Speak Up with English Phrasal Verbs: Brush Off

In this quick English lesson you will learn how to use the English phrasal verb ‘brush off’ perfectly.

First you will learn the 2 different meanings, and then you will learn how to use this phrasal verb correctly in sentences.

Try to make your own sentence with this expression. Write your sentence in the comments below and I will check!

The full script is below :)

Thanks and have a great day!

Follow me on:

Instagram: @learnenglishlikeapro
Facebook: @englishlikeapro
Twitter: @englishlikeapro

Full Script

Phrasal Verb: Brush Off

1 Intro

Hi everyone! How’s it going? I’m Luke and in this quick English lesson we’re going to look at the phrasal verb to brush off.

Now, this phrasal verb, like many others, has more than one meaning. This quick video will just cover the two most common.

2. First Meaning


The first meaning we’ll look at is its literal meaning and it is to do this.
So, here, I just brushed some dust off my shirt.
You can also brush crumbs off a table, you can brush dirt off your shoes, and things like that.

3. Second Meaning

The second meaning is a bit more complicated because it has an idiomatic meaning.

So, I’ll tell you a quick sample sentence with this phrasal verb and I want you to listen and try to guess the meaning.

“You need to stop being so sensitive and learn how to brush off rude comments.”

So, in this sentence, the idiomatic meaning of brush off means to ignore something negative or to not let something negative bother you too much.

Ok, so those were the literal and idiomatic meanings of brush off. Now, let’s learn how to use this phrasal verb correctly by looking at the form.

4. Form

The first thing you need to know about the form of this phrasal verb is that it is a transitive phrasal verb. That means you need to use an object with it. So, you always brush off something. That something is the object and you need to mention it.

So, for example, you can say, “You should just brush off criticism.” In this sentence, criticism is the object.

The second thing you need to know is that this is a separable phrasal verb. That means the object can go between the verb brush and the particle off. Like this, “I brush rude comments off.” The object can also go after the phrasal verb it will keep the same meaning. Like this, “I brush off rude comments.”




The third and final thing you need to know about the form of this phrasal verb is to do with using a pronoun as the object.

So, if you want to use a pronoun, like it, as the object with this phrasal verb, then it must come between the verb brush and the particle off. Like this, “I just brushed it off.”

Some More Examples

Here are three more examples with the phrasal verb brush off.

Number 1. “Be sure to brush off that chair before you sit down.”
Number 2. “So, you didn’t do well on the exam. It’s ok, just brush it off and do better next time.”
Number 3. “People who work in the media need to be able to brush off criticism.”


Wrap up

Ok, I hope that helped you understand the meaning of this phrasal verb.

Now, it’s your turn.

I want you to make your own sentence with this phrasal verb.

So, leave it below in the comments and I’ll check. See you!