Off the coast?

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

What does off the coast mean?

2

In the ocean near the coast.

3

Thanks Mister Micawber. What is the difference between off Florida coast and off the coast of Florida?

4

Nothing, except that it should read ‘off the Florida coast’.

5

Thank you once again.

6

By the way, I did not understand the word “off” here very much when I was faced it first in the address of a hotel as in “Off Lavender Street”. When I asked for the way and came to the hotel, I realized it was by Lavender Street. I love English very much but it causes me a lot confused in thousands of situations. I never understand why “off” can have the meaning of “by”/“beside”?

Let me give you a brief description of the hotel mentioned above. There was a street named Lavender with a main road in it. There was a turning/a lane crossing that road, which created a T junction and instead of going straight, you took the turning and the hotel was about 200 meters from the junction.

So respected teachers, could anyone explain a bit more about the meaning of “off” in this context, please?

Many thanks

7

Streets don’t have main roads.

There is nothing to explain beyond the fact that one of the definitions of off is:

  1. away from; apart or distant from: ‘a village off the main road’.

The hotel is not on Lavender Street-- it is off Lavender Street (and presumably not nearer another named street, in which case the directions would be different).