Unplug the pendrive/pull it off/away

Question

Please plug the USB drive in the computer slot and unplug it after your work is over.
Please insert the USB drive in the computer slot pull it off/away after your work is over.

Please correct my sentence.

Clive · Accepted Answer

Hi,

Please plug the USB drive into the computer slot and unplug it after your work is over.

Please insert the USB drive in the computer slot and pull it off/~~away~~ after your work is over.

Please correct my sentence.

More natural is 'after your work is finished', 'after you finish (work)'.

The standard pairs are

plug/unplug

insert/remove

push in/pull out

In this context, I'd use 'insert/remove'.

Clive

User_gary · Answer

Thanks a Clive lot.

Anyway, what it seems that word "over" to mean "finish" is not natural at all. Am I correct?

But in my part of the world, some speakers use "over" to mean "finish".
e.g. when your exams will over?
After my exams over, I will launch into ........
When your task/work is over, buzz me.

I just wonder if all these usages are incorrect or not natural.

Clive · Answer

Hi,

Anyway, what it seems that word "over" to mean "finish" is not natural at all. Am I correct?

But in my part of the world, some speakers use "over" to mean "finish".

e.g. when will your exams be over? Natural.

After my exams are over, I will launch into .. Natural

When your task/work is over, buzz me. <<< Not so natural.

'Over' and 'finish' can often be interchanged.

I'm inclined to say it's often just idiomatic as to which one sounds right, but let me try to add this as a tentative and very general comment.

'Over' sounds OK for terms that suggest 'a period' for what is said to be 'over'.

eg The game is over.

eg The TV program is over.

eg His life is over.

eg Lunch is over.

The word 'work' sounds more like 'a thing', and less like 'a period'.

Maybe it's just idiomatic?

Best wishes, Clive

Unplug the pendrive/pull it off/away

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