[Grammar] something that is hard to get a hold of?

[Heidi]

Dear teachers,

Please help me with the following two questions:

#1 Do we say 'get a hold of' or 'get hold of' in the situation below?
Luxury is something we usually talk about when we are buying something expensive, or really hard to get a(?) hold of, because most of us can't afford luxury items.

#2 Which choice is more appropriate? 'if we're being robbed' or 'if we've been robbed'?
If we are in danger, it's comforting to know that the police are just a phone call away, so if (A) we're being robbed (B) we've been robbed by someone, you can just get on the phone and call the police, and the police should come to take care of the situation.

 

[Tdol]

1 I would use get hold of. I rarely hear get a hold of in British English.
2 You could say either. It depends on the situation- if you're being robbed in the street, you're more likely to phone afterwards, but if you hear burglars downstairs, you'll phone immediately.

 

[emsr2d2]

1 I would use get hold of. I rarely hear get a hold of in British English.
2 You could say either. It depends on the situation- if you're being robbed in the street, you're more likely to phone afterwards, but if you hear burglars downstairs, you'll phone immediately.

1. When you're talking about the availability of something, I agree that "get hold of" is appropriate.
The only time I can think of to use "get a hold of" would be when we are telling someone to calm down and to stop panicking: "Get a hold of yourself!"

2. Agreed.