On / off en anglais : grammaire anglaise / définition
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On / off
Principaux sens de ON :
• 'sur', idée de contact :
• 'sur', idée de contact :
on the beach sur la plage
on the bus dans le bus
Try on these jeans. Essayez cette paire de jeans.
• une date précise :
on Monday lundi
on the 7th of August le 7 août
to be on time être à l'heure
• le mouvement, la continuation :
to move on, to go on, to carry on continuer
Come on! Allez!
• la mise en marche :
Switch on the light. Allume la lumière.
I'm on duty. Je suis en service.
Principaux sens de OFF (s'oppose à on) :
• l'éloignement :
• l'éloignement :
Horatio fended off the jaguar. Horatio a empêché le jaguar de s'approcher.
-Where is the car? -It's off to the left. -Où est la voiture? -Elle est vers la gauche.
• le départ, la séparation :
Bruno set off for America. Bruno est parti aux Etats-Unis.
• l'interruption :
Switch off the light. Eteins la lumière.
I'm off duty. Je ne suis pas en service.
• l'achèvement :
I paid off my loan. J'ai fini de payer (ou rembourser) mon emprunt.
Exercice 1
Use the words from this list to fill in the blanks in the text. Be careful! Some words may be used more than once.
all | about | to | finally | first | before | as | with | on | in
'Hey, Philip, come here. I want to tell you a story my trip China,' said Kevin. 'Hold a minute, let me finish my lunch ,' answered Philip. Several minutes passed Philip entered Kevin's office. 'Ok, tell me your story,' said Philip. ' you may know, I went China last week. I had a meeting Mrs. Mei-Tsing Lee to discuss our new production plan. And, the day I went to her office, I accidentally got the wrong bus. And, the next thing I knew, I was North Korea.' 'Is that ?' 'Well, yes.'
all | about | to | finally | first | before | as | with | on | in
'Hey, Philip, come here. I want to tell you a story my trip China,' said Kevin. 'Hold a minute, let me finish my lunch ,' answered Philip. Several minutes passed Philip entered Kevin's office. 'Ok, tell me your story,' said Philip. ' you may know, I went China last week. I had a meeting Mrs. Mei-Tsing Lee to discuss our new production plan. And, the day I went to her office, I accidentally got the wrong bus. And, the next thing I knew, I was North Korea.' 'Is that ?' 'Well, yes.'
Use the words from this list to fill in the blanks in the text. Be careful! Some words may be used more than once.
all | about | to | finally | first | before | as | with | on | in
'Hey, Philip, come here. I want to tell you a story about 1 my trip to 2 China,' said Kevin. 'Hold on 3 a minute, let me finish my lunch first 4,' answered Philip. Several minutes passed before 5 Philip finally 6 entered Kevin's office. 'Ok, tell me your story,' said Philip. 'as 7 you may know, I went to 8 China last week. I had a meeting with 9 Mrs. Mei-Tsing Lee to discuss our new production plan. And, on 10 the day I went to her office, I accidentally got on 11 the wrong bus. And, the next thing I knew, I was in 12 North Korea.' 'Is that all 13?' 'Well, yes.'
all | about | to | finally | first | before | as | with | on | in
'Hey, Philip, come here. I want to tell you a story about 1 my trip to 2 China,' said Kevin. 'Hold on 3 a minute, let me finish my lunch first 4,' answered Philip. Several minutes passed before 5 Philip finally 6 entered Kevin's office. 'Ok, tell me your story,' said Philip. 'as 7 you may know, I went to 8 China last week. I had a meeting with 9 Mrs. Mei-Tsing Lee to discuss our new production plan. And, on 10 the day I went to her office, I accidentally got on 11 the wrong bus. And, the next thing I knew, I was in 12 North Korea.' 'Is that all 13?' 'Well, yes.'
1 about: We can talk about something, but we talk to someone. 'About' is the best choice here. Example: I want to talk to you about my mother.
2 to: Kevin is telling Philip about his trip to China. 'To' is the best choice because a 'trip' carries the idea of movement. When we speak about movement, we always talk about someone or something going from one place to another. In this case 'to' indicates the destination of Kevin's trip.
