ENGLISH
REFERENCE

give of

phr. v..
C1 Advanced Oxford Formal Literary

phr. v.. to share your time, money, or energy generously to help others.

phr. v.. to contribute or devote a portion of one's resources, such as time, effort, or money, typically for the benefit of others or a cause.


SIMPLE

She always gives of her time to help the local charity.

CONTEXTUAL

The volunteers give of themselves every weekend to ensure the community garden thrives.

COMPLEX

In times of national crisis, citizens are often called upon to give of their personal wealth to support the collective recovery.

Particles
of
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
give + of + object
Usage

usually followed by a reflexive pronoun like 'oneself' or a possessive noun phrase like 'one's time'.

Teaching tip

contrast with the simple verb 'give'; 'give of' emphasizes the selfless nature of the act and the internal resources being shared.

Pitfall

He gives of his money to the poor.He gives his money to the poor.while 'give of' is grammatically correct for resources, it is a formal literary style; in most cases, the simple verb 'give' is more natural.

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