Though extremely common, using “BE + away” is pretty simple and straightforward. Basically, we use it when we want to say someone is not available. There are 3 prepositions that commonly succeed (come after) “BE + away”:
5-He’s away…(from/on/for)
How often do you talk to your husband while he’s away?!
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How often do you talk to your husband when he’s not with you (when he’s not around).
Using “be+away” without other prepositions after it could indicate that the person might NOT be HERE for a relatively extended period of time (a day, a week, a month etc). If I want to make it clear that the person is NOT HERE NOW, but will SOON be back, I can say:
She’s away from her desk at the moment, would you like to leave a message?
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She can’t talk to you now because she’s not next to the phone (she could be at/in a meeting, out for lunch etc).
There is also a way to state the reason the person is not available. I can simply add “on”:
My boss is away on holiday, he’ll be back on Monday the 24th.
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My boss is not here because he’s gone to Fiji .
To specify the period of absence, we can use “for”.
I’ll be away for a few days, try not to burn the house down!
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I won’t be here for a few days, try not to destroy the house.
Well, that’s it for today but don’t worry. I won’t be away for too long!
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