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Phrasal Verbs / PHRASA~1

27. Focus on: phrasal verbs with the particle off and the adverbright

The particle off is used in many phrasal verbs to say that something is separated or removed:

The cup handle broke. (The handle is broken, but it is still attached to the cup.) The cup handle broke off. (The handle is no longer attached to the cup.)

Right, discussed in Section 19, is often used with these phrasal verbs to indicate that the action of the verb happened quickly:

202

He washed the dirt off. (The dirt was removed.) He washed the dirt right off. (The dirt was removed quickly.)

Remember that right can be used in this way only after an object that separates the verb and the particle:

He washed the dirt right off. Ho washed right off the dirt.

Infinitive

present tense

-ing form

past tense

past participle

bite off

bite off & bites off

biting off

bit off

bitten off

1. bite... off p.v. When you bite off something, you use your teeth to remove a piece. When you bite off more than you can chew, you agree to do something that you do not have the time or the ability to do.

The lion bit off a huge piece of the zebra's flesh.

You can't finish that huge project by tomorrow. I think you've bitten off more than you can chew.