student asking question

Are "on-again", "off-again" used to describe the romantic relationship?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

Great question. "On-again off-again" means that something is not happening continuously or that it is starting and stopping repeatedly. You are correct that it is most commonly used to describe romantic relationships. Meaning that the couple argue and break up and get back to getter frequently. But it can also be used in other ways to describe sporadic things. Ex: Discussions were on-again, off-again for two years. Ex: She is finally marrying her on-again, off-again boyfriend.

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