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Pay, Pay Off or Pay Out
Pay, Pay Off or Pay Out
Pay, Pay Off or Pay Out
Paying off
If you pay something off, you give someone all the money that you have borrowed from them to
buy something: 1) Only another six months and the house will be paid off. 2) There are
no charges if you want to pay the loan off early. 3) Pay off the most expensive debt first. 4) Pay off
your credit card as soon as possible.
The difference between paying something and paying off something is that when you pay off a
thing you bought (e.g. a house or car) or some money (e.g. a loan or a debt), you imply that the
money has been borrowed to buy the thing; when you pay something, you have received an item or
a service but there hasn’t necessarily been some borrowing.
Paying out
If you pay something out, you spend (or pay) money, especially a lot of money: 1) We’ve paid out
thousands of pounds in health insurance over the years. 2) A non-traditional insurance policy may
pay out on much smaller individual losses. 3) The federal government paid out $7.7 billion as a
result of damage caused by hurricanes this year. 4) Football clubs pay out millions of
pounds for players.
When choosing a preposition to use after pay out, remember just like you invest in something, you
pay out money in something (e.g. health insurance); just like you pay for something, you pay out
money for something (or someone like football players); finally, if money is paid out on something,
it’s likely about an investment or an insurance claim (e.g. Insurance companies were slow paying
out on claims for flood damage.)
Practice
Choose the right/best word/words to complete the sentences. The answer key is at the bottom of the
page.
1. Can I really pay/pay off/pay out my mortgage early?
2. Future generations will be obliged to pay/pay off/pay out millions upon millions of dollars for
fertilizers in order to produce crops on the lands.
3. You’d have to be a millionaire to pay/pay for/pay out a loan like that!
4. Helen paid for/paid off/paid out the tickets.
5. He’s out of work, so how he pays/pays off/pays out his rent is a mystery to me.
6. I’ve just paid out/paid for/paid off £700 to get the car fixed.
7. Paying off/paying out/paying for your credit card is an accomplishment worth celebrating.
8. Paying out/paying off/paying for your credit card balance in full every month shows lenders that
you are a responsible borrower.
9. All the hard work I had done over the summer paid off/paid out/paid.
10.Many policies pay/pay off/pay out only after a period of weeks or months.
Look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves. An English proverb
Answer key: 1. pay off 2. pay out 3. pay out 4. paid for 5. pays 6. paid out 7. Paying off 8. Paying
off 9. paid off 10. pay out
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