# take it serious/take it seriously



## NONAME7943

Hi all,

I wonder which one (take it serious/take it seriously) is right, or maybe they're both right. any and all help appreciated!

Thanks in advance.


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## Eigenfunction

'take it seriously' is the correct phrase in BE because seriously is an adverb, while serious is an adjective (and in this case the word describes the actions of the verb _take_, so we need an adverb).

However, I think in AE, they may consider serious to be an adverb. I know there are several American phrases in which they use British adjectives as though they were adverbs. I don't know if this is considered correct in AE or whether the BE version would be considered incorrect in AE.


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## gasman

I know of "be serious", but I have never heard or read "take it serious" on either side of the Atlantic.


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## macimp

Hello

I'm a newbie here, but I've been teaching English for almost twenty years.
A quick search in Google certainly confirms what Gasman and Eigenfunction say about the usage for these phrases (take it serious(-ly)).

Google shows a grand majority of about 10 to 1 on both .com sites and .uk sites using "take it seriously". But I think the speakers and writers who use "take it serious" could be justified by the argument that "take" in the sentence places enough of an equal-sign between "it" and "serious" to make "serious" an adjective instead of an adverb.

What do you think?


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## BabelJess

I completely disagree. It is surely never correct to say 'take it serious.' I certainly would say 'take it seriously.' Given that take is the verb here and it the direct object, it follows that an adjective cannot logically follow, whilst an adverb can.

Jess


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## macimp

OK. But couldn't "serious" be considered an objective complement, as is "governor" in "They elected him governor"?


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## manon33

macimp said:


> OK. But couldn't "serious" be considered an objective complement, as is "governor" in "They elected him governor"?


 
Do you mean as in 'They considered her frivolous'? 

I agree it can be used as an adjective in that construction (e..g They found him too serious [for the role of comedian?]), but not in the one we are being offered : it must be an adverb (seriously).


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## BabelJess

They elected him governor does work yes, although I still think most UK speakers would slip 'as' in. They elected him as governor.


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## Vill

Please excuse my bump here, but I think that "seriously" would be the 'correct' form, except in perhaps some dialects. Usage as in "They elected him governor" is predicative; you can also add "as" in front of the noun used predicatively.

"To take", however, is rarely used in combination with an adjective (or at least as far as my knowledge goes, which I admit is not anywhere near expert knowledge); for example, "she took the bad news quite well" is used instead of "she took the bad news quite good".

(As I said before, I'm certainly not an expert and I even forgot the term predicative until I read this topic when searching what form to use myself.)


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## Oliver F. Lehmann PMP

So, this is bad English?

_Take it easy_
_Take it easy
Don't let the sound of your own wheels
Drive you crazy
(Eagles)

_If "Take it easy" isn't bad, "Take it serious" should be OK too, should it not?

Regards, Oliver


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## Kevin Beach

Oliver F. Lehmann said:


> So, this is bad English?
> 
> _Take it easy_
> _Take it easy_
> _Don't let the sound of your own wheels_
> _Drive you crazy_
> _(Eagles)_
> 
> If "Take it easy" isn't bad, "Take it serious" should be OK too, should it not?
> 
> Regards, Oliver


Although it is a very common phrase, "Take it easy" is technically wrong, because it uses an adjective as an adverb. It is idiomatic and its almost universal usage puts it beyond correction, but that doesn't make it a model for using other adjectives as adverbs.


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## pennyban

When I say take something serious, I am using an elliptical clause. I mean I take something to be serious. If I meant the adverb seriously, then no matter where I put it, it makes sense. But when I say that, I am not seriously taking something in which case I would be leaving the room. I take something to be serious but I don't say it that way. I could be wrong though, maybe I don't know what I am saying.


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## swndlr27

Rules aside.. it just plain sounds wrong. Hearing it sounds like nails on a chalk boards to me. My rule is, if you makes you sound ignorant/uneducated, don't use it.


