off
part of speech
preposition, adverb; adjective (the light is off; the milk is off)
meaning for a pupil
1) Off means away from a surface or from a place: take it off the table. tree →
2) Off means not working or not switched on: the TV is off. tree →
3) Off means away for a time, not at work or school: a day off. tree →
4) Off can mean taken away from a price: 2 dollars off. tree →
5) Off can mean gone bad: the milk is off. tree →
6) Off means cancelled: the match is off. tree →
7) (casual) «I'm off» means I'm leaving; «off sick» means at home ill; «a bit off» (UK, Australia) means rude or unfair; «off your head» means silly or crazy. tree →
8) (rough) «Push off!», «buzz off!», «clear off!», «bugger off» (rude, UK, Australia), «piss off» (rude) all mean go away; «off» in «sod off» is rude too. tree →
9) (formal) The exam voice says «deducted», «discounted», «removed from», «a reduction of», «absent», «discontinued». tree →
10) Off can also mean setting out quickly or starting to move, as in "Off he went on a run." tree →
sense in the lessons
taking things away from the table («I take one apple off the table» = subtract); «2 dollars off» = a lower price, subtract; «20% off» takes a part off the price; in everyday life «turn off the light», «get off the bus», «take off your shoes», «day off», «off sick»; in safety «keep off the grass», «switch off before you unplug»; in casual talk «I'm off», «that's a bit off»; in rough talk «push off», «piss off» (rude: go away); in the exam voice «a reduction of», «deducted», «discounted by»
examples
- I take one apple off the table. tree →
- 3 birds flew off the fence. tree →
- Kim took 2 books off the shelf of 9. tree →
- Turn off the tap while you brush your teeth. tree →
- Take your muddy boots off at the door. tree →
- The jacket was 10 dollars off in the sale. tree →
- Dad has a day off today. tree →
- This milk smells off. tree →
- right, i'm off, see ya at 5 tree →
- Piss off, they're mine! tree →
- The match is off because of the rain. tree →
- A reduction of 10 dollars is applied to an item priced at 40 dollars; state the price payable. tree →
- Off he started on a run. tree →
note
Taking off = the count goes down: subtract; «a reduction of» and «deducted» in an exam do the same. «10 dollars off» lowers the price: subtract. Trap: «off sick», «the match is off» and «I'm off» are not about numbers. «piss off» and «bugger off» are rude ways to say go away: the speaker is angry or joking, and nothing is counted. Spelling: two f's, said with a short o. Do not mix «off» (away) with «of» (part of). Opposite: on.
In the corpora
- Inflation means prices rise over time, so the same pound buys less; if pay rises more slowly, families are worse off.
- Parents get time off work, called maternity and paternity leave, to look after a new baby.
- Paternity leave is time off work for a new father; in Britain it is usually two weeks.
- She is seeing someone to talk to and is off work for a while.
- Grown-ups worry about it too, and sometimes they switch it off to protect you and themselves.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «off» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.