In hand, at hand, or on hand

[eeshu]

There's this test question:
"If you happen not to have anything ______, could you please give me a helping hand?
A. in hand B. on hand C. by hand D. out of hand"

The answer is B. on hand. I wonder if A. in hand is also acceptable. If it is, is there any difference between the two?

 

[SoothingDave]

It's a bad question. I think the answer is D. If things are "out of hand" then things are not under control.

It's reasonable to ask someone for help unless they cannot afford to help you.

 

[eeshu]

It's a bad question. I think the answer is D. If things are "out of hand" then things are not under control.

It's reasonable to ask someone for help unless they cannot afford to help you.

What makes it a bad question when the speaker wants to make sure the one he asks for help doesn't have his hands tied?

 

[SoothingDave]

It's a bad test question. It's unnatural to use "hand" twice in a sentence. And there's no clear good answer.

 

[eeshu]

It's a bad test question. It's unnatural to use "hand" twice in a sentence. And there's no clear good answer.

Okay, what if the test question is amended to read "If you happen not to have anything ______, could you please help me with this?" Would "in hand" or "on hand" fit?

 

[jutfrank]

It's an awful question. We don't use on hand like that.

on hand

1. near to someone or something, and ready to help or be used if necessary: 2…

dictionary.cambridge.org

 

[eeshu]

It's an awful question. We don't use on hand like that.

on hand

1. near to someone or something, and ready to help or be used if necessary: 2…

dictionary.cambridge.org

You also agree that "out of hand" is the correct answer, don't you?

 

[5jj]

No. definitely not.

 

[eeshu]

No. definitely not.

Then which answer is correct?

 

[5jj]

I find none of them natural.

 

[eeshu]

I find none of them natural.

What would be the natural way of expressing an idea to that effect then?

 

[Tarheel]

It's seems like the tester is going out of his way to fit "hand" twice in the same question. Try: "If you're not busy, could you help me with this?"

 

[Tarheel]

What would be a natural way of expressing an idea to that effect then?

See post #12.

 

[jutfrank]

You also agree that "out of hand" is the correct answer, don't you?

No.

I think the 'correct' answer (the answer the test writer wants) is probably B, as you say. Unfortunately, whoever wrote the test didn't properly understand the use of on hand, which is why it fails completely as a question.

What the test writer apparently wants to say in the first clause is something equivalent to If you happen not to be doing anything, ... Unfortunately none of the options given can be used to express that meaning.

 

[eeshu]

No.

I think the 'correct' answer (the answer the test writer wants) is probably B, as you say. Unfortunately, whoever wrote the test didn't properly understand the use of on hand, which is why it fails completely as a question.

What the test writer apparently wants to say in the first clause is something equivalent to If you happen not to be doing anything, ... Unfortunately none of the options given can be used to express that meaning.

It's seems like the tester is going out of his way to fit "hand" twice in the same question. Try: "If you're not busy, could you help me with this?"

Is it possible to say that someone has something on hand if I want to say that he's holding it in his hand?

 

[eeshu]

No.

I think the 'correct' answer (the answer the test writer wants) is probably B, as you say. Unfortunately, whoever wrote the test didn't properly understand the use of on hand, which is why it fails completely as a question.

What the test writer apparently wants to say in the first clause is something equivalent to If you happen not to be doing anything, ... Unfortunately none of the options given can be used to express that meaning.

But I find the following three sentences in dictionaries, which seem to indicate that both phrases can be used to express the idea of being in the middle of doing something:
1. We should finish the work we have in hand before we begin something new.
2. Our officers have to concentrate 100 per cent on the task in hand.
3. I’m afraid we have a murder on our hands, Inspector.

 

[jutfrank]

Is it possible to say that someone has something on hand if I want to say that he's holding it in his hand?

No. You can use at hand for objects when you want to say that they are in someone's immediate vicinity, ready to be used.

A: Do you have a screwdriver at hand?
B: Um, yes. Where is it? Ah, here you are.

 

[jutfrank]

But I find the following three sentences in dictionaries, which seem to indicate that both phrases can be used to express the idea of being in the middle of doing something:
1. We should finish the work we have in hand before we begin something new.
2. Our officers have to concentrate 100 per cent on the task in hand.
3. I’m afraid we have a murder on our hands, Inspector.

Okay, we've got lots of different phrases here, so let's deal with each one at a time. Perhaps we should stick only to on hand in this thread and you can open other threads to ask about the other phrases.

 

[eeshu]

Okay, we've got lots of different phrases here, so let's deal with each one at a time. Perhaps we should stick only to on hand in this thread and you can open other threads to ask about the other phrases.

But my problem lies exactly in how to tell the difference between "in hand" and "on hand" in such cases? That's why I put them together.

 

[jutfrank]

You didn't put them together. You put two different uses of in hand together with on our hands.

Decide which one you want to know about first. Look up its different uses in a dictionary, and then ask us about the dictionary examples, if you still have any questions.