Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Pedants' corner
Original poster

Off or from

15 replies

DancingInTheSnow · 30/12/2013 23:32

I keep hearing things like

"I just got back off holiday"

"I got money off my brother for Christmas"

Is it correct to use off instead of from?

OP posts:
Sixweekstowait · 30/12/2013 23:35

No

Wolfiefan · 30/12/2013 23:37

On a par with "off of"!

Original poster
DancingInTheSnow · 31/12/2013 05:33

So are there any occasions when it's correct?

Does off being the opposite of on mean that "can you get the envelope off the table?" is correct?

When I mentioned it to someone in RL they told me all of these examples were correct and it's bugging me now!

OP posts:
Thumbnutstwitchingonanopenfire · 31/12/2013 05:39

Well I suppose that because one goes "on holiday" it kind of makes sense to come back "off holiday", doesn't it. You don't come back "from holiday", do you - you come back from wherever you've been to. Different phrase, so I wouldn't be so keen to say that "off holiday" is definitely wrong.

"I got money off my brother for Christmas" is more certainly wrong, IMO. Sounds like you bought him at a reduced price! That should definitely be from, as it is a gift that was given TO you, FROM him. But no doubt it's colloquially correct in some areas of the UK.

Getting an envelope off a table - well if it's on a table, then you'd be taking it off if you picked it up, so again, can't see the issue with that.

MadIsTheNewNormal · 31/12/2013 05:47

I think it's correct to use either in the examples you gave. What is not correct is 'off of.'

MadIsTheNewNormal · 31/12/2013 05:49

When you use 'off' you are talking about removing something from somewhere/someone/something else.

So 'back off holiday' you have removed yourself from the state of being on holiday.

'money off my brother' you have removed the money from him and onto you.

I took the hat off my brother would be correct, so I don't see this as being any different.

MadIsTheNewNormal · 31/12/2013 05:50

Although I agree that 'from' sounds more elegant and less clunky, and it is what I would say.

growl3th · 31/12/2013 13:11

I got money off of my brother is quite acceptable to me but it might only be colloquially correct.

And chance would be a fine thing.

Original poster
DancingInTheSnow · 31/12/2013 21:56

Ooo the tide has turned. How do we get a definitive answer?

OP posts:
prism · 01/01/2014 22:38

I'd suggest that "from" is likely to be considered correct because it emulates the ablative case in Latin, with Latin being the source of everything good about grammar as far as some pedants are concerned. On this model we use "to" when it looks like the dative case and "from when it looks like the ablative, because in English we just love adding prepositions to verbs to help them (or, in this context, "help them out").

Americans like it even more, so they say "off of", but "off" has never had an official function for changing the case of a verb, so it does sound ungrammatical when used on its own.

IMHO.

Bigfingers · 01/01/2014 23:00

can i just say i like the cut of your jib, prism.

tribpot · 01/01/2014 23:02

Judge prism has spoken

prism · 01/01/2014 23:27

Why thank you, Bigfingers. Some people would consider it madness to be sailing at all in this weather, but nothing ventured, nothing gained, I always say.

Bigfingers · 02/01/2014 21:28
Grin
CocktailQueen · 02/01/2014 21:31

No! 'Off' is wrong in both your examples. You get back from holiday, you get money from your brother (if you're lucky). Poor grammar otherwise.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page