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Dodgyger Posted 19 years ago
Grammar
Of and Off
I have often seen lists of materials and things where the author has used the terminology 'off' instead of 'of', i.e. 4 off bolts, 4 off nuts, etc. I have always thought that this was incorrect and have always used 'of', i.e. 4 of bolts, 4 of nuts, etc. My problem is that my boss has told me to change a quote I have just created using 'of' because he says that 'off' is correct.
Can anyone explain to me if there is a correct way or not?
Can anyone explain to me if there is a correct way or not?
Top answer
Dodgyger, First off: "four bolts" and "four nuts" You haven't given a context for bolts and nuts. I take it there should be something like "four spare bolts and four spare nuts". If so, "off" seems correct, not "of".
- Dodgyger, First off: "four bolts" and "four nuts" You haven't given a context for bolts and nuts.
- I take it there should be something like "four spare bolts and four spare nuts".
- If so, "off" seems correct, not "of".
- "Of" is a preposition, which rules Partitive case ("a leg of a chair").
- "Off" can be either a preposition, ruling Ablative case (equal to "from", "away from", "out of") or an adverb with the same meaning.
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6 Answers
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Dodgyger,
First off: "four bolts" and "four nuts"
You haven't given a context for bolts and nuts. I take it there should be something like "four spare bolts and four spare nuts". If so, "off" seems correct, not "of".
"Of" is a preposition, which rules Partitive case ("a leg of a chair"). "Off" can be either a preposition, ruling Ablative case (equal to "from", "away fro
First off: "four bolts" and "four nuts"
You haven't given a context for bolts and nuts. I take it there should be something like "four spare bolts and four spare nuts". If so, "off" seems correct, not "of".
"Of" is a preposition, which rules Partitive case ("a leg of a chair"). "Off" can be either a preposition, ruling Ablative case (equal to "from", "away fro
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Hi,
I used to work in a materials supply company and yes, it is common to use 'off' after individual items. When these sorts of companies are making lists then they rarely bother to write out the entire name and details - it would take forever. For example, if they sold bolts in packs of 200 and individually, 4 off bolts would mean 4 individual bolts and not 4 packets. The 'off' shows tha
I used to work in a materials supply company and yes, it is common to use 'off' after individual items. When these sorts of companies are making lists then they rarely bother to write out the entire name and details - it would take forever. For example, if they sold bolts in packs of 200 and individually, 4 off bolts would mean 4 individual bolts and not 4 packets. The 'off' shows tha
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Hi,
The bolts and nuts were just an anology, probably a bad one! I was meaning that the rule using "off" is used no matter what people are buying or selling and these lists always use the number rather than the written form. For example, 10 off sweets, 20 off rubber rings, 2 off switches, 1 off settee, etc.
The way that I was looking at it was; if you were to go into a shop and
The bolts and nuts were just an anology, probably a bad one! I was meaning that the rule using "off" is used no matter what people are buying or selling and these lists always use the number rather than the written form. For example, 10 off sweets, 20 off rubber rings, 2 off switches, 1 off settee, etc.
The way that I was looking at it was; if you were to go into a shop and
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Nona The Brit"Don't ask me why, it's just the convention in this sort of context."This is the answer that I was looking for. Is the convention in this sort of context the correct way?
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Yes, it's the accepted and therefore the correct way to do it in the wholesale industry. Don't start going into sweet shops and asking for 3 off chocolates though.
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Conversely, you can't ask for "three of chocolates" either.You can say either "three of the chocolates, which lie over there" or just "three chocolates".
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