Do we 'make' or 'take' a decision?

gdwdwrkr · Post by **gdwdwrkr** » Wed May 16, 2007 12:45 am

That makes two of us.
And welcome, bkwz.

tony h · Post by **tony h** » Thu May 17, 2007 9:45 am

A slight sense of deja vu with this response but I use both and with fairly specific different contexts.

I use "make" when there is time to assemble all the fact, mull them over and then come to a satisfactory conclusion.

I use "take" where the decision is made without full a full process.

The result is that there is more risk with a decision that was "taken" as compared with a decision that is "made" (edited).

Baloo2 · Post by **Baloo2** » Thu May 17, 2007 10:11 am

Ahhh! Thanks Tony! I think that was about exactly the idea I tried to explain in my broken Swenglish.

Can it be this is a generation matter in the UK? I mean, are you perhaps older than the average poster here, do you think? I'm 59 myself -- should it matter any -- I studied English (the UK version) at school some 40-45 years ago and has lived and worked a lot in the UK many years ago.

Shelley · Post by **Shelley** » Thu May 17, 2007 11:01 am

tony h's post reminds me that, although I never "take a decision", I sometimes "take my choice" as in "You pays your money and you takes your choice". I always "take my pick".

tony h · Post by **tony h** » Thu May 17, 2007 1:28 pm

Thanks Bob.

are you perhaps older than the average poster here

How am I supposed to answer that? Where does 48 fit in the profile?

Shelley:

although I never "take a decision"

I should envy you!

tony h · Post by **tony h** » Thu May 17, 2007 1:34 pm

my deja vu explained: a slightly different discussion but with some points in common see the discussion : "Take a meeting" - can you do a link to another thread?

Bobinwales · Post by **Bobinwales** » Thu May 17, 2007 2:47 pm

I am 60 and I have only ever made a decision.

Is this the link you wanted Tony?

Meirav Micklem · Post by **Meirav Micklem** » Thu May 17, 2007 10:25 pm

I have to admit to our Swenglish-speaking friend here that I am not strictly a native English-speaker either. And I'm glad you did get my sense of humour - not everyone does. Some people claim it doesn't actually exist.

But judging from the postings here, I think it may take a committee a very long time indeed to reach (see, this way I neatly avoid choosing between make/take) a decision about the correct usage of "make/take a decision".

Edwin Ashworth · Post by **Edwin Ashworth** » Fri May 18, 2007 10:08 pm

Interestingly, the ratio of Google Hits for "made a etc decision" : "took a etc decision" is far higher than that of "make a etc decision" : "take a etc decision".

gdwdwrkr · Post by **gdwdwrkr** » Fri May 18, 2007 10:19 pm

Your search - "made a etc decision" - did not match any documents. -google
?

Edwin Ashworth · Post by **Edwin Ashworth** » Fri May 18, 2007 10:27 pm

Sorry, gdwdwrkr (have you a more familiar name?) - I keyed in made a decision & the other 3 expressions, and of course got relevant hits like (guessing) They made the decision to... and doubtless irrelevant ones such as (guessing) The choice was made - a decision to...

gdwdwrkr · Post by **gdwdwrkr** » Sat May 19, 2007 12:27 am

Name's James.
Jim'll do.
I'm thick-skulled, Edwin...I still don't understand.

Edwin Ashworth · Post by **Edwin Ashworth** » Mon May 21, 2007 12:02 am

Jim -

made a decision gives c 180 000 000 Ghits (though Google implies the indefinite article is not very significant)
took a decision gives c 54 500 000 Ghits only - the ratio is thus c 3.3 : 1

make a decision gives c 244 000 000 Ghits
take a decision gives c 180 000 000 Ghits - the ratio here is only c 1.3 : 1

I'm implying that this seems to indicate that the choice of verb is neither consistent nor overtly logical; perhaps the hard a sound sounds more decisive.

gdwdwrkr · Post by **gdwdwrkr** » Mon May 21, 2007 2:39 am

Thanks, Edwin. Finally, I get it.

Edwin Ashworth · Post by **Edwin Ashworth** » Mon May 21, 2007 8:56 am

There are also 531 Ghits implying that I can half-bake a decision. But only 4 that I can half-cook one. Food for thought.
Making a train and taking a train are certainly different in meaning, as Mssrs George Stephenson and Butch Cassidy would perhaps testify - one was taking trouble...