how to use the verb. skim?

Question

Can I say "I skim it." or I have to say "I skim it off." when skim means removing something from the main part.

Answer 1

I am going to skim through my book for answers wthout reading



I don't know what skim it off means, it sounds like it doesn't make sense

Answer 2

Skim is one of those verbs that doesn't do what others usually do, although in a way if you think of what 'to skim' means, it does make sense, because it means 'go over quickly' or 'take the top off of' and not any direct action, like eat, or read, both of which imply more depth. Skim requires another word to 'work' propery ... therefore to make it 'work' means knowing exactly how you are 'skimming' and what ... so if you are talking about working with a liquid, you would say not 'I skim' but 'I skim off' ... if you are talking about a book, then you say not "I skim' but 'I skim through' ... and you'll soon see that while you CAN occasionally use the word 'skim' by itself, it tends to work much better with another word ... so ...

I skimmed over the ocean in my dreams.

I skimmed down the list of questions, here.

I am skimming my words as I write.

I have skimmed like this daily.

So, remember ... skim, skimmed, skimming and you should be okay, but ALWAYS read that sentence over to BE SURE and look for those 'other words' to provide the modifying objective you both want and usually need to have this word make true sense in a sentence.

Answer 3

To skim a text is to read it quickly to get the gist.



To skim milk is to remove the cream from the top. The cream was skimmed off = the cream was removed.



To skim stones on water is to throw them into the sea/lake in such a way that they bounce across the surface

Answer 4

haven't you ever heard of skimming stones. It means to bounce something off the surface. I went to the lak to skim stones as I thought about her answer. You can skim the surface of anything. She skimmed the hardened yoghurt before enjoying the sweetness below.

Answer 5

It sounds better if you say it this way



I skim off the (whatever it is).

I skim off the foam from the milk.



or



I skim off (whatever it is)

I skim off the top of the milk.

Answer 6

I skim the fat off the top of the gravy every Thanksgiving.( This means to take)

or

I just skim throgh the newspaper. (This means to look through quickly)

Answer 7

look through quickly