Cụm động từ: Pay off và Put off
A. pay off
pay off (informal) (of a plan or an action, especially one that involves risk):
to be successful and bring good results
eg: The gamble paid off.
pay somebody off/ pay off somebody:
- to pay somebody what they have earned and tell them to leave
their job
Eg: The crew were paid off as soon as the ship docked.
- (informal) to give somebody money to prevent them from doing
something or talking about something illegal or dishonest that you
have done
Eg: All the witnesses had been paid off.
pay something off/ pay off something: to finish paying money owed for
something
Eg: We paid off our mortgage after fifteen years.
B. put off:
put somebody off/ put off somebody:
- to cancel a meeting or an arrangement that you have made with
somebody
Eg: It's too late to put them off now.
- to make somebody dislike somebody/something or not trust
them/it
Eg: She's very clever but her manner does tend to put people off.
- (also put somebody off something): to disturb somebody who is
trying to give all their attention to something that they are doing
Eg: Don't put me off when I'm trying to concentrate.
- (British English) (of a vehicle or its driver): to stop in order to
allow somebody to leave
Eg: I asked the bus driver to put me off at the station.
put somebody off something/ somebody: to make somebody lose interest
in or enthusiasm for something/somebody
Eg: He was put off science by bad teaching.
put something off/ put off something: to change something to a later time
or date
Eg: We've had to put off our wedding until September.
put off doing something: He keeps putting off going to the dentist.
