Phrasal verbs with 'off' - The secret to understanding phrasal verbs with 'off' - 19 Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal Verbs with 'OFF'. In this video Rob looks at phrasal verbs with 'off'. We go through the 5 main categories of phrasal verbs and look at the real meaning of 'off' when we see it in phrasal verbs. Remember, to understand a phrasal verb you NEED to understand the preposition!

Basic meaning of OFF:
Disconnection
Separation
Not being on
Removing something


Group 1: Separation / Not connected

Cut off - When a phone conversation is interrupted or disconnected. Usually used in a passive voice- I was cut off or I got cut off

“I was speaking to my friend, but I got cut off when we drove through the tunnel”

Drop off - Deliver a thing or a person

They got the bus from the airport and were dropped off on O’Connell street

Turn/switch off - To disconnect from power source

Can you turn off the TV?

Group 2: Leaving / Start

Be off - Informal - I am leaving

I’m off! I’ll see you all tomorrow

Kick off - start an activity (originally from football)

What time is the party kicking off tomorrow?

Set off - to depart / to start a journey

They’ve set off on a trip around the Europe

Take off - To start flying

The plane took off 10 minutes late

Group 3: Stop / cancel / finish

Call off - to cancel an event

It was raining so they called off the match

Go off - When food is old and no longer edible

I couldn’t make the cake because some of the ingredients had gone off.

Pay off - Finish paying for something

When I get paid this week, I’ll be able to pay off my loan

Tell off - to admonish - Usually when a parent tells child not to do something

The kid stole the cookies and the parents came in and told him off

Group 4: Decrease or physically fall

Knock off - Someone accidentally hits something and it falls from a height
Drop off - Something accidentally falls forms a height
Bang off - Someone accidentally hits something and it falls from a height


Fall off - Something statistically becomes smaller or the rate slows down - This is something we would often use in IELTS writing 1

The amount of people studying science is starting to fall off.

Drop off - Something statistically starts to decrease

The price of oil had been increasing for years, but now it is starting to drop off

Group 5: Preventing

Block off - to stop people from entering a place

Seal off - to stop people from entering a place (usually by the police)

Close off - to stop people from entering an area

Chapters
0:00 Phrasal verbs with off
1:20 Group 1: Separation / Not connected
6:30 Group 2: Leaving / Start
10:22 Group 3: Stop / cancel / finish
15:08 Group 4: Decrease or physically fall
18:04 Group 5: Preventing