Daily life
back off
move away to stay safe
If you back off, you move away from someone or something because you want more space or feel threatened.
Hear it in real life
Why did you step away?
The dog growled, so I backed off.
The horse looked nervous, so I backed off and gave it more space.
The mistake everyone makes
Not: I backed off from away the dog.
Say: I backed off from the dog.
Do not combine "back off from" with the extra preposition "away."
Build it
How it fits in a sentence.
back off; back away slowly
Compare it
Where this one sits next to the phrases it gets mixed up with.
Your turn: say it out loud
The horse looked nervous, so I backed off and gave it more space.
Say it out loud two or three times, until it feels like yours.
back off
move away to stay safe
“The horse looked nervous, so I backed off and gave it more space.”
heytardy
Did this help?
Your turn on Facebook
Write one sentence with a phrase from this page
Post it in the comments. We reply to every one and fix it kindly.
Write it on Facebook