Communication

go off on a tangent

start discussing something unrelated

To start talking about a subject that is not connected with the main topic.

C1 common mostly spoken

expression

Hear it in real life

You were telling me about your new job.

Right, sorry, I went off on a tangent there.

Play the conversation

I was explaining my morning routine, then I went off on a tangent about my neighbour's dog.

The mistake everyone makes

Not: Sorry, I went off in a tangent about my holiday.

Say: Sorry, I went off on a tangent about my holiday.

The fixed idiom uses "on a tangent," not "in a tangent."

Build it

How it fits in a sentence.

go off on a tangent; went off on a tangent

Your turn: say it out loud

I was explaining my morning routine, then I went off on a tangent about my neighbour's dog.

Say it out loud two or three times, until it feels like yours.

go off on a tangent

start discussing something unrelated

“I was explaining my morning routine, then I went off on a tangent about my neighbour's dog.”

heytardy

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