3 on: 'On' is the best choice here. "Hold on" is a common expression which means 'please wait' or 'wait a minute'. It is often used when speaking on the phone. Example: Please hold on while I grab a pencil.
4 first: 'First' is the correct choice. Philip says 'let me finish my lunch first', meaning that he wants to finish his lunch 'before' Kevin tells him the story of his trip to Asia.
5 before: 'Before' is the correct answer. It tells us that time has passed before Philip enters Kevin's office. Example: We were talking about you before you arrived.
6 finally: 'Finally' means 'at last' or 'lastly'. It is the best choice here. Example: I've finally finished reading War and Peace.
7 as: 'As you may know' is an expression which introduces a fact or statement which is presumably known by one person or a group of people. Example: As you will know, your mother and I have decided to adopt a guinea pig.
8 to: Kevin is telling Philip that he went 'to' China. 'To' is the best choice because the verb 'to go' carries the idea of movement, and the preposition 'to' indicates the object or destination of this movement. Example: I'm going to London next week.
9 with: 'With' groups together objects, people and ideas. It is the best choice here to tell us 'whom' Kevin met (Mei-Tsing Lee). Example: I had a date with a guy I met online.
10 on: "On the day" is the correct choice. We use this type of expression to give specific information about a date. Example: On August first, on Monday morning, etc.
11 on: 'To get on the bus' is to board a bus. When using prepositions with modes of transportation, we often run into problems. Usually, when we are speaking about public transportation (bus, metro, airplane, etc.) we use the preposition on. But if we are talking about a car, we use in (get in the car).
12 in: Kevin tells Philip that he was in North Korea, which means that he was inside the country or within the country's borders. Example: I was in Puerto Rico when the hurricane hit.
13 all: 'Is that all?' is a question which asks if someone is finished (speaking, shopping, etc.). Example: Is that all the cake you have left?
Exercice 2
After Horatio finished work, he set for the local pub. Because it was raining outside Horatio put his favorite hat to protect his beautiful silky black hair. On arriving at the pub, before Horatio could order any alcohol, the bartender asked if he would like to finally pay his tab.
* A tab is an agreement to pay the money owed by the patron of a bar or restaurant, usually in the form of a bill or a note.
* A tab is an agreement to pay the money owed by the patron of a bar or restaurant, usually in the form of a bill or a note.
After Horatio finished work, he set off 1 for the local pub. Because it was raining outside Horatio put on 2 his favorite hat to protect his beautiful silky black hair. On arriving at the pub, before Horatio could order any alcohol, the bartender asked if he would like to finally pay off 3 his tab.
* A tab is an agreement to pay the money owed by the patron of a bar or restaurant, usually in the form of a bill or a note.
* A tab is an agreement to pay the money owed by the patron of a bar or restaurant, usually in the form of a bill or a note.
1 off: 'To set off' is a common phrasal verb meaning 'to depart'. 'Off' is often used to express the sense of movement or departure.
1 on: The phrasal verb to 'set on' (or to set upon) can have a few different meanings depending on its context. It can mean 'to attack' or 'to be determined (to do something)'. We might say 'the older boys set upon the younger ones and took their lunch money'. Or 'Susie is set upon perfecting her French accent before she visits Paris next spring'. We use this phrasal verb idiomatically: 'I had my heart set on buying a new bike for Christmas', which expresses that the speaker was attached to the idea of buying a bike for Christmas. We cannot use it to describe Horatio's departure from the pub.
2 on: One traditionally 'puts on' an article of clothing. It is true that the phrasal verb 'to put off' does occasionally express 'to take off' or remove an article of clothing, though the context makes it clear that Horatio is actually putting 'on' his hat to protect him from the rain.
2 off: It is true that the phrasal verb 'to put off' does occasionally express the action of removing an article of clothing, though the context makes it clear that Horatio is actually putting 'on' his hat to protect him from the rain.
3 off: 'To pay off' is a phrasal verb which expresses the sense of paying a debt or money which is owed. We also use this phrasal verb when talking about 'bribes': money which is given to a policeman or judge to treat you with preference. A tab is an outstanding bill or note at a bar or restaurant.
