Making decisions is often difficult, so it's important to take your time to think about a decision before making it. These are five phrasal verbs that you can use to explain that you want to be careful when you make important decisions.
#1 To rush into (something)
This phrasal verb means "to do something without thinking carefully". If you "rush into a decision", it means you do it quickly without thinking. This is a bad thing, so "rush into a decision" is something that you don't want to do.
You can use the expression below when you want to tell someone that you need time before making your decision (remember to use "rush into" in the negative form):
I’ll need some time to think. I don’t want to rush into a decision.
#2 To think (a decision) over
This phrasal verb is the opposite meaning of "rush into a decision". When you think a decision over, it means that you will think carefully about a decision before you make it.
It's common to say: "I need to think it over" when you want some time to think before you make a decision (note that the "it" object is necessary because this is a transitive verb so it needs "it" as an object and "it" needs to be in the middle of the phrasal verb).
If someone offers you something and you want time to think about it, you can say:
Thank you for that offer, but I need to think it over.
#3 To look at (an option)
This phrasal verb means that you are going to consider an option before making a decision.
If you want to communicate that an option is worth considering (it could be a good idea), then you can use "look at" and then mention the option as the object of the phrasal verb. If you want to use a verb as the object, it needs to be in gerund (-ing) form.
For example, if you want to say that "getting a dog" is a good option to consider, you can say:
I think we should look at getting a dog.
#4 To think (a situation) through
This phrasal verb focuses more on preparing for a future situation by thinking about it in advance. If you say that you want to "think a situation through", it means you want to think about the future risks and benefits of this situation completely so that you can prepare for it successfully.
Usually we just say the object "it", but "it" means "the situation", so if someone asks you about whether you are going to quit your job, you can say: "I have to think it through" because you want to think about the risks and benefits of this future situation (quitting your job) before you take action.
For example, if you are planning your wedding with your partner and you want to tell your partner that this is something that you should plan for and think about completely before making any decisions, you can say:
We need to think it through. ("it" means the whole wedding situation)
#5 To take (a factor) into account
This phrasal verb is used with a specific factor that needs to be considered before making a decision.
For example, if you are deciding which clothes to pack in your bag for your trip, one factor to consider is the weather, so you can say that you need to "take the weather into account" when choosing which clothes to pack.
As another example, if you are planning to buy a new house and the neighborhood is an important factor for you to consider when deciding which house to buy, you can say:
We should take the neighborhood into account.
A review of the 5 phrasal verbs:
Rush into (a decision)
Think (a decision) over
Look at (an option)
Think (a situation) through
Take (a factor) into account
A review of 5 common expressions to use
I don't want to rush into a decision. = I don't want to make this decision too fast
I need to think it over = I need some time to think about this offer before deciding
We should look at (doing)= We should consider (doing) as an option
I need to think it through = I need to plan and prepare carefully for this situation before making decisions about it
We must take it into account = We must consider this factor (it) in our decision
Practice
Choose the correct option below to fill in the blank for sentences 1 - 5.
thought it through / think it over / take into account / looking at / rushed into it
When you are driving somewhere and want to know how long it will take to get there, you need to ________ traffic __________.
He should have been more careful but he made his decision in only 5 minutes. He ___________________.
I'm going to travel to another country to learn English. I'm _____________ England, Australia, or Canada.
Many people make the mistake of buying a house that they cannot afford but my wife and I ______________ and ensured that we could pay for our home comfortably before we bought it.
My manager offered me a promotion but I'm not sure if I want the promotion. I told him that I need to _______________, so he's going to give me a week to make my decision.
Answer
When you are driving somewhere and want to know how long it will take to get there, you need to take traffic into account.
He should have been more careful but he made his decision in only 5 minutes. He rushed into it.
I'm going to travel to another country to learn English. I'm looking at England, Australia, or Canada.
Many people make the mistake of buying a house that they cannot afford but my wife and I thought it through and ensured that we could pay for our home comfortably before we bought it.
My manager offered me a promotion but I'm not sure if I want the promotion. I told him that I need to think it over, so he's going to give me a week to make my decision.