What Does โDrive sth awayโ Mean?
โDrive sth awayโ means to force something or someone to leave or go away, often by using effort or action.
Introduction
The phrasal verb โdrive sth awayโ is commonly used in English to describe making something leave, such as animals, people, or feelings. Understanding the โdrive sth away meaningโ helps learners use it correctly in various situations. This phrase often implies a deliberate action to remove or repel something unwanted. For example, you might โdrive awayโ pests from your garden or โdrive awayโ bad thoughts from your mind. It is a useful expression in both everyday conversations and formal contexts. Knowing how to use โdrive sth awayโ properly expands your vocabulary and helps you communicate more naturally.
Quick Info Box
- Phrasal verb: drive something away
- Type: Transitive
- Level: B2
- Short meaning: To make something or someone leave by force or effort
Structure (Grammar Rules)
โDrive awayโ is a separable phrasal verb. This means the object can come between โdriveโ and โawayโ or after โaway.โ
- Drive something away (correct)
- Drive away something (also correct, but less common)
Since โsomethingโ is usually a noun or pronoun, when using a pronoun, it always comes between โdriveโ and โawayโ:
- Drive it away (correct)
- Drive away it (incorrect)
How to Use โDrive sth awayโ?
You can use โdrive sth awayโ to talk about physically removing animals, people, or objects, or even abstract ideas like feelings or thoughts. It often suggests effort or force to make something leave. This phrasal verb is versatile and appears in many contexts, from everyday life to literature and news.
Examples
Here are some natural sentences using โdrive sth awayโ:
- The loud noise helped drive the birds away from the garden.
- She tried to drive away her worries by going for a walk.
- Farmers use scarecrows to drive away crows from their crops.
- Strong coffee can drive away feelings of tiredness.
- His rude behavior drove away many customers.
These examples show how โdrive sth awayโ is used in different real-life situations.
Common Mistakes
Sometimes learners confuse the word order or use incorrect objects with โdrive sth away.โ
- Incorrect: Drive away it.
- Correct: Drive it away.
- Incorrect: Drive away the bad thoughts.
- Correct: Drive the bad thoughts away. (More common)
Remember, when the object is a pronoun, it must come between โdriveโ and โaway.โ
Differences / Synonyms
Other phrasal verbs like โscare away,โ โpush away,โ or โshoo awayโ are similar but have differences.
- Scare away: Usually implies frightening something to leave.
- Drive away: Can involve effort or force but not necessarily fear.
- Shoo away: Informal, often used for animals or small pests.
For example, you can โscare awayโ a thief but โdrive awayโ customers with bad service.
Common Collocations
Some common objects used with โdrive awayโ include:
- Animals: birds, pests, dogs, cats
- People: customers, visitors, strangers
- Feelings/Thoughts: worries, fears, doubts, sadness
- Problems: troubles, difficulties
These collocations show the wide use of the phrase in different contexts.
Related Phrasal Verbs
Here are related phrasal verbs of drive sth away:
Real-life Dialogue
Here is a short conversation using โdrive sth awayโ:
Anna: The mosquitoes are terrible tonight.
Ben: Yeah, I sprayed some repellent to drive them away.
Anna: Good idea! I hate getting bitten.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence:
- A) The noise drove away the cats from the garden.
- B) The noise drove the cats away from the garden.
- C) The noise drove the cats away from the garden.
- D) Both A and B are correct.
(Answer: D)
Fill in the blank:
The loud music helped ___________ the bad thoughts ___________.
(Answer: drive / away)
FAQs
- Q: Can โdrive awayโ be used with feelings?
A: Yes, you can say โdrive away worriesโ or โdrive away sadness.โ - Q: Is โdrive awayโ separable?
A: Yes, you can place the object between โdriveโ and โaway.โ - Q: What is the difference between โdrive awayโ and โscare awayโ?
A: โScare awayโ means to frighten something to leave, while โdrive awayโ can involve effort or force without fear. - Q: Can I say โdrive away itโ?
A: No, with pronouns, say โdrive it away.โ - Q: Is โdrive awayโ formal or informal?
A: It is neutral and can be used in both formal and informal English.