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## Ilmen

Grammatically, this use of an adjective with a verb reminds me of predicative adjectives, as in "to paint the door *red*" (and not the red door).
Similarly, I would expect a sentence "make it simple" to be correct, but this could not work with "to take", because its direct object is not _modified_ by it.
At the contrary, the part "simple" in "make it simple" does not describe the verb itself, but the resulting state of its object (otherwise the sentence would have been "to make it _simply_").

Am I right on this point?


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## Parla

> However, I think in AE, they may consider serious to be an adverb.


No, no! As apparently the lone voice thus far for the AE contingent, let me say that we would absolutely _not_ consider "take it serious" to be correct! 

We take our grammar seriously!


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## JulianStuart

I think you might tell someone to "Get serious" if you thought they were being too frivolous.  But never "Take it serious".


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## Einstein

In "Get serious!", the adjective "serious" describes the person who becomes serious as requested.
In "I find him too serious", "serious" describes the person as I find him, it doesn't describe the action of finding.

I also agree with Ilmen about "paint the door red" (you don't paint it redly) and "make it simple.

"Take it seriously" describes the *manner *in which we are to take "it"; it doesn't describe the state of "it" after the process of taking.


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## owisped

Saying "take it serious" is quite common in the UK but it is bad English. It is even used in TV and film as short-hand to show that characters are not well educated, together with 'talk proper" (as opposed to "talk properly"). You'll hear it a lot in London and the South East England, but not from those who are considered to be well-spoken.


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## benjicarli

Hi,

Sorry I'm not english but I'm learning english to go to business schools.
I would like to know something about I've just learnt (which brought me here).

The sentence is : "A top CDC disease expert said this week that killer virus "Swine Flu" was the world's number one health threat and should ... "
I thought it was "be taken seriously" but in the book it is "be taken serious"...

I've read what you wrote in the subject but I still don't understand why is it "be taken serious".

Thanks to you and sorry for my english !


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## Einstein

I'd say "should be taken seriously". We don't know whether the expert is a native English speaker, or whether he spoke in another language, subsequently translated, but whoever wrote the English version doesn't know the language very well.


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## wandle

To be correct English, it must be 'take it seriously', etc.


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## Millze

Would anyone consider this a proper use of serious?

Please know that I take serious the trust you have placed in me.


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## Glenfarclas

No, it should be "seriously" there.


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## Einstein

Life is just a bowl of cherries
It's so mysterious, don't take it serious
...
But that's poetic licence!


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## NevenaT

I was thinking about this before and I'm again thinking about it. I'll share my opinion (which is also the opinion of 2 university linguistics professors at a faculty of philology). They actually say that there is still no consesus on this, but...
Context: someone has flu and they say to a friend "I have it serious." The thing is that this it refers to the flu (I have the flu and it's serious). So "it" is an object and serious is an object complement which actually functions as a modifier to the object. To rephrase: "I have a serious case of flu". So "I have it (the case of flu and it's) serious."
If you said "I have it seriously" the interpretation is completely different.
The same could stand for "Take it easy" easy modifies it as the object complement, and it refers to the situation. Because when you rephrase everything it means: Consider the situation easy. Take has a different meaning in this idiom, just like have in the previous example. The meaning could actually be unique to the idiom itself or to that phrase "have it serious/correct/bad".
"Take it easily" could also have a different interpretation: do what you're doing slowly.
On the other hand, "I want you bad" sounds like I want to go deaf to me.


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## velisarius

In standard English you need to use the adverb: "take it seriously". It isn't possible to derive a rule for using "take it serious", by analogy with other common expressions such as "take it easy".




NevenaT said:


> someone has flu and they say to a friend "I have it serious."


 No, I'm afraid a native speaker wouldn't actually say that. "I got it bad" would be more likely.


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## NevenaT

I'm just amazed at the number of times I've heard the AE speakers on tv say 'take it serious' and other variations where I was taught to use an adverb.
They'll always say: 'don't take it personal'.


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## velisarius

NevenaT said:


> I'm just amazed at the number of times I've heard the AE speakers on tv say 'take it serious' and other variations where I was taught to use an adverb.
> They'll always say: 'don't take it personal'.



