Provide with vs. provide + object

[Torsten]

Hi, what exactly is the difference between these two phrases:

This guide provides you all of the information you need.
This guide provides you with all of the information you need.

Thanks in advance,
Torsten
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TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary

[Yankee]

Hi Torsten

I'd only leave out the word with if I also omitted you:

This guide provides all of the information you need.

Amy

[Torsten]

Hi Amy, that's what I thought too but on Jake Peeble's ESL School Finder page I came across this sentence:

This 776 page guide lists ESL schools around the world and provides you all of the information you need including:

Maybe, he simply forgot to insert the preposition with after you?
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Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary

[Yankee]

Hi Torsten

It may be mainly a question of preference. I personally would always write "provide you with" and I think that's also the most common usage.

But I'm pretty sure I've also seen it without with.

Amy

[Tom]

[Yankee]

[Tom]

Dear Amy

Once I did small research on this use of 'Provide' (with and without with), and consulted at least, far be it from me to exaggerate, 14 or 15 dictionaries. None of them showed the use of provide without with.During my research, I also came to know that the following words must also be used with with.

1- Supply Tom with regular answers.
2- Present Tom with a good English grammar book.
3- Serve Tom with a piece of cake and tea.
4- Supply Tom with all he wants.
5- Furnish Town with plenty of gossip.
6- Accomodate Tom with a loan (God forbid!)

So, according to the statistics it is more of a rule than a matter of opinion. Amy, what do you think about the six words I have given in my examples. Should I swear by them or they could also be used without with? I do not want to be too bookish!

Waiting

Tom

[Yankee]

Hi Tom

I would not use with in your 3rd example! Instead, I'd "serve Tom a piece of cake."

However, I would use with when 'serve' has different meanings:

- serve someone with honor
- serve him with a subpoena

Using with is good in your other examples.

Amy

[Torsten]

Just to add another thought on this topic, there also is the combination to provide for which can have several meanings too.
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TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary

[Tom]

Thank you, Amy

...but my Longman Dictionary writes in the entry of serve:

'Serve someone (guest etc) with something'

Would you say that it is again being too bookish and practical English is a bit further from it? Or again this with is optional?

Tom

[Yankee]

Hi Tom

This is either a case of AmE vs BE
- OR -
a good example of "The dangers of dictionaries"

In your "cake" sentence, a possible use of the word with wouldn't even fleetingly cross my mind.

Amy

[Tom]

[Alan]

Hi Tom,

Please don't burn your dictionary on my behalf. Remember that dictionaries worth their salt are descriptive and not prescriptive and no doubt some arcane book of duties for a waiter in some grand household might suggest that the waiter should serve the guests with coffee. But to me this is open to ridicule because with suggests in the manner of so that to me it would be: A waiter serves coffee with care. To answer your point specifically I would simply say: Serve someone coffee indicating that you are serving coffee to them.

Alan

PS Thanks for the temporary knighthood!
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