English Phrasal Verb Practice for “cut off” and “cut out”
Mary had a big art project to do. She wanted to make a collage and needed lots of pictures. She began cutting out pictures [ recortar fotografías ] in old magazines. She cut out pictures of animals and trees. "These will look great!" she thought.
While working, her brother was playing loud music. Suddenly, the music cut off [ la música se cortó ]. "Oh no," her brother exclaimed, "I think the speakers are broken!" Mary didn't mind the quiet. It was easier to concentrate.
Next, Mary needed a piece of black paper. She found one but it was too big. Carefully, she cut out the size [ ella cortó el tamaño ] she wanted. Then, her mom called, "Lunch is ready!" Lucy's hand slipped, and she accidentally cut off a corner [ cortó una esquina ] of the paper. "Oops!" she said, "I’ll leave it like this for now."
After lunch, Mary and her family planned to go to the park. But on the way, a tree had fallen on the road. They were cut off [ Fueron cortados ] from their usual route. "We’ll take another way," her dad suggested.
In the car, her dad told her about how he had to cut out sweets [ eliminar los dulces ] from his diet. "It was hard, but I feel better," he said. Mary was thinking if she should cut out sweets, too [ ella debería eliminar los dulces también ].
On the way back from the park, the car's engine suddenly cut out [ el motor se paró repentinamente ]. "Not again," groaned her dad. The car easily restarted and they got home. After a snack, she went to her room to finish the collage. She wanted to show it to her friends at school tomorrow.
