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For free.
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- The full Lemon
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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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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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Re: For free.
UncleEbenezer wrote:Perhaps you should be on the grumps board. I've always thought it a perfectly valid idiomatic expression.
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 Half
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Re: For free.
Lootman wrote:UncleEbenezer wrote:Perhaps you should be on the grumps board. I've always thought it a perfectly valid idiomatic expression.
If ever there were two boards born to be merged together, it is the Pedants' board and the Grumpy board.
Where would that leave the cheerful pedants and the laissez faire grumps?
John
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Re: For free.
redsturgeon wrote:Where would that leave the cheerful pedants and the laissez faire grumps?
Where they are now - a statistically insignificant minority?
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- Lemon Quarter
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Re: For free.
redsturgeon wrote:Where would that leave the cheerful pedants and the laissez faire grumps?
With the greatest of respect, I think that "laissez faire", when used as an adjective, should be hyphenated!
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- Lemon Half
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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/news-style-guide/article/art20131010112740749
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/news-style-guide/article/art20131010112740749
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.
Lootman wrote:If ever there were two boards born to be merged together, it is the Pedants' board and the Grumpy board.
'they are the Pedants' ...'
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- Lemon Quarter
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Re: For free.
quelquod wrote:Lootman wrote:If ever there were two boards born to be merged together, it is the Pedants' board and the Grumpy board.
'they are the Pedants' ...'
Can things be merged anything other than together?
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Re: For free.
chas49 wrote:Lootman wrote:If ever there were two boards born to be merged together, it is the Pedants' board and the Grumpy board.
'Can things be merged anything other than together?
Yes, the "together" in my statement is redundant, just like the "anything" in your statement.
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- Lemon Quarter
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Re: For free.
Lootman wrote:redsturgeon wrote:Where would that leave the cheerful pedants and the laissez faire grumps?
Where they are now - a statistically insignificant minority?
===============
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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Re: For free.
JMN2 wrote:I am so impressed. One lady on the radio just said "for nothing". There is hope, still.
Freedom is for nothing? Oh dear.
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Re: For free.
UncleEbenezer wrote:JMN2 wrote:I am so impressed. One lady on the radio just said "for nothing". There is hope, still.
Freedom is for nothing? Oh dear.
Don't know anything about freedom, just heard someone say for nothing instead of for free.
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