3 on: To 'pay on' is not a phrasal verb. We might say 'you must pay on time' but this phrase has an entirely different meaning.
Exercice 3
Susie spent hours trying different clothes for her big date. She bought many new outfits that day, but when she went home that night, she took them all before taking her shower.
Susie spent hours trying on 1 different clothes for her big date. She bought many new outfits that day, but when she went home that night, she took them all off 2 before taking her shower.
1 on: 'To try on clothes' is the correct verb construction when speaking of clothes.'On' is often used to express the idea of contact or close proximity. This expression means to put on clothes to see how they look, feel or fit.
1 off: 'To try off' is not a valid grammatical construction.
2 off: 'To take off (one's clothes)' means 'to remove one's clothes'. 'Off' is used here to indicate the removal of clothes, and is the opposite of 'on'.
2 on: 'To take on' does not make sense here. We could say, however, 'Susie is ready to take on more responsibilities'.
Exercice 4
Luna: Hi, Polly. I got the bus all by myself this morning.
Polly: Wow. It's too bad you didn't take it all the way the end of the line.
Luna: Actually I did. That's why I'm late. I had to walk back to work.
Polly: Are you sure that this is not just a joke you're constantly playing me?
Luna: I suppose anything is possible.
Polly: Wow. It's too bad you didn't take it all the way the end of the line.
Luna: Actually I did. That's why I'm late. I had to walk back to work.
Polly: Are you sure that this is not just a joke you're constantly playing me?
Luna: I suppose anything is possible.
Luna: Hi, Polly. I got on 1 the bus all by myself this morning.
Polly: Wow. It's too bad you didn't take it all the way to 2 the end of the line.
Luna: Actually I did. That's why I'm late. I had to walk back to work.
Polly: Are you sure that this is not just a joke you're constantly playing on 3 me?
Luna: I suppose anything is possible.
Polly: Wow. It's too bad you didn't take it all the way to 2 the end of the line.
Luna: Actually I did. That's why I'm late. I had to walk back to work.
Polly: Are you sure that this is not just a joke you're constantly playing on 3 me?
Luna: I suppose anything is possible.
1 on: We use 'on' to describe the act of climbing onto, or boarding a bus, a boat or a plane (get on the plane). Be careful! We use 'in' when talking about a car (get in the car).
1 at: 'I got at the bus' does not make sense.
1 in: In English, we do not use 'in' when talking about riding or boarding buses.
1 over: 'I got over the bus' does not make sense, unless Luna is talking about flying a small airplane and telling Polly that she flew above the bus.
2 to: We use 'to' when talking about movement towards a destination or location (he's going to the theater). Here, Polly is saying that 'it's too bad' Luna didn't ride the bus until it reached the end of its route.
2 at: 'Take the bus at the end of the line' is grammatically incorrect. We could say, however: 'I boarded the bus at the end of the line' which would indicate the point where someone boarded or 'got on' the bus.
2 in: 'Take the bus in the end of the line' is grammatically incorrect.
2 on: 'Take the bus on the end of the line' is grammatically incorrect. We use the preposition 'on' to indicate movement or location around surfaces: on the ceiling, on the wall, on the floor, on the table. We also use 'on' with directions: on the left, on the right, straight on.
3 on: This is the best choice here. We say 'to play a joke on someone' to express the action of teasing or joking around with them. 'On' indicates the victim of the joke in this construction.
3 at: 'At' is grammatically incorrect here.
3 to: 'To' is grammatically incorrect here.
3 of: 'Of' is grammatically incorrect here.
Exercice 5
Doorman: Sir, this is a private club. Before you can enter, you must take your hat and put a jacket and tie.
Clown: But I don't have any clothes underneath my clown costume, I'll be totally naked!
Doorman: Sir, I am you a favor. Normally, clowns aren't even allowed this club.
Clown: But I don't have any clothes underneath my clown costume, I'll be totally naked!
Doorman: Sir, I am you a favor. Normally, clowns aren't even allowed this club.
Doorman: Sir, this is a private club. Before you can enter, you must take off 1 your hat and put on 2 a jacket and tie.
Clown: But I don't have any clothes on 3 underneath my clown costume, I'll be totally naked!
