An object helps distinguish the meanings: Mina takes her scarf off, while a plane takes off without an object. The plane is the thing that begins flying.

The idea

For clothing, use take off your boots or take your boots off, but take them off with a pronoun. For flying, the aircraft or bird takes off. Learn take, took, taken; after does, keep take.

Examples

  • Please take off your muddy boots at the door.
  • Please take them off at the door.
  • Mina took her scarf off when the room warmed up.
  • Our plane took off twenty minutes late.
  • The birds took off as the dog approached.
  • What time does the next flight take off?

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Watch out

A flight taking off is leaving the ground, not passengers getting aboard. Removing clothing and beginning flight share the same two-word verb but use different sentence patterns.

Try it yourself

  1. Choose the correct option. Please take ___ at the door. (them off / off them)

    Show answer or example answer

    them off

    The pronoun them goes between take and off.

  2. Choose the correct option. Yesterday Mina ___ her scarf off. (took / taken)

    Show answer or example answer

    took

    Took is the simple past; taken would need a supporting structure such as has taken.

  3. Describe the plane leaving the ground and beginning to fly. The plane ___ at ten. (took off / landed)

    Show answer or example answer

    took off

    The instruction describes leaving the ground, so took off fits; landed means arriving on the ground.

Use it today

Write one past sentence about removing an item and one about an aircraft departing. Circle the object in the clothing sentence and identify the aircraft subject.