A1 adverb 2 دقیقه مطالعه

off

The word off describes moving away from a place or being disconnected.

Practice it

Explanation at your level:

You use off to say something is not on. For example, 'Turn the light off.' You also use it to say you are leaving. 'I am off now!' It is a small but very useful word for your daily life.

Use off to describe movement away from a place. 'The cat jumped off the chair.' You can also use it for schedules. 'The meeting is off,' means it is cancelled. Practice using it with verbs like go, take, and turn.

At this level, you will notice off appearing in many phrasal verbs. It can mean 'to finish' or 'to depart.' For instance, 'We set off early' means we started our journey. It is also used to describe food that is no longer fresh, like 'This milk is off.'

Off functions as a versatile adverbial particle. It expresses separation or the cessation of a process. In business English, 'the deal is off' implies a negotiation has failed. It conveys nuance regarding distance and completion that is vital for fluent communication.

Advanced usage of off involves idiomatic expressions that move beyond literal distance. It can denote a state of being disconnected from reality or social norms. Understanding its role in phrasal verbs allows for more precise descriptions of action and state changes in complex academic or professional discourse.

Mastery of off includes recognizing its historical evolution from the preposition of. It is used in literary contexts to evoke sudden movement or finality. Its versatility allows for subtle shifts in meaning, from physical displacement to abstract concepts of cancellation, decay, or deviation from a standard.

واژه در 30 ثانیه

  • Used for movement.
  • Used for disconnection.
  • Common in phrasal verbs.
  • Easy to learn.

When we use off as an adverb, we are usually talking about movement or distance. Imagine you are standing on a dock; if you jump off, you are moving away from that surface.

It also describes things that are no longer active. If your computer is off, it is not running. It is a very common word that helps us describe changes in state or location.

The word off comes from the Old English word of, which was a variant of the preposition af. Interestingly, of and off were once the same word!

Over centuries, the spelling diverged to help distinguish the prepositional use from the adverbial use. It shares roots with the German word ab and the Dutch af, all tracing back to Proto-Germanic.

You will find off used in casual and formal settings. It is essential for phrasal verbs like take off (for planes) or call off (to cancel).

In casual conversation, we often use it to mean 'leaving,' as in 'I'm off to the store!' It is a high-frequency word that sounds natural in almost any context.

Off the hook: To be released from a difficult situation. Example: He was off the hook once he proved his innocence.

Off the cuff: Speaking without preparation. Example: She gave an amazing speech off the cuff.

Off the mark: Inaccurate. Example: Your guess was a bit off the mark.

Off the wall: Very strange or eccentric. Example: That movie was totally off the wall!

Off and on: Happening occasionally. Example: It has been raining off and on all day.

Pronounced /ɔːf/ in British English and /ɔːf/ or /ɑːf/ in American English. It rhymes with cough, trough, and scoff.

It acts as an adverb modifying verbs, often indicating direction or state. It is not countable and does not have plural forms, as it is a functional particle rather than a noun.

Fun Fact

It was originally spelled exactly like 'of'.

Pronunciation Guide

UK /ɒf/

Short 'o' sound.

US /ɔːf/

Longer 'o' sound.

Common Errors

  • Mixing with 'of'
  • Pronouncing the 'f' as 'v'
  • Too long of a vowel

Rhymes With

cough trough scoff doff off

Difficulty Rating

خواندن 1/5

easy

Writing 2/5

moderate

Speaking 1/5

easy

شنیدن 1/5

easy

What to Learn Next

Prerequisites

go turn the

Learn Next

away out on

پیشرفته

depart cease

Grammar to Know

Phrasal Verbs

Turn off

Adverbs of direction

Run off

Prepositions vs Adverbs

Off

Examples by Level

1

Turn the light off.

Turn/light/not on

Verb + object + adverb

2

The car is off.

3

I am off to school.

4

Take your hat off.

5

The game is off.

6

He jumped off.

7

Go off now.

8

It is off.

1

She set off at dawn.

2

The alarm went off.

3

He is off to work.

4

The milk is off.

5

They called the trip off.

6

Take off your shoes.

7

The price is off.

8

He fell off.

1

The meeting was called off.

2

We set off on our hike.

3

The bomb went off.

4

He is off today.

5

The paint is peeling off.

6

She is off to a good start.

7

Keep off the grass.

8

The deal is off.

1

He is off his game today.

2

The plan is off the table.

3

She is off to see the world.

4

The engine cut off.

5

The event was off the charts.

6

He is off the clock.

7

The idea is off the wall.

8

They are off the hook.

1

The discussion went off on a tangent.

