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MUSCOVITE Posted 16 years ago
Vocabulary
"at hand" v "on hand" v "to hand"
Hi,
I am trying to figure out if there are any noticiable differences among them.
Ex#1: Professional, attentive service is always to hand
"to hand" is only used in Br Eng? ( Y? N?)
Ex#2: An efficient concierge service is always on hand to attend to your needs
Ex#3: ...round-the clock butler service is always at hand
Do I understand correctly that "on hand" and "at hand"are 100% interchangeable in AmEng? (Y? N?)
thanks in advance
muscovite
I am trying to figure out if there are any noticiable differences among them.
Ex#1: Professional, attentive service is always to hand
"to hand" is only used in Br Eng? ( Y? N?)
Ex#2: An efficient concierge service is always on hand to attend to your needs
Ex#3: ...round-the clock butler service is always at hand
Do I understand correctly that "on hand" and "at hand"are 100% interchangeable in AmEng? (Y? N?)
thanks in advance
muscovite
Top answer
As an AmE speaker, I use at hand and to hand to mean 'very conveniently near and accessible', and on hand to mean 'in stock, available'.
- As an AmE speaker, I use at hand and to hand to mean 'very conveniently near and accessible', and on hand to mean 'in stock, available'.
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4 Answers
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As an AmE speaker, I use at hand and to hand to mean 'very conveniently near and accessible', and on hand to mean 'in stock, available'.
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I agree with the differentiation with "on hand" but I'm not familiar with "to hand" being used this way. (Another American speaker.)
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