reach out for and reach for

jiang · #1 (**permalink**) 29-Feb-2008, 12:56

Dear teachers,

I found it difficult to distinguish 'reach out for' and 'reach for'. Please read the following:

" My pleasure, " she said. Reaching for my bag, she took it down from the rack.
I know 'reach for' is correct. My question is: Is it correct to use " reaching out for " in this sentence?

Looking forward to hearing from you.
Thank you in advance.

Jiang

susiedqq · #2 (**permalink**) 29-Feb-2008, 13:00

She didn't just "reach out"

She reached for the bag.

You don't need the "out"

Shakespeare's brother · #3 (**permalink**) 29-Feb-2008, 13:02

And I would remark that 'reach out' is a term used mainly in narrative passages for effect.

susiedqq · #4 (**permalink**) 29-Feb-2008, 16:54

A major telephone company had a slogan, "Reach Out And Touch Someone" for years; there was also a song by that name.

susiedqq · #5 (**permalink**) 29-Feb-2008, 16:57

Sprint phone slogan

and Diana Ross song.

apex2000 · #6 (**permalink**) 29-Feb-2008, 19:09

Reach for, covers most circumstances but reach out for indicates reaching further than just reach for, possibly over a space or drop.

vil · #7 (**permalink**) 29-Feb-2008, 21:07

Attention: I’m not a teacher!

Hi jiang,

reach for = to move your arm in order to touch or lift something with your hand / stretch one’s hand out, make a long hand

Kelly reached for his gun.
She reached for a cigarette.
She reached in his pocket for her keys.

reach for the stars - to aim for something that is very difficult to achieve

reach out for = 1. to attempt to obtain

They reached out for mutual understanding.
Kelly reaches out his hand to grasp the gun.
Kelly reaches out his hand for the gun.
The child reaches out for schools.
He reached out his hand for the knife, but it was too far away.
He reached out for the dictionary.

to extend

She reach out her hand for the change.
A hand reached out and hold me.
Boughs reach out towards the sun.

3, to attempt to help – if you feel lost or confused, you can get help

They reach out for help.

4.attempt to communicate;

Reach out to somebody – to show people that you are interested in them and want to listen to them

"I try to reach out to my daughter but she doesn't want to have anything to do with me"
So far, his administration has failed to reach out to hard-line Republicans.

And a few further examples:

Thai We reach for the sky.
Ricardo shows great patience with me as I reach for the dictionary.
Then the shopkeeper will reach for his abacus (called a soroban in
Japan) to calculate
the cost.
Yet in the 1980s Britain missed its chance to reach for those targets.
The important thing is to steady yourself as much as possible and reach for the ground with one hand.
When asked to reach for these objects, subjects make corresponding errors.
But there comes a time when I have to reach for the sleeping tablets
This time he did reach for a cigarette and light it up.

Tomorrow Morr will reach out for you with his bony claw.
That when you reach out for a friend, Find a heart that's turned to stone
It swung open as he was about to reach out for the handle.
His natural, male hunger had driven him to reach out for her.
The boy is about to reach out for it when Dixie whispers urgently in his ear.
The aim was to teach the babies to reach out for the potty to indicate they wanted to use it.

Regards.

V.

.