The ushers told the people to … their shoes before they enter the hall.

Analyze the question The sentence is: "The ushers told the people to _ their shoes before they enter the hall." We need the phrasal verb that means to remove shoes from the feet.

Explain the concept Phrasal verbs change meaning depending on the particle that follows the verb:

• put off = to postpone or delay (e.g. "They put off the meeting")
• put out = to extinguish (e.g. "put out the fire")
• take off = to remove clothing, shoes, or accessories from the body
• take out = to remove something from inside a place or container (e.g. "take out a book from the bag")

Show the solution

1. The action is removing shoes from the feet before entering a hall.
2. "Put off" means to postpone, so it does not fit.
3. "Put out" means to extinguish, which makes no sense with shoes.
4. "Take out" suggests removing shoes from a bag or box, not from the feet.
5. "Take off" is the standard phrasal verb for removing clothing or footwear.

The sentence becomes: "The ushers told the people to take off their shoes before they enter the hall."

(Note: "put off" can mean "remove" in some older or regional usage, such as "put off your shoes" in the Bible, but in standard modern English, "take off" is the correct choice.)

Answer: The correct option is C. take off.

Tip For clothing and footwear, remember the pair put on / take off. You put on shoes and take them off. If you see clothing items in a phrasal verb question, "take off" is usually the answer.