I thought you were asking about standard English. People who speak non-standard dialects or slang say all kinds of things, and liguists study such speech. Personally, I have never come across "I have it serious", but then  I hardly ever watch American TV.


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## NevenaT

I don't know if that's standard in American, I know it isn't in BE. By the way, I heard that example somewhere, someone had been ill and they said "I had it serious" or maybe it was severe, but that construction is perfectly alright and standard, just like "I had it bad".
On the other hand, I don't know if "take it personal" is standard in AmE, but it's ever so common.


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## Marguih21

Einstein said:


> In "Get serious!", the adjective "serious" describes the person who becomes serious as requested.
> In "I find him too serious", "serious" describes the person as I find him, it doesn't describe the action of finding.
> 
> I also agree with Ilmen about "paint the door red" (you don't paint it redly) and "make it simple.
> 
> "Take it seriously" describes the *manner *in which we are to take "it"; it doesn't describe the state of "it" after the process of taking.





manon33 said:


> Do you mean as in 'They considered her frivolous'?
> 
> I agree it can be used as an adjective in that construction (e..g They found him too serious [for the role of comedian?]), but not in the one we are being offered : it must be an adverb (seriously).





Kevin Beach said:


> Although it is a very common phrase, "Take it easy" is technically wrong, because it uses an adjective as an adverb. It is idiomatic and its almost universal usage puts it beyond correction, but that doesn't make it a model for using other adjectives as adverbs.





velisarius said:


> In standard English you need to use the adverb: "take it seriously". It isn't possible to derive a rule for using "take it serious", by analogy with other common expressions such as "take it easy".
> 
> 
> No, I'm afraid a native speaker wouldn't actually say that. "I got it bad" would be more likely.



Hello Everyone,

I was searching for grammatical rules related to this verb and adverb combined in the same sentence in particular and it brought me here. I think I pretty much  understand the basis. However I still want to add a form that I found and I'd like to clarify it in this example if it's possible, since I need to choose wich one would be the right one for using in this specific case: " I didn’t know you were going to take everything so _______." (serious, seriously)

My question is because in this case I could say that if I'm describing the word everything I could use the Adjective serious instead of the Adverb (seriously). Could it be right? I'd would love to get a consesus on this.

By the way, I selected these quotes since in this thread I saw you were like the most confident ones in your interventions. I truly sorry about my mistakes regarding the language, I apologize in advance but I'm basically a self-taught in English who is aiming to improve and I sincerely apprecciate your help.

_<Edited by moderator (Florentia52) to eliminate use of all capital letters>_


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## Florentia52

"I didn’t know you were going to take everything so serious" sounds just as incorrect to me as "Take it serious."


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## Marguih21

Florentia52 said:


> "I didn’t know you were going to take everything so serious" sounds just as incorrect to me as "Take it serious."



Ok, thanks. And also thank you for the corrections in my post by the way.


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## Wicked-1

It is "take HER serious" (as in, take serious what she says) or "TAKE her seriously" (as in, give her a real good time). 

When you "take HER serious", serious says something about how YOU take HER and "her" is a noun, therefore you need to use an adjective, in this case "serious".

When you "TAKE her seriously", seriously says something about how YOU TAKE her and "take" is a verb, therefore you need to use an adverb, in this case "seriously".

An easy way to remember: 
You can use both in one sentence, when you're seriously (adverb) not taking her serious (adjective). 

PS: Saying that you never hear people say "take serious", so therefore it can't be right, says more about your environment than about if it's right or not.


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## USMeg

Wicked-1 said:


> It is "take HER serious" (as in, take serious what she says) or "TAKE her seriously" (as in, give her a real good time).
> When you "take HER serious", serious says something about how YOU take HER and "her" is a noun, therefore you need to use an adjective, in this case "serious".
> When you "TAKE her seriously", seriously says something about how YOU TAKE her and "take" is a verb, therefore you need to use an adverb, in this case "seriously".
> An easy way to remember:
> You can use both in one sentence, when you're seriously (adverb) not taking her serious (adjective).
> PS: Saying that you never hear people say "take serious", so therefore it can't be right, says more about your environment than about if it's right or not.



