take apart
SeparableThe object can go before or after the particle — but a pronoun MUST go in the middle: “clean it up”, never “clean up it”.
How to say it
Stress the particle, not the verb: take APART. Saying “TAKE apart” is the clearest learner tell — the verb stays light and the particle carries the beat.
Link across the gap. The final /k/ of “take” moves onto the particle and starts its syllable: “take apart” is said “ta-kapart”. Pausing between the words is what makes phrasal verbs sound recited rather than spoken.
What it means
To separate something into its parts.
- “He took the engine apart on the kitchen table.”
- “She took apart the argument point by point.”
Similar: dismantle, disassemble