give away, give out, give off 辨析

1. give away 和 give out 都可表示“分发”，但有区别：前者主要表示免费分发(即赠送)，而后者则表示一般性的分发或散发等。如：

He gave away all his pictures. 他把画全部送人了。

The teacher gave out the examination papers. 老师把试卷发了下来。

I saw a man giving out handbills in the street. 我在街上看见一个人在散发传单。

表示“颁发”时，两者都可用。如：

The principal will give out diplomas. 校长将颁发文凭。

The mayor gave away the prizes at the school sports. 市长在校运会上颁发了奖品。

除以上意思外，两者还有很多彼此不相关的用法：

(1) give away 可表示“泄露”、“出卖”等。如：

He gave away the secret through carelessness. 他一时大意泄露了秘密。

I know you didn’t want to give your friend away. 我知道你不想出卖朋友。

(2) give out 可表示“用完”、“垮掉”、“失灵”、 “公布”等。如：

Our money soon gave out. 我们的钱很快就用完了。

Her patience finally gave out. 她终于失去了耐心。

The chair gave out under the fat woman. 这个胖女人把椅子坐垮了。

Our car engine suddenly gave out. 我们汽车的发动机突然坏了。

It was given out that the President had been shot. 据称总统受到了枪击。

2. give out 和 give off 两者都可表示“发出”光、热、声音、气味等，常可换用。如：

The wild flowers give off [out] a nice smell. 这些野花发出一股香味。

The chemical change gives off [out] heat and light. 这种化学变化发出热和光。