Compare supplying a thing with making it available for someone to accept.

The idea

Provide focuses on supplying something; use provide something for someone or provide someone with something. Offer can present something for acceptance or propose to do something.

Patterns to compare
VerbTypical pattern
provideprovide something for someone; provide someone with something
offeroffer someone something; offer to do something

Examples

  • The library provides free internet access.
  • The hotel provides towels for every guest.
  • The guide provided us with a map.
  • Our neighbour offered us some tomatoes.
  • She offered to carry the heavy box.
  • The café offered him another drink, but he declined.

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Watch out

An offer may be refused, so it does not necessarily mean that anything was supplied.

Try it yourself

  1. Choose the best form. The school ___ pupils with books. (provides / offers)

    Show answer or example answer

    provides

    provides: the pattern takes people followed by with and the thing supplied.

  2. Choose the best form. They ___ to drive us home, and we accepted. (provided / offered)

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    offered

    offered: the speakers proposed a lift and it was accepted.

  3. Choose the best form. The shelter ___ everyone with blankets last night. (provided / offered)

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    provided

    provided: the shelter actually supplied the blankets.

Use it today

Describe something your school provides and something you could offer to do.