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"Take away from" is a transitive verb phrase which is often translated as "desmerecer", and "detract" is an intransitive verb which is often translated as "quitar méritos a". Learn more about the difference between "take away from" and "detract" below.
take away from(
teyk
uh
-
wey
fruhm
)A transitive verb phrase is a phrase that combines a verb with a preposition or other particle and requires a direct object (e.g., take out the trash.).
1. (general)
a. desmerecer
His spelling mistakes take away from the fluency of his writing style.Sus faltas de ortografía desmerecen la fluidez de su estilo de escritura.
b. restar valor a
Some of your design elements take away from the content.Algunos elementos de tu diseño le restan valor al contenido.
c. quitar méritos a
Your arrogant attitude takes away from everything you do.Tu actitud arrogante le quita méritos a todo lo que haces.
detract(
dih
-
trahkt
)An intransitive verb is one that does not require a direct object (e.g., The man sneezed.).
a. quitar méritos a
All of these unnecessary visual elements detract from the simplicity of the design.Todos estos elementos visuales innecesarios le quitan méritos a la simplicidad del diseño.
b. quitar valor a
I don't want to detract from his achievements, but he only got that job because of nepotism.No quiero quitarle valor a sus logros, pero solo consiguió ese puesto por nepotismo.
c. restar valor a
Keep your calm, because some people feel that your tone detracts from your argument.Mantén la calma, porque algunas personas creen que el tono que usas le resta valor a tu argumentación.
d. desmerecer
The editor's errors detracted from the author's high-quality writing.Los errores del editor desmerecieron la calidad de la escritura del autor.