To "take someone serious" is grammatically incorrect.
From merriam-webster.com's entry for *take*:
*(3): to accept or regard with the mind in a specified way
- took the news hard
- you take yourself too seriously*

You specify the way with an ADVERB.


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## JulianStuart

Wicked-1 said:


> It is "take HER serious" (as in, take serious what she says) or "TAKE her seriously" (as in, give her a real good time).
> 
> When you "take HER serious", serious says something about how YOU take HER and "her" is a noun, therefore you need to use an adjective, in this case "serious".
> 
> When you "TAKE her seriously", seriously says something about how YOU TAKE her and "take" is a verb, therefore you need to use an adverb, in this case "seriously".
> 
> An easy way to remember:
> You can use both in one sentence, when you're seriously (adverb) not taking her serious (adjective).
> 
> PS: Saying that you never hear people say "take serious", so therefore it can't be right, says more about your environment than about if it's right or not.


Welcome!
I personally think you are wrong/incorrect. You will find a lot of disagreement from other native speakers (on the acceptability of "Take it serious") who tend to spend much more time with other native speakers do than the vast majority of non-native speakers.  Their environment is far more representative of what native speakers consider correct than those whose native language is not English and who spend much less time in a "native-speaking" environment.


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## velisarius

Nobody here is trying to police how others speak, but for the benefit of learners, who may need correct (standard) English for their studies or their work, we "take X seriously", and also "Y is seriously wrong" (informal usage).

seriously - WordReference.com Dictionary of English


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## Wicked-1

Maybe an example, for people having a hard time swallowing it...

If you take a JD straight, instead of on the rocks, then "straight" says something about the drink, not about how you TAKE it, but how (in which way) you take IT. 

You would not say "straightly" in this case, because that would mean you take a JD straight away or directly.


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## USMeg

Please do not say "straightly" in any case. In AE at least, there is no such word. _Straight_ is used as adjective and adverb.
_The teacher took Alfred straight to the office.
I'll take a Jack Daniels right now! _
"Straightaway" (it's one word) would probably most closely correspond to the _directly_ or _right away_ sense, but it's not really in common use in the US these days.


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## JulianStuart

USMeg said:


> Please do not say "straightly" in any case. In AE at least, there is no such word. _Straight_ is used as adjective and adverb.
> _The teacher took Alfred straight to the office.
> I'll take a Jack Daniels right now! _
> "Straightaway" (it's one word) would probably most closely correspond to the _directly_ or _right away_ sense, but it's not really in common use in the US these days.


Indeed.  This is reflected in the WRF dictionaries that give extensive definitions for straight as an adverb.   There are other words where the adjective and the adverb have the same spelling (both quick and quickly are used as adverbs, for example) - often found to be confusing by non-native speskers.
straight - WordReference.com Dictionary of English
There are no adverb definitions for serious serious - WordReference.com Dictionary of English


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## Wicked-1

If "I am taking it seriously" would be correct, would it then not also have to be "I am being seriously"? Imo in both cases it says something about the noun, not about the verb. 

Is there someone who can explain the difference, why "I am taking it" should be handled differently than "I am being"?


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## USMeg

The "to be" verbs are also known as "linking verbs", and you can think of them as an equal sign.
The "object" of a linking verb (there are lots of them: be, seem, feel, look...) describes the subject of the sentence.
I am being serious.
I feel sick.
Action verbs are described by adverbs. Adverbs describe the verb, not the subject.
I type poorly.
I proofread carefully.


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## Wicked-1

USMeg said:


> The "to be" verbs are also known as "linking verbs", and you can think of them as an equal sign.
> The "object" of a linking verb (there are lots of them: be, seem, feel, look...) describes the subject of the sentence.
> I am being serious.
> I feel sick.
> Action verbs are described by adverbs. Adverbs describe the verb, not the subject.
> I type poorly.
> I proofread carefully.



Thank you, USMeg! 

Does that mean it is "I'm not taking her as being serious" or "I'm not taking her as being seriously"?


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## USMeg

See definition that I posted above (#34).


