Meaning trap
give away
give something for free
To give something to someone without asking for money or anything in return.
Don't mix these meanings
Same phrase, different job.
To give something to someone without asking for money or anything in return.
Another meaning of 'give away' is 'reveal a secret'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
- I'm going to give away my old bike to my cousin because I don't use it anymore.daily life
- If I had extra clothes that I no longer wore, I would probably give them away to charity rather than throw them out.IELTS speaking
Fix the pattern
Pattern: give something away (to someone)
WrongThey gave away it for free.
RightThey gave it away for free.
With a pronoun, the object goes in the middle: 'give it away'.
Patterngive something away (to someone)
Use it right
Choose the version that sounds natural in speech.
'Give away' is the natural verb for handing things out free; 'distributed free samples' is a marketing report.
Build natural chunks
Words that usually travel with it.
give away + thingfree samplesprizesitold clothes
Don't confuse it
'Give away' is different from 'sell', which means to exchange for money.
Related
- give away (reveal a secret) — Another meaning of 'give away' is 'reveal a secret'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.