http://www.englishforums.com/English/EslGeneralEnglishGrammar-Questions/Forum12.htmAsk your questions on grammar and get your sentence checked. We answer lots of different types of general English grammar questions here. <font color=red>DO NOT post paragraphs and compositions here. Post them in our <a href="http://www.englishforums.com/English/EssayReportCompositionWriting/Forum9.htm"><b>Essay, Report and Composition Writing Forum</b></a>.</font>enXMOD (Build: 3607.32596)http://www.englishforums.com/English/EatItVsEatOfIt/bnxdb/post.htm#151539Sun, 22 Feb 2009 21:05:09 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:151539paco20040http://www.englishforums.com/English/EatItVsEatOfIt/bnxdb/post.htm#151539http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-151539.xmlHello Anon Your question is interesting. “Eat of” is an expression new to me. So I looked for the phrase in my dictionaries. OED says it is an archaic expression popular in Middle English (as Mr Micawber said). The ‘of’ is a relic of the Old English’s genitive case of nouns and gives a partitive sense to its object. “I ate the apple” is “I ate the whole of the apple”. 　But “I ate of the apple” could mean “I ate a part of the apple” or “I bit the apple”. pacohttp://www.englishforums.com/English/EatItVsEatOfIt/bnxdb/post.htm#151504Sun, 22 Mar 2009 21:05:09 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:151504Mister Micawber1http://www.englishforums.com/English/EatItVsEatOfIt/bnxdb/post.htm#151504http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-151504.xmlEat of is archaic-- almost Biblical in its portions.http://www.englishforums.com/English/EatItVsEatOfIt/bnxdb/post.htmFri, 22 May 2009 20:05:09 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:151488Anonymous2http://www.englishforums.com/English/EatItVsEatOfIt/bnxdb/post.htmhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-151488.xmlDear helpers, I was reading a book. In the book, there was a sentence - he ate of it. I am wondering what the difference is btw 1. He ate of it. and 2. He ate it. Thank you all of you for your help. ^^