undertake
Base form
undertake
/ˌʌndəˈteɪk//ˌʌndərˈteɪk/
Past simple
undertook
/ˌʌndəˈtʊk//ˌʌndərˈtʊk/
Past participle
undertaken
/ˌʌndəˈteɪkən//ˌʌndərˈteɪkən/
MeaningB2
to take responsibility for a task and start it
to undertake a project
In use
- After a modal verb · Form 1The council will undertake a review of all bus routes.
- Negative · Form 1We don’t undertake building work in the winter months.
- Past simple · Form 2Last year a team of students undertook a survey of local wildlife.
- Past simple · Form 2In 2015 she undertook a long journey from Cairo to Cape Town.
- Passive · Form 3A full investigation was undertaken after the accident.
- Past perfect · Form 3The firm had never undertaken such a large project before.
Watch out
Undertook and undertaken follow take: undertaked and undertooken are wrong. An undertaker organises funerals.
Same pattern
A — B — CAll three forms differ
Irregular VerbsLearn all three forms for good
Short lessons by frequency or by pattern, audio for every form and daily reviews that bring back exactly the verbs you are about to forget.
Install on your phoneScan with your phone camera to download the app