For free.
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- Lemon Half
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Re: For free.
Perhaps you should be on the grumps board. I've always thought it a perfectly valid idiomatic expression.
Have you recently been hit with it in some dodgy marketing context?
Have you recently been hit with it in some dodgy marketing context?
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- Posts: 8
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Re: For free.
I remember a teacher at school some 40 years ago, drumming into us that, grammatically, it's either 'free', or it's 'for nothing', but it's not 'for free'. Over the years I have always thought of that teacher whenever someone has said 'for free', so agree completely, Riscagirl.
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- The full Lemon
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Re: For free.
If ever there were two boards born to be merged together, it is the Pedants' board and the Grumpy board.UncleEbenezer wrote:Perhaps you should be on the grumps board. I've always thought it a perfectly valid idiomatic expression.
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- Lemon Half
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Re: For free.
Where would that leave the cheerful pedants and the laissez faire grumps?Lootman wrote:If ever there were two boards born to be merged together, it is the Pedants' board and the Grumpy board.UncleEbenezer wrote:Perhaps you should be on the grumps board. I've always thought it a perfectly valid idiomatic expression.
John
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- The full Lemon
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Re: For free.
Where they are now - a statistically insignificant minority?redsturgeon wrote:Where would that leave the cheerful pedants and the laissez faire grumps?
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- Lemon Quarter
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Re: For free.
With the greatest of respect, I think that "laissez faire", when used as an adjective, should be hyphenated!redsturgeon wrote:Where would that leave the cheerful pedants and the laissez faire grumps?
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- Lemon Half
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Re: For free.
Damn, I thought I was in the grumpy place, it appears I was mistaken.
John
John
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- 2 Lemon pips
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Re: For free.
The way see this one is that free is an adjective, whereas nothing is a noun or quantity. Other adjectives might be cheap, expensive. Other quantities or nouns could include ten pounds, for example.
I got it "for nothing" or "for ten pounds"; not "for free" or "for cheap" (though I have heard it).
ChiliMonster
I got it "for nothing" or "for ten pounds"; not "for free" or "for cheap" (though I have heard it).
ChiliMonster
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- Lemon Half
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Re: For free.
The BBC News style guide concurs:
"Free
is an adjective (He left the court a free man) or an adverb (The spectators were admitted free). It is wrong to speak of receiving something ‘for free’. You receive it either free or for nothing." http://www.bbc.co.uk/academy/journalism ... 0112740749
However they don't always comply themselves:
"Work for free? How funny" http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-37924674
Scott.
"Free
is an adjective (He left the court a free man) or an adverb (The spectators were admitted free). It is wrong to speak of receiving something ‘for free’. You receive it either free or for nothing." http://www.bbc.co.uk/academy/journalism ... 0112740749
However they don't always comply themselves:
"Work for free? How funny" http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-37924674
Scott.
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- Lemon Quarter
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Re: For free.
'they are the Pedants' ...'Lootman wrote:If ever there were two boards born to be merged together, it is the Pedants' board and the Grumpy board.
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- Lemon Quarter
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Re: For free.
Can things be merged anything other than together?quelquod wrote:'they are the Pedants' ...'Lootman wrote:If ever there were two boards born to be merged together, it is the Pedants' board and the Grumpy board.
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- The full Lemon
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Re: For free.
Yes, the "together" in my statement is redundant, just like the "anything" in your statement.chas49 wrote:'Can things be merged anything other than together?Lootman wrote:If ever there were two boards born to be merged together, it is the Pedants' board and the Grumpy board.
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- Lemon Quarter
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Re: For free.
===============Lootman wrote:Where they are now - a statistically insignificant minority?redsturgeon wrote:Where would that leave the cheerful pedants and the laissez faire grumps?
there are a lot of us about ...
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- Lemon Quarter
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Re: For free.
I am so impressed. One lady on the radio just said "for nothing". There is hope, still.
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- Lemon Half
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Re: For free.
Freedom is for nothing? Oh dear.JMN2 wrote:I am so impressed. One lady on the radio just said "for nothing". There is hope, still.
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- Lemon Quarter
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Re: For free.
Don't know anything about freedom, just heard someone say for nothing instead of for free.UncleEbenezer wrote:Freedom is for nothing? Oh dear.JMN2 wrote:I am so impressed. One lady on the radio just said "for nothing". There is hope, still.