One of the most important aspects of communication is understanding and using the language we’re trying to communicate with. English is a complex language with many parts, so knowing which verbs are used in different situations is essential.
Verbs are composed of two parts, the base form, and the past tense. The base form is what you use when talking about something that has not happened yet – like “I am.” The past tense is when you talk about something that has already happened – like “I was.”
The words “taking” and “taken” are two different forms of the same verb.
The main difference between “taking” and “taken” in English grammar is that “taking” is the present participle form of the verb while “taken” is the past participle form of the verb “take.”
Another difference between both verbs is the tone of voice. “Taking” is typically used in a casual tone, while “taken” is more formal.
You can learn more about these two forms of verbs by reading on.
What Is A Verb?
The verbs in a sentence are the words that show an action. They tell you what you should do, how you should behave, or what kind of thing you are talking about.
Verbs can take one of two forms: direct or indirect. With direct verbs, you tell someone exactly what to do (walking, talking, writing), while indirect verbs allow for more flexibility (sleeping, thinking).
Most verb tenses stick to this structure:
- Present simple (I walk),
- Present continuous (I am walking),
- Past simple (I walked),
- Past continuous (I was walking),
- Future simple (I will walk),
- And future continuous (I will be walking).
However, there are also irregular verbs that don’t follow these rules (sitting, sleeping).
What Are Different Forms Of Verbs?
Verbs can take a few different forms, depending on your tone of voice.
For example, in some cases, you might use the regular -ed form to talk about things that have happened in the past, while others might use the present tense to talk about things that are currently happening.
You might also use different verb conjugations for different tenses to indicate your voice’s strong or emotional.
For example, you might say, “I am feeling very angry,” using the third person singular conjugation, while “You should be careful” would use the second person singular conjugation.
Verbs can also be inflected for topics, persons, numbers, and moods (for example, indicative mood for facts and conditions and subjunctive mood for wishes). This means they can change their form to reflect what’s being discussed.
There are many different types of verbs, so it’s important to know which one is right for the context in which it will be used. With a bit of practice, you’ll be able to conjugate verbs like a pro!
Here is a table listing a few examples of different forms of verbs.
| Present Tense | Past Tense | Past Participle | Present Participle |
| Arise | Arose | Arisen | Arising |
| Take | Took | Taken | Taking |
| Be | Was, Were | Been | Being |
| Bear | Bore | Born | Bearing |
Difference Between “Taken” And “Taking”
In general, “taking” is considered the present participle form of the verb, whereas “taken” is the past participle form.
There are some clear differences between the form of the verb “taken” and “taking.”
- You can use “taking” in the continuous tense of the present, past, and future. In contrast, you can use “taken” perfect tense for the present, past, and future.
- “Taken” is typically used casually, while “taking” is usually more formal.
- “Taken” often implies that something was given to you, while “taking” implies that someone is doing something to take something.
- “Taken” usually refers to physical objects, while “taking” refers to intellectual property or other assets.
What Is Meant By Present Participle Form Of Verb?
The present participle form of a verb is the same as the base form of the verb, but it has been made into a verbal noun.
Verbs can have different present participle forms, depending on their use. For example, the base form of ‘walk‘ is to walk, but when you say ‘the dog is walking,’ you’re using the present participle form of ‘walk.’
The present participle form always ends in -ing and functions as an adjective or adverb.
For example, in sentence one, ‘Peter is cooking,‘ Peter is described as being in the act of cooking. In sentence two, however, ‘A spider is crawling up Peter’s wall,’ the spider is described as happening presently (right now), even though it hasn’t yet reached Peter’s wall.
Here are some other examples:
- Paul is discussing his new book with Laura. Here, Paul is still discussing his book with someone else; he’s not currently doing anything with Laura.
- After Pete hit John with a stone while playing basketball, John was injured and needed medical attention. Here you can see that after Pete hit John with a stone–an action that caused harm–John went to get treatment for his injury.
You can find different forms of several verbs in this short video clip.
What Is Meant By Past Participle Form Of Verb?
Depending on their use, there are a few meanings of the past participle form of verbs. By a general rule past participle form of verb is used for “perfect” tense of past, present and future.
Here are some examples:
- Using the past participle form to describe something you’ve already done means “in the past.”
For example, “He had played music all day.” This is the regular -ed form of the verb.
- Using the past participle form to describe something someone has done. The action has already been completed now.
For example, “She has done work for all her friends.”
- Finally, if you want to say that something will happen in the future but hasn’t happened, you can use the future perfect tense.
For example: “We will have already finished by then.” The future perfect tense is formed with “-er” and not “-ed“.
How Do You Use “Take” And “Taken?”
“Take” is a verb that means “to obtain possession of something by force.” The verb is often used to describe actions other verbs cannot, such as “taking a shower.”
“Taken” as a verb has already been discussed above. “Taken” is an adjective that means “headed or carried off by force.” It can also be used to describe things that have been stolen, such as “the taken apple.”
Both “take” and “taken” can be used in various situations, but the most common usage is when someone takes something from someone else.
What Can You Say Instead Of “Taken?”
“Taken” is one of the most common phrases people use when referring to something that has been stolen. There are a few things you can say instead of “taken.” For example, you could say “lost” or “gone.”
Final Takeaway
- “Taken” and “taking” are two different forms of the same verb “take.”
- The verb “taking” refers to continuous tense whereas “taken” is used in the perfect tense.
- Taking implies that the object is willingly given to you- it’s often seen as polite or considerate.
- Taken is more intense and emphasized, implying that the object was forcefully taken from someone else without their consent or against their will.
- Taken can refer to physical possession (something is “taken away”) or possession of an emotion.