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Practice

Everyday English · Work & study

Write down

Record information in writing so you can remember it.

You put information into writing so you can remember it or use it later. You can write on paper or make a written note on a device.

Plain-English lessonVisual explanation3 practice steps

01 · Picture the situation

Understand it in three steps

Cartoon of a traveller writing a note while a receptionist gives him information.
Picture the meaningHe writes the information down so he can remember it.
01Hear a number
02Make a note
03Read it later

Imagine this: A receptionist tells you your room is 306. You may forget the number, so you write 306 in your notebook. You write it down.

02 · Hear it in everyday life

Examples you can use

Three natural sentences

  1. Write down the address before you leave.
  2. I wrote the new words down in my notebook.
  3. That is an important date. Please write it down.

A short conversation

PERSON AThe meeting starts at 9:15.
PERSON BThanks. I will write that down.

Read the conversation aloud. Then swap roles and try it again without looking.

03 · Build your sentence

How to use write down

Both write down the number and write the number down work. Use write it down with a pronoun. Down is part of the expression; you are recording information, not choosing a direction on the page.

BASE FORMwrite down
PAST SIMPLEwrote down
AFTER HAVE / HASwritten down

The base form is used after can, will and to. The past simple describes a finished past event. The third form follows have or has, for example when connecting an earlier action to now.

A common mistake to avoid

Use thisI wrote it down.
Avoid this in this meaningI wrote down it.

It is a pronoun, so place it between wrote and down.

Do not confuse it: Write can describe creating many kinds of text. Write down often emphasises recording a particular detail, idea or instruction.

Does it have another meaning?

In financial contexts, a write-down has a specialist meaning about value. You do not need that meaning to use this everyday expression.

Learn the meaning and sentence pattern together. Small words such as up and off do not have one fixed meaning in every expression.

04 · Make it stick

Try it for yourself

Choose an answer before opening the explanation. Then make a sentence about your own life.

1. Someone gives you an address and you make a note. You…
  1. write it down
  2. pick it up
  3. turn it off
Check answer 1

A. write it down

Writing it down creates a written record.

2. Yesterday I ___ the directions.
  1. writed down
  2. wrote down
  3. write down
Check answer 2

B. wrote down

The past form of write is wrote.

3. Your turn

What useful information did you write down recently?

See a possible model and self-check

Write down the address before you leave.

This is one model, not the only correct answer. Check that your sentence uses the meaning taught here, the right verb form and the word order above. Change the person, place or time to make it your own.