Aug 16, 2011 · 6 For free is an informal phrase used to mean "without cost or payment." These professionals were giving their time for free. The phrase is correct; you should not use it where …

Apr 15, 2017 · If so, my analysis amounts to a rule in search of actual usage—a prescription rather than a description. In any event, the impressive rise of "free of" against "free from" over …

Sep 16, 2011 · The choice of prepositions depends upon the temporal context in which you're speaking. "On ~ afternoon" implies that the afternoon is a single point in time; thus, that …

Mar 4, 2011 · I got a bit mixed up just now regarding the difference between "complimentary" and "complementary". My colleagues were arguing about the correct spelling of "complimentary …

May 20, 2022 · The fact that it was well-established long before OP's 1930s movies is attested by this sentence in the Transactions of the Annual Meeting from the South Carolina Bar …

Example: "are you free on the weekend so we can get together?" means this coming weekend or the implied weekend in reference whereas "are you free on a weekend?"

My company gives out free promotional items with the company name on it. Is this stuff called company swag or schwag? It seems that both come up as common usages—Google …

Saying free or available rather than busy may be considered a more "positive" enquiry. It may also simply mean that you expect the person to be busy rather than free, rather than the other way …

What's the difference between at hand, on hand and in hand? At hand seems to me as if you have something in reach. On hand is if you have something in stock. And in hand can be used …

Q&A for linguists, etymologists, and serious English language enthusiasts