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Joined: Feb 2012 Gender: Female Posts: 3 Location: Kent
"For Free" « Thread Started on Feb 6, 2012, 8:42pm »
Many things these days are advertised "for free", for example one I've seen today: "Have your CV reviewed professionally, for free". My mother, however, tells me this is incorrect and "for" should not be used in front of "free". Is she correct?
Joined: Feb 2009 Gender: Male Posts: 264 Location: Boston, Lincs. UK
Re: "For Free" « Reply #1 on Feb 6, 2012, 11:01pm »
Your mother is correct. If something costs 50p then it is sold "for 50p". If something costs nothing, then it is sold "for nothing" . It is never sold "for free"
Joined: Feb 2009 Gender: Male Posts: 702 Location: San Jose, CA
Re: "For Free" « Reply #2 on Feb 7, 2012, 6:54am »
For free is frequently used here in the US, and I gather that it's being used in the UK and Australia as well, evidently much to the dismay of many. Personally, I don't see it as a problem to be overly concerned about. Perhaps you can view it as one of those unstoppable evolutions. It doesn't have to be a phrase you yourself use.
Joined: Feb 2009 Gender: Male Posts: 264 Location: Boston, Lincs. UK
Re: "For Free" « Reply #3 on Feb 7, 2012, 10:42am »
This is another example of how American usage is spoiling UK English Of course, the US has a perfect right to its own grammar, and I applaud the difference, but I am opposed to its use in UK English. "To-nite" is now considered smart as is "for free" and "it looks like it will rain"
Re: "For Free" « Reply #4 on Feb 8, 2012, 10:36pm »
For free is anathema!
I want it for cheap? NO!
I bought it for dear? NO!
Get it for free? NO!
Sae: Mother is right (not for right).
At least thrice daily I have to expunge that ghastly for free solecism from adverts or advertorial in the newspapers I subedit. We even lost one advertiser over it because he insisted that for free was acceptable where he came from (the USA). However, he had no objection to my constantly emending his US-centric English (mostly spellings such as center to centre) to make it appropriate for an Oz readership.
No. I've never seen an anathema used (well) with any article, definite or indefinite. Churches pronounce anathema; one who is subject to such a pronouncement is described as anathema (in what the OED describes as a semi-adjectival form).
I believe the expression an anathema to be as poor as the hoi polloi (hoi meaning the). Anathema just doesn't seem to take an or the.
Joined: Jan 2012 Gender: Male Posts: 458 Location: W. Yorkshire, England
Re: "For Free" « Reply #8 on Feb 9, 2012, 1:14am »
But it is defined as a noun in Chambers Twentieth Century Dictionary, therefore why can it not take an indefinite article, as in, for instance, ' Its a curse'.
Furthermore, I dont believe the expression 'an anathema' is tautological.
Re: "For Free" « Reply #9 on Feb 9, 2012, 2:42am »
"For free"
Chambers, 9th edn. (2003) -- Its entry for free lists it as verb, adverb, and adjective -- no noun form. It does, however, acknowledge noun forms in combination (e.g. freefall, freewheel ...). For free gets no mention anywhere in the page-and-a-half of the entry.
Ditto for Collins, 7th edn. (2005), except it does, at the very end, mention for free -- but with no quotations or validation.
Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate, 10th edn. (2001) has free as verb and adjective (no noun form); for free gets a mention at the very end, once more with no quotations or validation.
Macquarie International, 2nd edn. (2004) -- a.k.a. Encarta: verb, adverb, adjective: no noun form listed; for free mentioned at very end with neither supporting quotations nor comments.
Macquarie (Oz), rev. 3rd edn. (2003) -- verb, adverb, adjective -- no noun form; for free is mentioned at item #35 (of 40); at the entry's end is the comment: “There are those who object to the phrase for free, arguing that the for is redundant [...]. Our corpus demonstrates that for free has undoubted currency in Australian English today, although in contexts which are not strictly formal.”
The OED, 2nd edn. -- verb, adverb, adjective, and in one context only (“land of the free”) noun. In all the OED’s 91 definitional entries and 741 supporting quotations / references (dating from 888 to 2006) there is no mention or allowance of free, standing alone, as a noun; there are instances of such acceptance when free is in combination, such as in freefall. For free is not mentioned until item #77 (of 91 items) and is labelled "parochial". OED gives no quotations or references for for free.
It would seem that dictionaries -- these days largely descriptive rather than prescriptive tomes -- will go no farther than to acknowledge the term’s existence; none validate, explain, or authorise for free in any other way.
Therefore I conclude that use of for free in any non-informal context is a sign of the psittacist or the oik.
But it is defined as a noun in Chambers Twentieth Century Dictionary, therefore why can it not take an indefinite article, as in, for instance, ' Its a curse'.
Furthermore, I dont believe the expression 'an anathema' is tautological.
Perhaps not tautological, but certainly unusual in literature. Here are some quotations (lifted from the OED) that dispense with the article (and in the contexts given quite rightly):
1648 R. Herrick Hesperides sig. S7, Who read'st this Book that I have writ, And can'st not mend, but carpe at it: By all the muses! thou shalt be Anathema to it, and me. 1590 Swinburn Testaments 60 Vnlesse he be excommunicate with that great curse, which is called Anathema. 1634 Canne Necess. Separ. (1849) 162 Delivered over unto Satan, proclaimed publicans, heathens, anathema. 1765 Tucker Lt. Nat. II. 299 Saint Paul wished to become anathema himself, so he could thereby save his brethren. 1850 Gladstone Gleanings V. xiv. 182 To deliver over to anathema the memories of our forefathers in the Church. 1862 Littell's Living Age 5 Apr. 22/1 Apple-green papers in bedrooms have long been anathema to nervous men. 1880 Littell's Living Age 6 Mar. 617/2 Glory such as Rajah Brooke has won was anathema to him. 1919 R. Firbank Valmouth xi. 189 A book is anathema to her. 1944Sun (Baltimore) 19 Oct. 21/2 Defeats are anathema to gridsters with January 1 [i.e. the day on which post-season bowl games are played] on their minds. 1970 M. Tormé Other Side of Rainbow (1971) iii. 50 While lip-syncing is anathema to most singers, it was Judy's particular teacup. 2005Gay Times Dec. 150/1 The idea of paying to simply go into a bar is anathema to us Northerners.
When the church declares someone or something accursed, of the devil, etc. the church declares them anathema, not an anathema.
Joined: Jan 2012 Gender: Male Posts: 458 Location: W. Yorkshire, England
Re: "For Free" « Reply #12 on Feb 9, 2012, 8:33am »
Great quotes, Verbivore. Havent seen any of them before. So reassuring to see Dave's contrary quote though. I have only ever come across 'anathema' together with its article.
My 'Chambers' also gives anathamatical as an adjective. I wouldnt use the word myself, even in anger!
Great quotes, Verbivore. Havent seen any of them before. So reassuring to see Dave's contrary quote though. I have only ever come across 'anathema' together with its article.
My 'Chambers' also gives anathamatical as an adjective. I wouldnt use the word myself, even in anger!
Anathema itself can be adjectival, too: "The pope pronounced the heretic anathema" is a perfectly grammatical usage.
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