know / hear of

[English4everyone]

I see one of my friends on the street and want to ask him / her about another old mutual friend. Which question can I ask?
1. Do you know of (the name)?
2. Do you hear of (the name)?
If there is a better question that I can ask, please tell me.

 

[5jj]

'Have you heard anything of/from Fred?"

 

[Offroad]

'Have you heard anything of/from Fred?"

I didn't know that 'Have you heard anything of Fred?' was possible.

Do they have the same meaning in this particular context?

Many thanks

Offroad

 

[emsr2d2]

I didn't know that 'Have you heard anything of Fred?' was possible.

Do they have the same meaning in this particular context?

Many thanks

Offroad

Yes, they mean the same thing. As does "Have you heard anything about Fred?"

 

[BobK]

:up: Also, if you don't know whether they know him at all, you could ask 'Do you know Fred?'

'Have you heard of <person> applies to notable people: 'Have you heard of Galvani, whose discoveries in the world of electricity have given us the word "galvanize"?'

Alongside this usage, confusingly, you can ask 'Do you ever hear anything of Fred?' (to which the answer might be something like 'No, our paths rarely cross nowadays.')

b

 

[emsr2d2]

Referring back to my reply in post #4, I have realised that my answer was incorrect.

Have you heard anything of Fred? = Have you heard anything about Fred (probably from someone else)?
Have you heard anything from Fred? = Has Fred contacted you?

 

[Offroad]

Oh, :-D

Thank you very much!

 

[BobK]

Referring back to my reply in post #4, I have realised that my answer was incorrect.

Have you heard anything of Fred? = Have you heard anything about Fred (probably from someone else)?
Have you heard anything from Fred? = Has Fred contacted you?

So my kneejerk ":up:" was wrong too. (Blame my implicit faith in emsr2d2 )

b