Word
undertaken
Phoneticsun·der·tak·en
US/ˈəndɝˌteɪkən/
UK/ˌʌndətˈeɪkən/
Definition
v. to start a job, task, or responsibility that might be difficult or take a long time. It means you agree to do the work and begin the process.
v. the past participle of 'undertake', meaning to commit oneself to and begin a task, project, or responsibility. Often implies a formal or significant commitment to a complex process.
Examples
“The team has undertaken a massive new project this month.”
“The university has undertaken a complete review of its safety policies to better protect students on campus.”
“Having undertaken the arduous task of cataloging the entire archive, the historian discovered several letters that fundamentally altered the established narrative of the war.”
Examples
simple
“The team has undertaken a massive new project this month.”
contextual
“The university has undertaken a complete review of its safety policies to better protect students on campus.”
complex
“Having undertaken the arduous task of cataloging the entire archive, the historian discovered several letters that fundamentally altered the established narrative of the war.”
Usage
The past participle of the irregular verb 'undertake' (undertake, undertook, undertaken). It is transitive and requires a direct object.
Pitfall
The work was undertook by experts.
The work was undertaken by experts.
Learners often confuse the simple past 'undertook' with the past participle 'undertaken' in passive constructions.
Real-World Examples
“He has also undertaken a wide-ranging effort to root out what he calls “wokeness” from the military.” “Despite the challenges, these endeavors continue, because they are undertaken in pursuit of a much larger goal: understanding the sun, our most important resource.” Scan code
englishreference.com/q/undertaken