Phrasal Verbs

Unit 6.2 - "Off" meaning "Preventing" / "Rejecting"

Guess the meanings of the phrasal verbs from context:
- The fishermen sometimes have to fight off attacks by pirates.
- It has taken me two weeks to fight off the cold.
- The Japanese swimmer managed to hold off other competitors and finished in first place.
- Keep off the main road - there is a lot of traffic this time of the day.
- The factory laid off at least half of its employees in the past six months due to cut back.
- I know I have to finish this report but I keep putting it off.
- My cat has run away - I think my neighbor's dog scared it off.
- I take Vitamin C every day to ward off colds.
All these phrasal verbs have the meaning of "preventing" or "rejecting". See Explanations ê
Explanations:

Fight off

(separable)

To defend oneself; to keep someone or something away
>>There were three robbers but he managed to fight them off.

To try hard to get rid of something unpleasant or unwanted (e.g. an illness or bad emotions)
>>I am fighting off a cold.

>>He tried to fight off painful memories from his childhood.

Hold off

(separable)

To prevent someone (e.g. an enemy or a competitor) from attacking you or competing against you

>>Our troops can't hold off the enemy's attacks any longer.

Keep off

(separable)

To stay away from something; to avoid (something harmful or bad)
>>Keep off the grass!

>>She wore a hat to keep the sun off.

Lay off

(separable)

To stop employing someone because there is no work for them to do
>>Due of company restructuring, she was laid off last year.

Put off

(separable)

To postpone; to delay in doing something
>>We need to put off the meeting until John comes back from Tokyo.

Scare off

(separable)

To make a person or animal so frightened that they go away
>>The burglar was scared off by the alarm.

Ward off (separable)

To keep away; to prevent something unpleasant from harming you
>>We burn incense to ward off mosquitoes in the summer.
>>Some people think that a lucky charm can ward off bad luck.

Exercise:
- Complete the following sentences using one of the phrasal verbs above:
  - People at the refugee camps put up tents to the sun and the rain.
  - Last year, the government 5,000 employees and the unemployment rate went up to 5.3%.
  - The Olympic champion managed to other competitors and won a Gold medal.
  - If you behave rudely, you are going to all the young ladies!
  - Let's this till tomorrow, OK? I am too tired to deal with it now.
  - As he was looking at the pictures, he tried to scary memories of what happened.
  - Talismans to bad luck are sold in many Japanese temples.

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