Teacher Discussion Forums

Which is more appropriate to use of the idiom

1. Give me a hand
2. Lend me a hand

I am looking for most appropraite usage. The Dave ESLCAFE Idiom site specified the different usage of the two.

Thanks



Paksu

Which is more appropriate to use of the idiom

1. Give me a hand
2. Lend me a hand

I am looking for most appropraite usage. The Dave ESLCAFE Idiom site specified the different usage of the two.

If you rewrite this as,
1. "Give someone a hand," and
2. "Lend someone a hand,"

then Give has two uses, but lend only one. Both can be used as a polite way to ask for help. IMO, neither is more nor less appropiate in this case.

"Give someone a hand," can also be used to ask for aplause although this use is becoming less common these days, for instance an MC might say, "Give him/her a hand."

While not impossible, it would be rather crass for a performer to say, "Give me a hand," after finishing a performance.

I could perhaps imagine Steve Cougan's charactor "Alan Partridge" doing it, but that would be to show in a comical way how crass the request would be.

Which is more appropriate to use of the idiom

1. Give me a hand
2. Lend me a hand

I am looking for most appropraite usage. The Dave ESLCAFE Idiom site specified the different usage of the two.

If you rewrite this as,
1. "Give someone a hand," and
2. "Lend someone a hand,"

then Give has two uses, but lend only one. Both can be used as a polite way to ask for help. IMO, neither is more nor less appropiate in this case.

"Give someone a hand," can also be used to ask for aplause although this use is becoming less common these days, for instance an MC might say, "Give him/her a hand."

While not impossible, it would be rather crass for a performer to say, "Give me a hand," after finishing a performance.

I could perhaps imagine Steve Cougan's charactor "Alan Partridge" doing it, but that would be to show in a comical way how crass the request would be.