offer to help

Meanings

1. 1verbtransitive or intransitive

   to say that you are willing to help someone

   Grammar: Followed by 'to' + base verb: offer to help. Can be used with or without an object: she offered to help; she offered to help me.

   Patterns

   • offer to help someone
   • offer to help with something
   • offer to help do something

   When he saw me struggling with the boxes, he offered to help.

   She offered to help with the cooking, but we had already finished.

   The neighbors offered to help us move the furniture.

2. 2phrasesingular

   an act of saying you are willing to help

   Grammar: Used as a noun phrase with 'an': an offer to help. Usually singular in this sense.

   Patterns

   • an offer to help
   • accept an offer to help
   • decline an offer to help

   His offer to help was kind, but we managed on our own.

   I accepted her offer to help with the invitations.

   She politely declined his offer to help.

Common combinations

offer to help with something

He offered to help with the cleaning.

offer to help someone

They offered to help the elderly woman cross the road.

kindly offer to help

A stranger kindly offered to help us find the station.

accept an offer to help

She gratefully accepted his offer to help.

Synonyms and how they differ

volunteer

Stronger and more formal; it often suggests taking the initiative without being asked.

step in

Means to get involved to help, but does not include the act of saying you are willing.

Opposites

Word family

offer verb

To say you are willing to give or do something.

offering noun

Something that is given or offered, often as a gift.

Commonly confused: offer to help or offer help?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “offer to help”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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