I wonder if you often use the v phrase "take to".

[terrenziqq]

This verb phrase appeared in a big exam. The answer to the question is "take to play golf" which means "like to play golf". I have never memorized such phrase and its meaning. I wonder if English native speakers use it often both in spoken and written language. How do you use it? Could you offer some sentences? Thanks a lot.

[Gillnetter]

This verb phrase appeared in a big exam. The answer to the question is "take to play golf" which means "like to play golf". I have never memorized such phrase and its meaning. I wonder if English native speakers use it often both in spoken and written language. How do you use it? Could you offer some sentences? Thanks a lot.

I don't hear or write it in the way you described but there are forms of this such as: "He was quite taken by her" (He liked her), "I could take to that diet" (I could easily like the foods in that diet). What was the original question?

[terrenziqq]

The original question is
After retirement, Mr. Wang _____ ice skating, which he had always loved but had not had time for.
(A) appealed to (B) took to (C) related to (D) saw to

[Raymott]

The original question is
After retirement, Mr. Wang _____ ice skating, which he had always loved but had not had time for.
(A) appealed to (B) took to (C) related to (D) saw to

Then, the answer was not "take to play golf", which is a different grammatical structure from the correct answer B) "took to ice skating".

[tzfujimino]

This verb phrase appeared in a big exam. The answer to the question is "take to play golf" which means "like to play golf". I have never memorized such phrase and its meaning. I wonder if English native speakers use it often both in spoken and written language. How do you use it? Could you offer some sentences? Thanks a lot.

Hello, terrenziqq.

Please go to: take - Definition and pronunciation | Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com
(Scroll down to 'take to something'.)
I hope it will shed some light on your query.

[terrenziqq]

Then, the answer was not "take to play golf", which is a different grammatical structure from the correct answer B) "took to ice skating".

You say them to be different just in tense, not in meanings right?
I didn't remember the original sentence until Gillnetter ask for it.
So, what I want to make sure is if you use "take to" often to say "like to".
Or do you mean "take to V" besides tense differs a lot from "took to v" in meaning?

[Raymott]

You say them to be different just in tense, not in meanings right?
I didn't remember the original sentence until Gillnetter ask for it.
So, what I want to make sure is if you use "take to" often to say "like to".
Or do you mean "take to V" besides tense differs a lot from "took to v" in meaning?

You can say that someone "takes to playing golf". You can't say that someone "takes to play golf". You "take to" a noun - in this case a gerund, "playing", not to a verb. So, you can "take to golf", but you can't "take to play (v)". That's why your original could not have been right.
The tense isn't important.

[emsr2d2]

Look at the idiom "to take to something like a duck to water" from this very forum: Like a duck to water - Idiom Definition - UsingEnglish.com

The gist of this is that a duckling doesn't have to be encouraged to be comfortable in the water, they are immediately able to move about freely and swim in the water. They don't really need to be taught very much by the parent ducks. Someone who "takes to" a sport starts to enjoy it very quickly and also becomes good at it quite quickly, having a natural talent for it.