Phrasal Verb Fun

put forward
At a meeting in the Town Hall, the Majority Party put several proposals
forward designed to win the next election. The Opposition Party stated
that this was an insult to the people, and put forward some counter-
proposals of their own.
Sometimes it has a rather formal sense, like
come forward
.
Forward
is the direction in which we normally go.
To put something forward is similar to
put something across
in the sense
that what you put forward is information, or an idea. To put an idea
forward is to formally propose it in a meeting it.
Separable two-word verb
. Be careful.
put off
Penelope has had nine months to prepare for this exam, but she kept
putting it off and putting it off, so that now she only has one week to
study. She will drink a lot of black coffee.
We say
off
when we mean 'away from this situation' or 'away from here'
so, by extension, it can mean 'away from now' or, rather, into the future.
To put something off means 'to postpone it'
'Why have we got water in the kitchen?'
'Because your dad told me he was going to mend the roof, but he kept
putting it off.'
Separable two-word verb
Be careful.
put off
Vernon thought that he was a ladies man, but he only talked about
himself. This put the girls off completely.
As so often,
off
here has the idea of 'away from this situation' or 'away
from here'. So, to put somebody off means to make people lose
enthusiasm for an idea.

---

'I ordered fried eggs on toast, but the eggs were almost green. That put
me off.'
This happened to me and, yes, it did put me off.
turn off
can have the same meaning.
Separable two-word verb
. Be careful.
put on
You put on your clothes most mornings (and at night you take them off).
Who puts
on
different clothes most often? Actors. In the past, satirical
actors, above all, put on masks. (Satire could be a little dangerous in the
old days. Laughing at the lord with his sword had its own risks.)
By extension, when you are putting someone on, you are mocking them.
You are laughing at them with a satire. When you are in England, please
note that the English love irony and satire, and may well be putting you on
without your knowledge.
Separable two-word verb
Be careful.
put out
A noted English writer died in the trenches of the First World War. His
famous last words were, 'Put that ****** cigarette out!'
When fires die, they
go out
. When we extinguish a fire, we put it out. It's
out
now, and we feel the cold, as we often do when we go outdoors.
Separable two-word verb
. Be careful
.