Doorman: Sir, I am doing 4 you a favor. Normally, clowns aren't even allowed in 5 this club.
Clown: But I don't have any clothes on 3 underneath my clown costume, I'll be totally naked!
Doorman: Sir, I am doing 4 you a favor. Normally, clowns aren't even allowed in 5 this club.
1 off: The phrasal verb 'to take off' can describe the removal of clothing. Example: Please take off your socks before entering the swimming pool. 'Off' is used here to indicate the action of removing clothing, and is the direct opposite of 'putting on' clothing.
1 out: Although it is grammatically correct, 'taking out one's hat' indicates that someone has a hat somewhere , which they aren't wearing (in a closet for example). Contextually, this answer is very unlikely. We could say however, 'The man took out his wallet to pay for the book'. This sentence suggests that the man has a wallet, perhaps in his pocket, which is invisible until he 'takes it out'.
1 on: To 'take on your hat' makes no sense. The phrasal verb 'to take on' does actually express the idea of 'challenging' or 'engaging' in something. For example: The woman took on the challenge of traveling around the world in a hot air balloon.
1 in: To 'take in your hat' makes no sense in this context. We could say however, 'We took in the chairs when it started to rain'.
2 on: To 'put on' clothing indicates placing clothing on one's body or the action of dressing oneself. Example: Put on your coat before you go out into the cold! 'On' is often used to express ideas of contact or proximity.
2 off: To 'put off a tie and jacket' makes no sense. The phrasal verb 'to put off' does occasionally express the action of removing an article of clothing, though the context makes it clear that the doorman is encouraging the clown to dress rather than undress.
2 out: To 'put out a tie and jacket' makes no sense. The phrasal verb 'to put out' does have meaning, however it is unrelated to clothing, and is contextually irrelevant.
2 in: To 'put in a real tie' makes no sense. 'In' is generally used to express movement towards the interior of a location, or an interior location itself. The phrasal verb 'to put in' does have meaning, however it is unrelated to clothing, and is contextually irrelevant.
3 on: 'To have clothes on' is to be dressed, or to be wearing clothes. The clown protests that he will be nude or naked if he takes off his clown costume. Here 'on' is used to express proximity or contact, and is the direct opposite of 'off'.
3 off: 'I don't have any clothes off' is a strange construction which actually indicates that the speaker IS wearing clothes, or that he or she is fully dressed. This choice makes no sense given the context of the exercise.
3 in: 'In' is generally used to indicate movement towards the inside or interior, or to describe an interior or inside location. Using it here is grammatically incorrect.
3 out: 'Out' is generally used to indicate movement towards the outside or exterior, or to describe an exterior or outside location. Using it here is grammatically incorrect.
4 doing: This construction requires a form of the verb 'to do'. 'To do someone a favor' is to provide a service for them or help them in some way. Here we use the 'ING' form of the verb which follows the present tense auxiliary 'am'. This is the present progressive (or continuous) tense.
4 making: In English, one 'does' a favor, and never 'makes' one. The verb 'to do' generally refers to chores and tasks: to do the dishes, to do one's homework. The expression 'to do somebody a favor' must simply be memorized, as there is no precise rule as to the use of 'make' and 'do', only general trends.
4 done: In English, one 'does' a favor, and never 'makes' one. In English, the verb 'to do' generally refers to chores and tasks: to do the dishes, to do one's homework. The expression 'to do somebody a favor' must simply be memorized, as there is no precise rule as to the use of 'make' and 'do', only general trends.
4 made: This construction uses a progressive form of the verb 'to make', and so using the past participle of the verb is incorrect. Note that a progressive (ING) form of the verb always follows an auxiliary (am).
5 in: To 'be allowed in' is to be permitted entry. Here 'in' is used to indicate movement towards the inside or interior of the club.
5 on: To 'be allowed on' something makes no sense in this context and expresses being allowed on top of something. Example: The historians were allowed on the old ship for an inspection.
5 off: To 'be allowed off' someplace makes no sense and does not exist in English. We could say however, 'I was allowed time off from work'.
5 out: To 'be allowed out' someplace makes no sense in this context. We could say however, 'The dog was allowed to go out (outside)'.
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