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## Wicked-1

USMeg said:


> To "take someone serious" is grammatically incorrect.
> From merriam-webster.com's entry for *take*:
> *(3): to accept or regard with the mind in a specified way
> - took the news hard
> - you take yourself too seriously*
> 
> You specify the way with an ADVERB.



And what about the following:

Don't take it serious/seriously?
Don't take it personal/personally?


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## elroy

You can say “I take my coffee black” or “I take my pills whole.”  Here, “take” means “consume” and the adjective describes the object.

When “take” means “treat” or “consider,” this construction is not valid.

I take her seriously.  
I take her *to be* serious.  
I take her serious.  
I consider/deem/find her serious.


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## Twisty

USMeg said:


> "Straightaway" (it's one word) would probably most closely correspond to the _directly_ or _right away_ sense, but it's not really in common use in the US these days.



How is different from straight away (two words) then?

EDIT: 
Oh, never mind, now I see "straightaway" is also an accepted spelling. I never knew.


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## Wicked-1

elroy said:


> You can say “I take my coffee black” or “I take my pills whole.”  Here, “take” means “consume” and the adjective describes the object.
> 
> When “take” means “treat” or “consider,” this construction is not valid.
> 
> I take her seriously.
> I take her *to be* serious.
> I take her serious.
> I consider/deem/find her serious.



That makes sence, thank you!

Then it should also be "don't take it so personally", is that correct? Or is it "don't take it so personal"?

I hope you you can clear this up too?!


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## elroy

Wicked-1 said:


> "don't take it so personally"


  


Wicked-1 said:


> "don't take it so personal"


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## Wicked-1

elroy said:


>



Thank you again. I could only find good arguments for the opposite opinion, therefore I needed someone to really make it clear. Not many people know the rules, they just repeat an opinion without substantiating it. 

Where I got it wrong is thinking that "taking seious" or "taking seriously" was saying something about the other person, but it's saying something about how I view them. The other person can be totally serious, but I don't view/take them that way.


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## USMeg

Wicked-1 said:


> The other person can be totally serious, but I don't view/take them that way.



Exactly.


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## Wicked-1

elroy said:


>



Hi elroy, I need your opinion again. I hope you can help!

I thought I got it clear the other time, but when I tried to explain it to someone else, I could only find arguments for the opposite side again.

If I explain my thinking, would you please correct me if I'm wrong and explain why?
I'm not trying to be stuborn, just want to understand the rules correctly and so I can explain right as well to someone else.

So this is how I see it:

Adjectives describe (pro-)nouns.
Adverbs describe verbs and other non-(pro-)nouns.

Also, if it is an adverb, you should be able to put it in front of the verb and it would still make sence.

In "I am serious" or "the man is serious", why is here not an adverb used, when it describes how I AM and he IS, which are verbs? Because "serious" describes ME and THE MAN, which are (pro-)nouns and therefore an adjective needs to be used here. Does't matter if we ARE serious or TAKEN (perceived) serious, "serious" still describes the person, which is a (pro-)noun.

"I took it personal". If you use an adverb here and say "I took it personally", then "personally" means "in person" and not "to the person".

I took it personally, instead of sending a delegate. Here personally describes in which way you TOOK it. You personally (= in person) took it to the post office.
Here you can put it in front of the verb and it makes perfect sence.

I took IT personal and IT broke my heart. Here personal describes in which way you took IT. You took IT personal (= to the person) and got upset.
Here you cannot say, I personally took it, cause it would make no sence.

I'm taking HIM serious and I'm not taking HER serious. Him and her are replaceable and they are (pro-)nouns, therefore it is an adjective. I take him, them, it, the news, my studies serious.

If the verb was replaceable (and you can put it in front of it), then it would be an adverb. I'm seriously studying, talking, singing, etc.

He is (being) serious.
He is taken (being) serious.

She is (being) personal.
She is taken (being) personal.


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## elroy

Wicked-1 said:


> Also, if it is an adverb, you should be able to put it in front of the verb and it would still make sence.


 Where did you get this rule?  I don't think it's true (see below).


