Useful English Word or Phrase to Boost Your English: To take advantage of someone/something

What does it mean?

It means to use a weakness in someone, something, or situation for your gain or benefit.

Is it positive or negative?

If you take advantage of somebody's character or experience it always comes with a negative connotation. But, it can be used to show positive outcomes when you see opportunities and benefit from that.

When do you use it?

You can use it to talk about people and how other people might use that person for their own gain. You can also use it to show how you saw an opportunity and from that, you benefitted from it.

Examples

Example 1: Don't take advantage of her kindness.

Example 2: He took advantage of the sale.

Example 3: The team won 7-0 because they took advantage of the young and inexperienced players playing on the right side of the pitch. That's called "To take advantage of someone or something".

Question for you

When is it okay to take advantage of an opportunity?

Are you looking for English speaking practice online?

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