(do something) off and on

"Off and on" describes something that has continued to happen, but has not happened constantly. For example, if you dated someone, then broke up, then got back together, then broke up, and so on, you'd describe it:

We dated off and on for about 3 years.

It's not wrong to use "off and on" in written English, but a more formal way to express the same idea is "intermittently".

This phrase appears in these lessons: