student asking question

1. What's the difference between 'make' and 'make out? 2. Is there any difference between ~is made out of taffy' and ' ~is made out taffy? I'm not certain about when to use 'of' here.

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

"Make" means to create or build. "Make out" has a few different meanings. It can be used for being able to perceive something, usually at a distance. It can also be used to describe a couple who are kissing passionately and for an extended period of time. The difference between "made" and "made out" is that "made" is a verb. It's discussing the process of the object's creation. "Made out" has to do with the materials that are used to create the object. Ex: My shirt is made out of cotton. Ex: My shirt was made with cotton. Ex: Did you hear how the Titanic was made? Ex: The Titanic was made out of tons of steel. To answer your second question, yes there is a significant difference between those two phrases. The second phrase does not make sense. "Of" is a preposition that indicates belonging or a relationship between words; it helps to connect words together. "Of" ties "out" and "taffy" together, showing that there is some kind of relationship between these two words. Without "of," the sentence sounds incomplete. Ex: She is a member of the National Honor Society. Ex: We are out of milk. Ex: This is a picture of my dog. Ex: The statue is made out of cheese.

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