Discussion Groups / ESL Teaching / May 2005

This one was fun.

My American ear agrees, Owain.

I've never heard a university-educated Briton say "off of," and I've
heard hundreds of university-educated Americans say it.

I would have bet good money that it was a pure Americanism.

Then I went to my books and found that, like so many other forms, "off
of" is an old British form that is now considered wrong but has
survived in the States.

References:

The phrase in this context first appears in Shakespeare, has been dying
out in the UK since the late 1800s, and by the beginning of the
twentieth century was considered non-standard. In the US, the usage
survives and is acceptable, although it is not fully respectable.

(Paraphrased summary of article in _Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of
English Usage_), 1994

"*off of* is still strongly present in the language of the less well
educated but is indisputably non-standard in Britain."

(excerpt of "off of" article, _The New Fowler's Modern English Usage_,
revised 3rd edition, 1998)

"'In American English, *off of* 'is widespread in speech, including
that of the educated...but is rare in edited writing.'"

(Quote from _Random House Webster's College Dictionary_, 1991 in
_Fowler_ ibidem (I do not own this book but most science editors in the
States would))

OFF - "Never put 'of' after this word"
_The Chicago Manual of Style_, 15th edition, 2003

Chicago is known as being the most pricklish of American style manuals,
possibly because it isn't really a style manual but a guide on U.
Chicago house style.

Last, but not least in an OED Online Draft Revision for March 2004, the
first citation has been put back to "circa 1450."

Go figure!

I'm afraid that this is not the case. See the references given by
credoquaabsurdum - "off of" is acceptable American usage and was common
in Britain but is no longer regarded as acceptable.

Regards, Einde O'Callaghan