ENGLISH
REFERENCE

take off

phr. v..
A2 Elementary Oxford

phr. v.. to leave the ground and begin to fly, or to leave a place suddenly.

phr. v.. to become airborne; by extension, to depart a location abruptly or to achieve a sudden increase in popularity or success.


SIMPLE

The plane takes off at six in the morning.

CONTEXTUAL

After the meeting ended, he took off without saying goodbye to anyone.

COMPLEX

The startup's valuation took off following the successful launch of their flagship application in the European market.

Particles
off
Separability
optional
Pattern
take + off (+ object)
Usage

when used for aircraft, it is intransitive; when used for clothing, it is transitive and separable.

Teaching tip

this is a polysemous phrasal verb; focus first on the literal 'airplane' sense before introducing the 'remove clothing' or 'sudden success' meanings.

Pitfall

The plane took of.The plane took off.the particle 'off' requires a double 'f'; 'of' is a preposition with a different function.

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