2

He is off the beaten track.

3

The project is off to a flying start.

4

She is off the map.

5

The situation is off balance.

6

The logic is slightly off.

7

He is off the record.

8

The performance was off the mark.

1

The tone was slightly off-putting.

2

He is off the rails.

3

The argument is off-base.

4

She is off-limits.

5

The timing was off-center.

6

The result is off-target.

7

He is off-duty.

8

The atmosphere felt off-key.

ترکیب‌های رایج

turn off
set off
take off
call off
go off
keep off
cut off
drop off
show off
start off

Idioms & Expressions

"off the hook"

no longer in trouble

I'm off the hook for the chores.

casual

"off the cuff"

unprepared

He spoke off the cuff.

neutral

"off the wall"

bizarre

That was an off the wall idea.

casual

"off the record"

unofficial

This is off the record.

formal

"off and on"

intermittently

It rained off and on.

neutral

"off the beaten track"

remote

We found a cabin off the beaten track.

neutral

Easily Confused

off vs of

similar spelling

of is a preposition, off is an adverb

Cup of tea vs Turn it off.

off vs out

similar movement

out is exit, off is away

Go out vs Go off.

off vs away

same meaning

away is general, off is specific

Walk away vs Jump off.

off vs on

opposite

on is connection, off is disconnection

Turn on vs Turn off.

Sentence Patterns

A1

Subject + verb + off

He ran off.

A1

Verb + off + object

Turn off the light.

A2

Subject + is + off

The milk is off.

B1

Subject + set + off + prep

We set off for home.

B2

Subject + is + off + noun

He is off duty.

خانواده کلمه

Nouns

offing the near future

Verbs

off to kill (slang)

Adjectives

off not fresh

مرتبط

away synonym

How to Use It

frequency

10

Formality Scale

formal neutral casual slang

اشتباهات رایج

Using 'off' as a verb → turn off
Off is an adverb, not a verb.
Confusing 'of' and 'off' → of (preposition) / off (adverb)
They sound different and have different meanings.
Using 'off' for 'away' in formal writing → away
Away is often better for distance.
Misusing 'off' with time → off duty / off work
Needs a noun.
Overusing 'off' in phrasal verbs → use context-appropriate verbs
Not all verbs take 'off'.

Tips

💡

Switch Trick

Visualize a light switch.

💡

Daily Use

Use it for electronics.

🌍

Idioms

Learn 'off the hook'.

💡

Verb Patterns

Verb + off.

💡

Vowel Sound

Keep it short.

💡

Spelling

Don't use one 'f'.

💡

History

Shared origin with 'of'.

💡

Phrasal Verbs

Group them together.

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Off = O-F-F (Open-Far-Far)

Visual Association

A light switch going down.

Word Web

distance switch departure

چالش

Use 'off' in 5 sentences today.

ریشه کلمه

Old English

Original meaning: Away from

بافت فرهنگی

None, but avoid 'off' as a verb for killing in polite company.

Used constantly in daily life for machines and travel.

'Off the Wall' (Michael Jackson) 'Off the Record' (journalism)

Practice in Real Life

Real-World Contexts

electronics

  • turn off
  • power off
  • switch off

travel

  • set off
  • take off
  • be off

work

  • off duty
  • off the record
  • call off

food

  • milk is off
  • gone off

Conversation Starters

"Are you off work today?"

"What time does the plane take off?"

"Did you turn off the stove?"

"Why did they call off the party?"

"Do you like being off the beaten track?"

Journal Prompts

Describe a time you set off on a journey.

What is something you always turn off?

Write about a day you felt off.

What does 'off the record' mean to you?

سوالات متداول

8 سوال

Yes, it can be both an adverb and a preposition.

O-F-F.

Yes, 'off work'.

No, it is neutral.

No.

Rarely, in slang.

Cough.

Extremely.

خودت رو بسنج

fill blank A1

Please turn ___ the light.

درسته! نه دقیقاً. پاسخ صحیح: off

Off is used for turning things off.

multiple choice A2

What does 'The meeting is off' mean?

درسته! نه دقیقاً. پاسخ صحیح: It is cancelled

Off means cancelled here.

true false B1

Can 'off' be a noun?

درسته! نه دقیقاً. پاسخ صحیح: نادرست

It is an adverb or preposition.

match pairs B1

Word

معنی

All matched!

Phrasal verb match.

sentence order B2

کلمات زیر رو بزن تا جمله رو بسازی
درسته! نه دقیقاً. پاسخ صحیح:

Subject-verb-adverb structure.

امتیاز: /5

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