Hello,
I ran off to give her some assistance.
I’m wondering the nuiance of ‘off’ here. I think “I ran to give her some assistance.” would be enough, but why “off” here? Does it give some meaning of “suddenly” “quickly” here? I’m curious.
Thank you in advance,
sweetpumpkin
I ran off to give…
I ran to give…
These mean almost the same thing. They can be interchanged in many cases. In other cases there is a slight difference. In both cases you are going to give her assistance. I ran off has more of a feel that you are leaving something and dropping what you are doing. I ran doesn’t have the same feeling that you are currently involved with something.
Maybe consider the difference between leaving and going. If you leave the house to go to the store, you are both leaving and going. You would not normally say both. Whether you are leaving or going depends on where you place your emphasis. You would normally say you are going to the store. However if you have a spouse or a roommate it’s polite to let them know you are leaving. In that case you might tell them you are leaving.
The difference between I ran off to and I ran to is more subtle than the above analogy, but it’s the only analogy I could think of.