The English expression “take advantage of” can have several shades of meaning. That is, it can be used in a negative or positive context.
Sometimes, it’s a good thing to “take advantage.” At other times, it is bad or neutral.
For example, let’s say a store is offering 30% discount for the first week of June. The manager might run an advertisement and tell people to “take advantage of this offer.” In this case, the expression is used in a positive light or context.
However, it is possible to take advantage of things in a bad way. For example, if you take advantage of someone who doesn’t know how to count or read, and use that as an opportunity to rob or misguide them, then you have “taken advantage of” someone in a bad way.
Here are some other examples of the expression “take advantage of” being used in a negative context:
The woman took advantage of the man’s love for her by asking him for expensive gifts.
The selfish villagers took advantage of the stranger’s generosity.
The ungoldy woman took advantage of the man’s kindness.
Here are some examples of the expression “take advantage of” being used in a positive context.
The intelligent man took advantage of the abundant sunshine when he installed solar panels on his roof.
The smart scientist took advantage of the powerful waterfall and harnessed its force to produce electricity using a turbine.
I’ll take advantage of this opportunity to voice my concern.
Please take advantage of our free offer.
I took advantage of my father’s knowledge in completing my project.
