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What is the difference between "tear" and "tear off"? Can anyone help? If they have same meaning why is one written with a preposition but the other without?

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To tear something is to pull that thing apart. The verb does not specify how much has been torn. I can take a piece of paper and tear a tiny nick in the top of it, and I still use the word "tear" for this action. In this case, the paper is still one piece, it just has a bit of damage at the top.

To tear off something does not have this ambiguity. The preposition off means that one part of the object has been completely removed and is separate from the rest of the object.

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    To add to this, “tear” can be paired with a few other prepositions as well, such as “apart” or “away.” In all cases, “tear” still serves as the main verb, so to speak, and the preposition further clarifies what kind of action it is.
    – Annabeth Yeung
    Commented Mar 7, 2022 at 6:04

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