[Grammar] Run away or Run off

[gurpreetgill4u]

I'd really appreciate if someone could shed some light on it.

He ran away with my purse.
He ran off with my purse.

Sped on. The meaning is that the car continued along a route already
begun. There is a suggestion that movement had just been interrupted or hindered
or nearly hindered. Perhaps, for example, the car had had to stop or slow down
because of something lying in the road. Or maybe a policeman had just signaled
the driver to stop.
– Sped along. along signifies progressive, linear movement. Unlike on2,
it never implies a prior pause or a (potential) hindrance. Rather, it connotes free
cruising.
– Sped off : Recall that off is the opposite of on1 rather than on2. So, we should ask,
“’Of ’ what?” Th answer is, “of the spot the car had been stopped or parked on”.
But, unlike on2, off does not imply that the car was resuming or continuing a
journey already in progress.
– Sped away. Like off, and unlike on2, away is neutral about whether a route is
(was…) being resumed after a pause or continued despite a (potential) hindrance.
away is unlike both on2 and off in that it is neutral about whether the car was
actually ever even exactly at the scene which is the focus of attention – the scene
of a crime, for instance.



Based on this run away with a purse does not mean that the thief was actually at the spot of crime which off clearly does.So how come both run away with and run off with implies the same meaning?

BTW these lines are from "English prepositions by Seth Lindstromberg.

 

[bhaisahab]

He ran away with my purse.
He ran off with my purse.

They mean the same.

 

[gurpreetgill4u]

I know they mean the same thing but based on this book away does not give us any indication as to whether that thief was actually at the scene or not but off does so.
I am trying to figure out some difference b/w these two in context of sped away vs sped off.

 

[emsr2d2]

How could someone run off/away with something if they weren't there?

 

[gurpreetgill4u]

I feel so stupid to ask the same thing over and over but I am still curious.

Let me share this example from the book

We saw the car coming toward us down a hill in the distance, but when it was about
halfway down, it turned around and sped away [from us] up the hill again.


According to this book,and this is true,away here does not indicate that the car actually reached the speaker but if I sub it with off it would change the meaning to "car actually reached where speaker was standing and then it turned away'.
Now again,In the one with away ,Maybe car was moving towards the speaker but never really reached where the speaker was and turned away.

Run away (from her) with her purse could mean that the person who took the purse was never really there ,I know sounds stupid .
Run off (from her) with her purse would mean that the person who took it was there i.e he first came to her then picked up her purse and finally ran with it in his hand in some direction.

These statements look strange even to me but I am trying to find some sort of difference between off and away in this context ,if exist at all.

 

[MikeNewYork]

In the context of a car, I see no real difference between sped off and sped away.

 

[Peedeebee]

The question about "off" or "away" is not really to do with the thief being at the exact place to start with. And the one about the car is not to do with the car reaching the person first.
It's about going (away) in a direction further- not nearer.
Yes both words mean the same. We almost always use them to mean the same.Look at the one about the car; you could get the same meaning by deleting the word off or the word away, as long as it still said -up the hill-
(But there are some times when the word away is the one to use. Eg: "run away to sea" in English stories means leave home/go in secret/start a new life/when you're young... "Run off.... " wouldn't be "right"- not traditional enough!)

But you're right to ask- it's confusing. For example the 2 words mean different things in other settings. "Throw away a coat" means put it in the rubbish. "Throw off a coat" means take it off quickly ........because you're going to jump in the water to save someone....

 

[Wardie1993]

I'd really appreciate if someone could shed some light on it.

He ran away with my purse.
He ran off with my purse.

Sped on. The meaning is that the car continued along a route already
begun. There is a suggestion that movement had just been interrupted or hindered
or nearly hindered. Perhaps, for example, the car had had to stop or slow down
because of something lying in the road. Or maybe a policeman had just signaled
the driver to stop.
– Sped along. along signifies progressive, linear movement. Unlike on2,
it never implies a prior pause or a (potential) hindrance. Rather, it connotes free
cruising.
– Sped off : Recall that off is the opposite of on1 rather than on2. So, we should ask,
“’Of ’ what?” Th answer is, “of the spot the car had been stopped or parked on”.
But, unlike on2, off does not imply that the car was resuming or continuing a
journey already in progress.
– Sped away. Like off, and unlike on2, away is neutral about whether a route is
(was…) being resumed after a pause or continued despite a (potential) hindrance.
away is unlike both on2 and off in that it is neutral about whether the car was
actually ever even exactly at the scene which is the focus of attention – the scene
of a crime, for instance.



Based on this run away with a purse does not mean that the thief was actually at the spot of crime which off clearly does.So how come both run away with and run off with implies the same meaning?

BTW these lines are from "English prepositions by Seth Lindstromberg.

in this instance both ran away and ran off are interchangeable, they both mean that he was running further away with the purse, both are correct.

EDIT: I am not an English teacher, just a native English speaker.

 

[MikeNewYork]

Wardie, if you are going to answer learner's questions, you need to indicate "not a teacher" in your post. You might want to put that in your signature, so you don't forget.

 

[BobK]

Incidentally, I find statements like 'According to this book,and this is true,...' rather disturbing. Authoritative sources are valuable, but at some stage one has to admit the possibility that a published text can sometimes be questioned. This particular one was originally published in 1947, and admittedly revised several times since - most recently in 2010 (if that's the edition in question).

b

 

[Wardie1993]

Wardie, if you are going to answer learner's questions, you need to indicate "not a teacher" in your post. You might want to put that in your signature, so you don't forget.

How do I edit my signature?

 

[MikeNewYork]

Hopefully, a moderator will answer that. In the meantime, you can just add it to your posts.

 

[Eckaslike]

How do I edit my signature?

I am not a moderator, but hopefully I can help.

On the menu above, click on the "Forum Actions" drop-down menu and select "Edit Profile".

On the left-hand side of the screen under "My Profile" click on "Edit Signature".

Write your text in the text box and either preview it using the "Preview Signature" button, or save it using the "Save Signature" button.

Has that worked for you?