knack

A person who has a knack for something is naturally talented in that activity:

• Jeremy has a knack for playing soccer.
• Our school needs to find someone with a knack for fixing computers.
• Denise has a real knack for starting new businesses and making money.
• Doctors with a knack for working with patients are in high demand.
• How did you develop your knack for learning new languages?
•  Christine has a real knack for taking good pictures with her camera.

Note: As you can see from the examples above, the word "knack" is often followed by "for" and then a gerund. The words "have" or "with" often precede "knack."

have / with + a knack + for + gerund

• She has a knack for taking pictures.
• He has a knack for baking.
• You have a knack for painting.

The words taking, baking, and painting are gerunds in these sentences. They are not in the present continuous tense.

Cultural note: A popular American band in the late 1970s, The Knack, had several popular songs that received a lot of airplay, especially "My Sharona."

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This page was first published on Decemember 20, 2012. It was updated on October 10, 2015.