ENGLISH
REFERENCE

give away

phr. v..
A2 Elementary Oxford General-service

phr. v.. to give something to someone for free because you no longer want or need it.

phr. v.. to transfer ownership of an item to another party without receiving payment; can also mean to inadvertently reveal a secret or advantage.


SIMPLE

I decided to give away my old clothes to charity.

CONTEXTUAL

The shop is giving away free samples of their new perfume to every customer who enters today.

COMPLEX

Although he tried to remain calm, his shaking hands began to give away his true feelings of anxiety during the interview.

Particles
away
Separability
optional
Pattern
give + (object) + away
Usage

often used with physical objects, but can also apply to information or secrets.

Teaching tip

distinguish between the literal sense of donating items and the figurative sense of revealing a secret; use 'give away the ending' of a movie as a relatable classroom example.

Pitfall

He gave away to his car.He gave away his car.the verb is transitive and takes a direct object; do not use 'to' between the verb and the item being given.

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