Page 76 - English (107) for hospitality 2021-22

English for Tourism & Hospitality (107) by Prof. Adel AlSheikh

9. Take (time) off = to not do something over a period of
time

(transitive) Used when referring to not going to work (or not
doing a responsibility) for a period of time, usually for
holiday/vacation, as a break or when a person is sick. The
order is: Take + Time expression + off.
 I felt sick so I took a couple of days off work.
 He took four days off work to go hiking.
 I took last week off and now I have so much work to do.

10. Take off = to remove a part of the body

(transitive) This removal can be intentional, in this case mostly
referring to the removal of hair, but it can also refer to
unintentional removal due to an accident.
 The land mine took off both of his legs and he was very lucky to

survive.
 I’m glad you took that moustache off.
 He had to take off his artificial arm every night before getting into

bed.
 It can also be used by a hairdresser when they ask:

How much would you like taken off? (= how much hair would you
like cut/removed?)

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