Business English Phrasal Verbs - Talking About Time

More fun with English phrasal verbs in context. This time we will talk about phrasal verbs we use to talk about time. Enjoy!

1) To put something off = to move something to a later date
Example: The staff meeting has been put off for another week.

To put off doing something
Example: I always put off going to the dentist.

To put someone off
Example: I will have to put him off until later this week. Can we check if I have an opening for him on Tuesday?

We even have this idiom: Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.

2) To put something back = to arrange to do something at a later time
Example: We need to put our meeting back till next month.

3) To put your watch/the time forward = to make a watch show an earlier time; to change the time to an earlier time (different time zone) 
Example: Ladies and gentlemen, we are about to land in Johannesburg. You'll need to put your watches forward. The local time is 11:30 a.m.

4) To put back (your clock/watch) = to make your clock/watch show a later time (summer versus winter time) 
Example: In some countries, we have summer and winter time, i.e. in October all clocks are put back an hour.