to take into account

Idiom: To take into account; used as a verb

First example: Susan wanted to buy a new car that cost thirty thousand dollars. The salesman told her that she could get a car loan, but she would have to pay $500 a month for the next five years. Susan took the high loan payments into account and decided to buy a used car instead.

Meaning: “To take into account” generally means to win to consider something or think about the important points of an issue. In this situation, Susan wanted to buy a car. She originally chose an expensive new car. However, she thought about the high monthly payments and realized it was not the best decision for her. She took into account the fact that a used car would cost her less each month.

Here is another example:

Second example: This year, a new president will be elected for the country. Men from two different political parties want to win the election. Before the voters make a choice, they have to take into account each candidate’s political ideas and experience. Then the voters can select the person they think will do the best job.

Meaning: In this case, people are making a very important decision about who will lead the country. They need to take into account a lot of information. After the voters consider all of the information, then they will be able to choose the person they want to win.

This idiom is from LSI's soon-to-be-published book "Speaking Horizons," which will be used in the level 6 Listening/Speaking classes. For more information, please visit http://www.languagesystems.com