He takes part in every game.' In the past simple, change take to took: 'We took part in an auction.' When using a perfect tense with have or has, use the past participle taken: 'She has taken part in several projects.' For continuous actions after am, is, or are, use taking: 'They are taking part in a workshop right now.' The compact summary table below outlines each form.
| Form | Grammar Role | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| take | Base form / Present simple (I, you, we, they) | They take part in every contest. |
| takes | Present simple third-person (he, she, it) | Sam takes part in an art class. |
| took | Past simple | We took part in an auction yesterday. |
| taken | Past participle (used with have, has, or had) | She has taken part in two events. |
| taking | -ing form (used with forms of be in continuous tenses) | They are taking part in a workshop. |
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Maria takes part in an online book club every Tuesday evening.
Why it works: Third-person singular present simple uses takes with part in.
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Last winter, fifty volunteers took part in an apple harvest.
Why it works: Past simple uses took while part and in remain unchanged.
-
Julian has taken part in three cooking contests this season.
Why it works: The present perfect requires has taken before part in.
Your turn
Which sentence shows the correct past tense form?
Answer: Yesterday evening, my sister took part in an acoustic music jam.
Show the answer
Answer: Yesterday evening, my sister took part in an acoustic music jam.
The past simple of take is took. Taken requires an auxiliary verb like has or have.
Keep the base form after did, didn't, and modals
When you form questions or negative sentences with auxiliary verbs, keep take in its base form. With do, does, or did, the auxiliary carries the tense, so say 'Did you take part in the meeting?' rather than using took. In negative statements, place not with the helper: 'He did not take part in the discussion.' Modal verbs like can follow the exact same rule. A polite, natural way to ask for permission or join a group is simply: 'Can I take part?'
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Did your roommates take part in the neighborhood tree planting?
Why it works: The auxiliary did requires the base form take.
-
I did not take part in the panel discussion because my train was late.
Why it works: The negative past uses did not take.
-
Can visitors take part in the afternoon ceramics class?
Why it works: The modal can is followed by the base form take.
Your turn
How should you ask a coworker about their past participation in a conference workshop?
Answer: Did you take part in the workshop on communication?
Show the answer
Answer: Did you take part in the workshop on communication?
Use did with the base form take, keeping part without any article.
Avoid extra articles and wrong prepositions
Learners frequently insert the indefinite article a, saying take a part in. In this fixed phrase, part never takes an article. Say take part in. Another common slip is replacing in with of. Remember that take part in introduces an event or activity. In contrast, be part of describes membership in an organization or team, as in 'I am part of this club.' Also, do not confuse an activity complement with a purpose phrase. Saying 'We took part in cooking' names the activity, while 'We arrived early to take part' uses to express purpose before the phrase.
-
Twelve cyclists took part in the amateur cycling tour.
Why it works: Say took part in without an article before part or a preposition like of.
-
She wants to be part of the choir, so she decided to take part in rehearsals.
Why it works: Be part of shows group membership; take part in describes joining the activity.
-
They gathered at the park to take part in the community garden harvest.
Why it works: The infinitive to take part expresses the reason for gathering.
Your turn
Which sentence contains an error with this expression?
Answer: Sophia took a part in the community garden harvest.
Show the answer
Answer: Sophia took a part in the community garden harvest.
Do not put the article 'a' before part in this expression. The correct phrase is took part in.
Hear connected speech across different accents
In fluent speech, the three words take part in link together as a continuous unit. The main stress lands on part, making it louder and slightly longer than in. The final /t/ of part connects directly to the short vowel sound of in, creating a smooth link that sounds like /pɑːrtɪn/ or /pɑːtɪn/. In American and Australian speech, the /t/ between vowels often softens into a quick flap /ɾ/, while non-rhotic British speakers drop the /r/ sound entirely. Recognizing these links helps you identify the phrase even when spoken at rapid conversational speed.
-
Did you take part in an art class during your vacation?
Why it works: The final /t/ of part links smoothly into the vowel sound of in.
-
We took part in an outdoor market on Saturday afternoon.
Why it works: The word part carries the primary sentence stress in the verb phrase.
Your turn
When listening to native speakers say 'take part in', what sound pattern should you expect?
Answer: Stress on part, with the final sound of part linking directly into the vowel of in.
Show the answer
Answer: Stress on part, with the final sound of part linking directly into the vowel of in.
Part receives stronger stress than in, and its final consonant links naturally to the vowel opening in.
