blowing your nose on

[kadioguy]

In Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English Online:

tissue n.

Definition:
[countable] a piece of soft thin paper, used especially for blowing your nose on

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Hello, everyone.

If I write "a piece of soft thin paper, used especially for blowing your nose on it" or just "a piece of soft thin paper, used especially for blowing your nose", are both acceptable?

Thanks!

 

[andrewg927]

They are.

 

[kadioguy]

In this phrase 'a piece of soft thin paper, used especially for blowing your nose on', I don't know why there is no object coming after the preposition 'on'.

:shock:

 

[GoesStation]

Its implied object is "a piece of soft thin paper".

 

[probus]

"Blow on" is a phrasal verb. We have lots of information about phrasal verbs in English, including a subsection of the "Idioms" forum.

 

[kadioguy]

"Blow on" is a phrasal verb. We have lots of information about phrasal verbs in English, including a subsection of the "Idioms" forum.

When it means 'blow your nose', the phrase 'blow on' doesn't seem like a phrasal verb. I can't find it in Longman, Oxford, or Macmillan Dictionary.

Maybe it is just an ordinary verb phrase.

 

[jutfrank]

"Blow on" is a phrasal verb.

I would discourage learners from thinking that blow on is a phrasal verb in this or any sentence. The phrase is simply blow your nose. The word on is the head of the preposition phrase on a piece of soft, thin paper.

The inclusion of on is not necessary in the definition. a piece of soft, thin paper, used especially for blowing your nose.