Use of preposition "OFF"

along

1. There's a beautiful building along the river. (note: You could also say, "by the river," "on the river," "beside the river," or "alongside the river." The best choice here, in my opinion is "along the river.")  2. These trees are lined up along the road.  3. The sign along the highway tells drivers the name of the highway and the distance to the next couple of towns.  4. They enjoy walking along the beach.  5. They enjoy walking along the river.  6. They get along with each other very well.*  7. He went for a walk in the woods and did some bird watching along the way.  * The word "along" is added to many different verbs to make a verb phrase: "get along," "take along," and "bring along" are a few examples: He gets along with his coworkers. (get along = have a good relationship. You should take an umbrella along with you. It might rain. (take along = carry something) She brought her little brother along to the party. (bring along = accompany; take something or someone with--this is very similar to "take along.")

 

with

Harold and Janice went to a movie with each other last night. He wants to spend the rest of his life with her. Ali went to a swimming pool yesterday with his son. Pierre has lived with his wife for over 40 years. She went on a long bike ride with her father.  Even though they're very busy, they try to eat dinner with each other every night.  He eats his food with chopsticks. He likes to eat with his hands. She gets around town with the help of a seeing-eye dog. I painted a table with these paint brushes. She went on vacation with her laptop so that she could keep in touch with the people she works with. I met a woman today with purple hair and a pierced chin.

 

 

without

1. This baby giraffe doesn't want to go anywhere without its mother. (without = with no)
2. I like seedless watermelon. It's grown without any seeds. This piece has seeds, but it still tastes good.
3. If you have a baby, don't send him or her out into the cold without first wrapping the child in warm clothes.
4. This man is waiting for his girlfriend to arrive. He went to this hotdog stand without her.
Now she's with him.
5. Marion like her tea with sugar, but Helen likes it without sugar.
6. He eats his food without using a fork. Instead, he eats his food with chopsticks.
7. It's impossible to ski downhill without snow.
8. Without her seeing-eye dog, she wouldn't be able to go anywhere safely.
9. This picture was drawn a long time ago. The artist drew it without adding any color.
10. He's riding his bike without a helmet.

 

 

upon

 

1. Standing upon a skateboard requires a lot of balance.
2. A sailboat floats upon the water and moves when the wind is blowing.
3. There's a crown upon his head.
4. She has a big smile upon her face.
5. Many companies require employees to punch a time clock upon arriving at work in the morning.
6. Upon arriving at the airport, he was arrested by the police for trying to smuggle drugs into the country. (upon = at the exact time)
7. The Christmas season is upon us once again. (In this example, "upon" is used to indicate the arrival of an event.)
8. He got down upon his knees and prayed when he learned there was the chance he might lose his job.
9. She's depending upon her husband to help her more around the house before and after the baby arrives.

 

 

under

1. The cat is under the chair.
2. This boat is going to go under the bridge.
3. A subway is a train that travels under the ground.
4. They're selling fruit and vegetables under the protection of these colorful umbrellas.
5. These greens hills look stunning under a clear blue sky.
6. This bridge is under construction.
7. I'm under the care of a very good doctor.
8. He doesn't like to work under the man who's his boss.
9. We're under a tornado warning. Someone saw a funnel cloud and reported it to the government weather service.
10. He's a scuba diver. He goes under the sea to look for interesting things. (You can say "under the ocean," "under the sea," or "under the water." They all mean pretty much the same thing.)

out of

1. He's ready to come out of the swing. or ...   He wants to get out of the swing. (out of = leave)  2. It's looks like the honor box is out of newspapers. (out of = empty; no more)  3. He's out of practice. He needs to practice more.  4. When I went to Jamaica, I ran out of money and had to get some more from the bank.  5. She likes to get out of the city and go camping on the weekends.  6. He's been out of work for the last six months. He really needs a job.  7. These potatoes came out of the grounds just a few days ago.  8. No one dresses like this any more. Their clothes are very out of style.  or .... Their clothes are out of fashion.

 

 

toward / towards

(Both words have about the same meaning, so you can choose which one to use.)

 

1. The boy and the girl are walking towards the water.
2. The balloon is flying toward the mountains.
3. They're coming towards a boat.
4. He swam towards the other side of the pool.
5. They've been driving towards the mountains all morning.
6. When a bat flew towards his head, he ran away.
7. Look towards the camera.
8. She's pointing towards an interesting building.
9. The world is moving toward more and more online communication.
10. She's working toward getting a college degree online.
11. He's flying towards a new planet.

over

1. The cow jumped over the moon. ("over" is similar to "above" but it's used with words that express movement like "go," "run," "fly," "throw," etc.) 2. A rainbow appeared over the horizon when the sun came out.  3. The firefighter ran over to the burning house to save the people inside. ("run over" = go to. In this example, the word "over" is part of the verb and not a preposition, but I included here because you find "over" used with many idioms. idioms  4. I love the sound of water running over rocks in a stream.  5. She put sunblock all over her boyfriend's back. 6. The smoke over the house indicates that someone is inside.  7. Their dream is to sail all over the world.  8. Have you ever cooked over a campfire?

off

1. This tire is not on the truck. It's off. It's off the truck. (The preposition "off" is often used with verbs and other prepositions such as "of.")  2. His jacket is off. He's taking off his hat. (The "verb" take is often used with "off" when clothes are removed from the body.)  3. The lights are off. ("Off" is used as an adjective in this sentence.)  4. She's talking right now, but soon she'll be off the phone.  5. This airplane is off the ground.  6. His shoes are off his feet. His shoes are off of his feet. His shoes are off.  7. The dog jumped up on the table, but he must get off. (The verb "get" is often used with "off": get off the bus; get off the plane; get off the train; get off the elevator. )  8. He's taking some cheeseburgers off the grill. (take off = remove)  9. I got this recipe for Vietnamese-style spring rolls off the internet. (You get information "off the internet" or "from the internet.")  10. He's working right now, but in a few hours this police officer will be off duty. (off = not working)