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a-ha 《Take On Me》
“take on”这个词组意义很大，今天我来介绍其中最重要的四个用法和使用时要注意的要点。
我们先看一下词典中的解释：Collins：
1. If you take on a job or responsibility, especially a difficult one, you accept it. 承担（艰巨的任务、责任）
例句：Don't take on more responsibilities than you can handle.没有任何其他组织能够或愿意承担这项工作。
2. If something takes on a new appearance or quality, it develops that appearance or quality. （在气质面貌等方面）呈现
例句：Believing he had only a year to live, his writing took on a feverish intensity. 他认为自己只有一年能活了，他的文字呈现出一种极度的狂热。
3. If you take someone on, you fight them or compete against them, especially when they are bigger or more powerful than you are. 与 (尤指强于自己的人) 较量
例句：Democrats were reluctant to take on a president whose popularity ratings were historically high. 民主党不愿意与一个支持率创历史新高的总统较量。
4. If you take someone on, you employ them to do a job. 聘用
例句：He's spoken to a publishing company. They're going to take him on. 他已经跟一家出版公司谈过了。他们将聘用他。
以上便是“take on”最常见的用法。
需要向您说明的是，第三种含义（较量）英文给出的用法 是“take someone on”，但例句“Democrats were reluctant to take on a president whose popularity ratings were historically high.”的用法却是“take on someone”。为什么会出现这样的变化？原因很简单，someone后面接从句时，someone与从句直接连接可使句意更清楚。试想：The boxer was keen to take [his opponent, who had been training . . . and blah blah blah lots more words. . .] on, 如此长的句子，读到后面谁还记得前半句究竟是啥？
另外，“take someone on”在表示“雇佣”含义时是比较随意的说法，应用于英国、澳大利亚等地，北美很少使用此种用法。使用的对象多是小型公司或餐馆之类的经济体上——老板也要工作，他想要请个人帮忙，这种情况多使用“take someone on”。
您明白了吗？