Phrasal verbs · Free lesson
Take up a hobby: talk about starting something new
A friend asks what is new in your life. You have started an activity you did not do before. Take up helps you explain that change.
Professor Scott MendozaMeaning in this lesson
take up
to start doing an activity, especially as a new hobby
Example
“Nora took up cycling last autumn.”
Nora started cycling as a hobby last autumn.
The short answer
To describe starting a hobby, use take up plus its name: take up chess or take up cycling. The past form is took up. Say take up swimming, not take up to swim.
Name the new activity after take up.
Use a noun such as chess or an -ing activity such as cycling after take up. The expression highlights the beginning of the activity. Change take to took for a finished past start; up stays the same.
A new hobby and when it began
Nora took up cycling last autumn.
I want to take up chess.
Took tells you that the start was in the past. Cycling names the activity; it does not need to before it here.
Say what changed
Choose the past form
took up
Name the hobby
took up cycling
Add the person and time
Nora took up cycling last autumn.
Try it now
Choose the new-activity meaning.
Read all answers and explanations
Nora began a new cycling hobby last autumn. Choose the matching sentence.
Nora took up cycling last autumn.Took up describes starting the hobby. Gave up says she stopped it; put off says she delayed it. Those sentences do not match the stated change.
Complete the plan: “I want to take up ___.”
swimmingSwimming names the activity after take up. Do not use the to-infinitive or a present-tense swims in this position.
Choose the correct past form for a hobby started last year.
I took up chess last year.Take has the irregular past form took. Keep up and the hobby name after it.
Put it into practice
Fix the hobby plan.
Keep take up and swimming as the new activity. Correct the words after take up.
I want to take up to swim.
See a model answer
I want to take up swimming.
The plan remains a future intention. Only the activity form after take up changes.
A little more clarity
Common questions
A few useful details before you move on.
Does took up prove that the person still does the hobby?
No. It tells you when the activity began. Add another sentence if you need to say whether it continues now.
Nora took up cycling last autumn. She still rides every weekend.
Where does it go in take it up?
If it refers to an activity already mentioned, put it between take and up. Do not say take up it.
Chess looks interesting. I might take it up.
Take it into your day
Take up introduces a new activity. Use a hobby noun or an -ing form, and took up for a past start.
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