This video explains the meaning and use of the phrasal verb 'take off' in English. We show you how to use it with some easy examples to help you learn this phrasal verb so you can use it in spoken and Business English.
This phrasal verb has many meanings, but a common theme that runs through most of them is that of removing somebody or something, or leaving, often in an energetic way.
Starting with leaving, if a plane or bird etc. 'takes off,' it leaves the ground and begins to fly. This is also used in a figurative sense to refer to a sudden rise in the success or popularity of something. Also, if you 'take off' from a place, you leave it, often hurriedly.
If you remove someone or something from a place, list, or thing, you can use this phrasal verb. For example, if you remove an item of clothing, or your name from a list, you 'take it off.' Similarly, if you temporarily remove yourself from a job or responsibility, you 'take time off,' or if you remove a portion of the cost or price of something, like in a sale, you 'take money off.'
As the video shows, this versatile phrasal verb is common in both a social and professional context.