Wicked-1 said:


> In "I am serious" or "the man is serious", why is here not an adverb used, when it describes how I AM and he IS, which are verbs?


 "to be" can be a linking verb (as is the case here), in which case it can take _predicative adjectives.  _Predicative adjectives modify the _subject_.

_I am serious.
The boy is short.
The book is interesting._

We don't say
*_I am seriously._
*_The boy is shortly._
*_The book is interestingly._


Wicked-1 said:


> Does't matter if we ARE serious or TAKEN (perceived) serious, "serious" still describes the person, which is a (pro-)noun.


 No.

I am serious. >> "serious" modifies the subject.  It tell us a characteristic of _me_.
I am taking it seriously. >> "seriously" modifies the verb.  It tells us how I am _taking_ it.


Wicked-1 said:


> I took it personally, instead of sending a delegate. Here personally describes in which way you TOOK it. You personally (= in person) took it to the post office.
> Here you can put it in front of the verb and it makes perfect sence.


 "I personally took it" sounds very strange to me with that meaning, so your "if it's an adverb we can move it before the verb" test seems questionable.


Wicked-1 said:


> I took IT personal and IT broke my heart. Here personal describes in which way you took IT. You took IT personal (= to the person) and got upset.


 It describes the manner in which you _took_ it.


Wicked-1 said:


> I'm taking HIM serious and I'm not taking HER serious. Him and her are replaceable and they are (pro-)nouns, therefore it is an adjective. I take him, them, it, the news, my studies serious.


 Why do you mean by "him and her are replaceable"?
Again, we say "I'm taking him/her seriously," because we're describing how I _take_ him/her.


Wicked-1 said:


> If the verb was replaceable (and you can put it in front of it), then it would be an adverb. I'm seriously studying, talking, singing, etc.


 I don't know what you mean by "if the verb was replaceable."
But again, I don't think your test holds.
_I explained the topic differently. 
I differently explained the topic._ 


Wicked-1 said:


> He is (being) serious.
> He is taken (being) serious.
> 
> She is (being) personal.
> She is taken (being) personal.


 I don't know what point you're trying to make here.


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## Wicked-1

elroy said:


> "to be" can be a linking verb (as is the case here), in which case it can take _predicative adjectives.  _Predicative adjectives modify the _subject_.
> 
> _I am serious.
> The boy is short.
> The book is interesting._
> 
> We don't say
> *_I am seriously._
> *_The boy is shortly._
> *_The book is interestingly._
> No.
> 
> I am serious. >> "serious" modifies the subject.  It tell us a characteristic of _me_.
> I am taking it seriously. >> "seriously" modifies the verb.  It tells us how I am _taking_ it.
> 
> It describes the manner in which you _took_ it.
> Why do you mean by "him and her are replaceable"?
> I don't know what you mean by "if the verb was replaceable."



He is (being) serious.
He is observed (being) serious.
He is taken (being) serious.

I am serious. >> "serious" modifies the subject. It tells us a characteristic of me.
I am being taken serious. >> "serious" modifies the subject. It tells us a characteristic of me, or at least how it is perceived.

I am taking it seriously. >> "seriously" modifies the verb. It tells us how I am taking it. 
How does it modify the verb? The verb is not modifyable here: I am taking it seriously, I am studying it seriously, I am ...? You can't replace the verb, it is the (pro-)noun that modifies: I am taking it, the news, you, your words, my pain, your feelings, serious.


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## elroy

How am I taking it?  Seriously.  Personally.  Well.  

All of these are about how I'm _*taking*_ it.  "Taking it" here means "responding/reacting to it."  The adverbs describe how I am _taking / responding to / reacting to _it.

Note that we would never say "I'm taking it good."  Always "well"!

I am taking it seriously. = I am taking it *with seriousness / in a serious manner*.


Wicked-1 said:


> I am being taken serious.


 I am being taken *seriously*.

This is the passive version of "[Somebody] is taking me seriously."


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## berndf

Wicked-1 said:


> I could only find good arguments for the opposite opinion, therefore I needed someone to really make it clear.