Recall the phrase to accept invitations and describe events
When someone invites you to join an activity, take part in provides a natural and courteous response. While the formal verb participate in appears frequently in academic reports or official announcements, take part in fits comfortably into everyday emails, workplace conversations, and casual chats. If the activity has just been mentioned, you can drop in and simply say: 'Yes, I would love to take part.' When writing about past experiences on a resume or personal statement, use took part in with specific activities to highlight your collaboration and initiative.
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Thank you for the invitation; our team would love to take part.
Why it works: The preposition in is dropped when the activity is already clear from context.
-
In college, Liam took part in several mural restoration projects.
Why it works: Took part in introduces collaborative past achievements in personal writing.
Your turn
Your colleague asks, 'Are you joining the company quiz night?' How can you accept naturally?
Answer: Yes, I would love to take part.
Show the answer
Answer: Yes, I would love to take part.
When the event is already clear, take part can stand alone without in or any extra articles.
Use it naturally
How people really use “take part in”
Neutral Fine almost anywhere, at work or with friends.
Words it often goes with
- take part in a discussionEveryone can take part in a discussion about our travel plans.
- take part in a competitionI want to take part in a competition next summer.
- take part in planningBoth children will take part in planning the trip.
- take part in an activityYou can take part in an activity even if you are a beginner.
What people also say
- “I'd like to take part in the game.” instead of “I'd like to make participation in the game.” Use take part in to say that you want to join an activity.
Questions about "Take part in"
What does take part in mean?
Take part in means to join an activity and do something actively within it, usually with other people. It emphasizes participating rather than simply standing by and watching. Taking part does not require you to lead or win; your active presence and contribution are what matter.
More than twenty students took part in the science demonstration.
I hope to take part in the neighborhood chess match this weekend.
Do I say take part in or take a part in?
Always say take part in without the article a. In this expression, part is an uncountable noun referring to participation generally, so adding a is incorrect. The fixed phrase is take part in.
Did you take part in the discussions yesterday?
She wants to take part in the community garden project.
What is the past tense of take part?
The past simple form is took part in. Only the verb take changes to its past form took, while part and in remain unchanged. In perfect tenses with have or has, use the past participle taken part in.
We took part in an apple harvest last autumn.
Liam has taken part in three cooking contests this year.
Can I use an -ing word after take part in?
Yes. Because in is a preposition, any action verb that follows it must be in the -ing form. Use an -ing form when you want to name the specific action you joined, such as painting, organizing, or singing.
Our department took part in organizing the annual conference.
Everyone took part in creating the welcome poster.
Can I just say take part?
Yes, you can drop the preposition in when the activity has already been mentioned and is obvious to both speakers. For example, if someone asks whether you are joining the quiz tonight, you can simply answer that you would love to take part.
Are you going to the workshop? Yes, I plan to take part.
There is a 5k walk tomorrow, and our family will take part.
What is the difference between take part in and be part of?
Take part in focuses on joining an action or an event, such as a match, a rehearsal, or a meeting. Be part of focuses on belonging to a group, organization, or community, such as being part of a team or committee.
I am proud to be part of this community group.
I took part in their tree planting afternoon last Saturday.
Before you go
Remember this
Use take part in before an activity noun or an -ing verb to describe active participation. Never place the article a before part. Change take to took in the past simple, and keep take in its base form after did, didn't, or modal verbs like can.
Stage 2 of 5
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- Anyone in the community can take part in designing the new playground.
- Did your brother take part in the weekend chess tournament?
Listening 2 of 4
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- Anyone in the community can take part in designing the new playground.
- Did your brother take part in the weekend chess tournament?
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Listening 3 of 4
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- Anyone in the community can take part in designing the new playground.
- Did your brother take part in the weekend chess tournament?
This clip is longer. Follow the instruction above the answer field.
Listening 4 of 4
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- Anyone in the community can take part in designing the new playground.
- Did your brother take part in the weekend chess tournament?
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Imagine your family is planning a vacation together at home. Speak for 30 to 60 seconds from memory. Explain how you want everyone to take part in choosing the destination and how your family made a similar decision before.
Use: take part in took part in
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We're planning a family vacation, and I want everyone to take part in choosing where we go. My sister loves the beach, but my dad prefers the mountains. I think each person should suggest one place and explain their choice. Last year, we all took part in planning a weekend trip, and that worked well. Even my little brother had a useful idea about the train tickets. This time, I'd like to compare prices together before we decide. We need a place that everyone can enjoy.
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