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Crawh Posted 13 years ago
Grammar
Hang Off, From
If I try to use the verb 'hang' in some situations:
"A lantern hangs from/off a tree branch."
"He is tall. So when he sleeps in his bed, his feet hang from/off the bed."
Should it be 'from' or 'off' that comes after 'hang'?
"A lantern hangs from/off a tree branch."
"He is tall. So when he sleeps in his bed, his feet hang from/off the bed."
Should it be 'from' or 'off' that comes after 'hang'?
Top answer
I would say A lantern hangs from a tree branch. He is tall. So when he sleeps in his bed, his feet hang off the bed.
- I would say A lantern hangs from a tree branch.
- He is tall.
- So when he sleeps in his bed, his feet hang off the bed.
- I'm not aware of any rule on the matter, but I would be more likely to use from if "X" were attached to, and supported by, "Y", and I would be more likely to use off if "X" were sticking out to the side or only loosely attached to "Y".
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2 Answers
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I would say
A lantern hangs from a tree branch.
He is tall. So when he sleeps in his bed, his feet hang off the bed.
I'm not aware of any
A lantern hangs from a tree branch.
He is tall. So when he sleeps in his bed, his feet hang off the bed.
I'm not aware of any
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I would say generally speaking that "from" emphasises the connection/attachment to the supporting object, so "from" is appropriate in the lantern example but not so much in the feet example (since his feet are not actually attached to the bed).
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