I sympathise with your problem. As a German I had the same problem because our languages do not distinguish between predicative adjectives and adverbs morphologically. We can therefore distinguish them conceptually only by intellectual arguments and it is difficult for us to understand how other languages distinguish the categories in practice.

In this particular case it is very simple, I think: only some verbs can function as copula verbs. _Take_ simply isn't one of them and therefore can't link a predicative adjective irrespective of what semantic arguments for the opposite you may find.


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## Wicked-1

elroy said:


> All of these are about how I'm _*taking*_ it.



Not correct. All of these are about how you are taking/judging *IT*, therefore you need to use an adjective. The adjective describes here how you take/perceive the (pro-)noun "it", i.o.w. which state you take/consider the (pro-)noun to be in. It doesn't say anything about your state of mind, manner or reaction. If you use an adverb, it describes in which state YOU are, while you are taking up the (pro-)noun.



elroy said:


> "Taking it" here means "responding/reacting to it." The adverbs describe how I am _taking / responding to / reacting to _it.



Not correct. "Taking" here can mean many things, like: perceiving/observing/judging/considering/regarding/understanding/grasping/finding/seeing, but never responding to or reacting to.



elroy said:


> I am taking it seriously. = I am taking it *with seriousness / in a serious manner*.



Not correct. You are not the one who is being serious. You are taking the other person to be serious. 

*I'm taking her more serious than him*. What you are actually saying here is: 
I'm taking/perceiving/considering her to be more serious than how I take him to be.

Let's clarify this first: Is the rule the same for "I take" and for example "I perceive", or not?

I take him serious/seriously?
I perceive him serious/seriously?
I take him personal/personally?
I perceive him personal/personally?


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## Wicked-1

berndf said:


> I sympathise with your problem. As a German I had the same problem because our languages do not distinguish between predicative adjectives and adverbs morphologically. We can therefore distinguish them conceptually only by intellectual arguments and it is difficult for us to understand how other languages distinguish the categories in practice.
> 
> In this particular case it is very simple, I think: only some verbs can function as copula verbs. _Take_ simply isn't one of them and therefore can't link a predicative adjective irrespective of what semantic arguments for the opposite you may find.



Yes very true. Because we didn't grow up with the language, we can look at it from a distance, without being interfered by what we are used to.


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## elroy

You are wrong, @Wicked-1.  I have nothing to add to my prior explanations.


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## Wicked-1

elroy said:


> You are wrong, @Wicked-1.  I have nothing to add to my prior explanations.



Then I will have to answer the question myself: Yes the same rule applies for both "I take" and "I perceive", because it means the same sort of thing.

You tried to tell me about the meaning of "take", but you don't understand it right yourself. 
You are not taking or receiving anything, it says what your take is on something, how you value it.

I perceive her more serious than him.
I take her more serious than him.

I perceive her more personal than him.
I take her more personal than him.

I perceive her more faithful than him.
I take her more faithful than him.

I perceive her more capable than him.
I take her more capable than him.

I perceive her more beautiful than him.
I take her more beautiful than him.

I perceive her more helpful than him.
I take her more helpful than him.

I seriously (adverb) can't take you serious (adjective), but I won't take it personal (adjective) that you are wrong.


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## elroy

I am no longer interested in a discussion with @Wicked-1.  For the benefit of non-native speakers who may be misled by the wrong information they are spreading: 





Wicked-1 said:


> I perceive her more serious than him.
> I take her more serious than him.
> 
> I perceive her more personal than him.
> I take her more personal than him.
> 
> I perceive her more faithful than him.
> I take her more faithful than him.
> 
> I perceive her more capable than him.
> I take her more capable than him.
> 
> I perceive her more beautiful than him.
> I take her more beautiful than him.
> 
> I perceive her more helpful than him.
> I take her more helpful than him.
> 
> I seriously (adverb)  can't take you serious (adjective) , but I won't take it personal (adjective)  that you are wrong.


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## DonnyB

With a multiplicity of different sentence examples having been posted, this thread now lacks the clarity and  focus required to in order produce a productive discussion in our forum.  I'm consequently now closing it: thanks to those members who have contributed.  DonnyB - moderator.


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