Off of

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1. "Get off of me".2. "Get away from me."I don't understand why two different prepositions are used in the two sentences.What is the distinction between "from" and "of" in the above two sentences ?

Avangi · Accepted Answer

Debpriya De1. "Get off of me".

2. "Get away from me."
I don't understand why two different prepositions are used in the two sentences.
What is the distinction between "from" and "of" in the above two sentences ?

Are you asking why each example requires two prepositions,
or why the prepositions in #1 are different from the prepositions in #2?
I'm assuming the latter.

Of course in #1 the "of" is optional, and perhaps best deleted.

It's just the way it is.

We say "the tarp is on top of the load." (The "of" may not be deleted, although "atop the load" is used.)

"The truck is parked beside of the road." (We do not use the "of" here!)

"The cat crawled underneath of the house."

"The plane is flying above of the clouds."

"On top of" usually implies contact. "On me" has the same implication. "Off me" is the opposite.

"I am two miles from my home." No contact.

"My home is two miles away [from me]."

Get him away of / from me. Keep him away of / from me. ("Of" simply is not used this way.)

Edit. I believe the "of" is also mandatory with "abreast," which does not involve contact. Go figure.
The other car pulled abreast of us and someone fired a couple of shots.

CalifJim · Answer

Debpriya De1. "Get off of me".
2. "Get away from me."
I don't understand why two different prepositions are used in the two sentences.

Join the club! I don't think anybody else does either.

"off of", which can be reduced to "off", and "away from" are just two common combinations of words. You would probably have to study the history of the language to find out how those combinations came about through the centuries.

CJ

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