JANUARY 13, 2009 | To be taken on/hired/brought on
Q: Is it correct to say "Someone should be taken on to give me a hand"?
From a grammatical point of view, it's not wrong, but it sounds a little strange to our ears. In this case, we would rather use "Someone should be hired to give me a hand", or "Someone should be brought on to give me a hand" - these just sound more natural, and are used on a regular basis in the modern world of business. The more natural use of the phrasal verb "to take on" would be something like "He has taken on a lot of responsibility." or "This word has taken on a new meaning." (in both cases the meaning is something like "assumed"). "Take on" can also be used to talk about two teams facing/playing each other in a game. EX: "The Celtics are taking on the Lakers tonight".
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