Take up

Question

So, why did she take up swordfishing in the first place?What does take up mean in this sentence?Thanks in advance!

BarbaraPA · Accepted Answer

I've never heard of swordfishing, but when you "take something up" it means you start to do something on a regular basis, perhaps as a hobby.

I took up knitting while I was stuck at home with a broken leg.
When did you take up stamp collecting?

Dominik · Answer

Thanks Barbara, the sentence makes sense now

Linda says that not only does she like the way she feels on a boat, but she also gets passionate about catching a fish.

What is does in this sentence for and why like is without s?

BarbaraPA · Answer

There are two rules that apply to this.

The first is that when you have any form of the verb "to do" the main verb stays in the infinitive form.

She likes being on a boat. Does she like being on a boat? Yes, she does like being on a boat.
He closed the door. Did he close the door? Yes, he did close the door.

The second rule is that when you have the "not only" structure, you reverse the position of the subject and verb.

You are handsome and you are smart.
Not only are you handsome, but also you are smart.

You can simply reverse the verb with the verb "to be" but not with other verbs. Then you need to use a form of "to do."

She likes to be on a boat. She does like to be on a boat. Not only does she like to be on a boat...

Dominik · Answer

Thanks for this clarification<img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' alt='Emotion: smile'/>

Take up

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