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I know you would normally say, "I don't have any cash on me". But would it be grammatically correct to say, "I don't have any cash with me"?

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Sorry Mohammad, but this question seems like proofreading which is off topic, as defined in the faq. For this question to be on topic, it needs to be edited in such a way that you are not asking "does anything look wrong with this?" – Matt Эллен Jan 16 '12 at 9:29
Having said that, do feel free to come into chat and ask such questions. – Matt Эллен Jan 16 '12 at 9:42
While "on" is more common in informal speech, "with" is probably more common in formal writing. So not only may you use "with", but it's preferable in many settings. – Monica Cellio Jan 16 '12 at 15:59
@MattЭллен, I don't think it's off-topic. It sounds like a case where informal usage has become so common that someone wonders if the original, formal usage is even correct. That seems like a valid question to me, not proof-reading. – Monica Cellio Jan 16 '12 at 16:00
@MonicaCellio - I agree, now that Reg has edited it. – Matt Эллен Jan 16 '12 at 18:29

3 Answers

up vote 5 down vote accepted

Both are grammatical and both are found, but cash on me is probably more frequent in speech.

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2  
8 seconds ahead of me. :( – ApprenticeHacker Jan 16 '12 at 8:10
@IntermediateHacker hackers are know for their speed of writing, shame on you :D By the way some off topic question recommendations for good dictionary of phrasal verbs ? – speedyGonzales Jan 16 '12 at 9:28
@Barrie Could you explain it in details? I am looking for a more in depth kind of explanation. – user17857 Jan 16 '12 at 9:50
@Mohammad: There's little to add. You can use either, but native speakers would probably use 'on me' more often than 'with me'. – Barrie England Jan 16 '12 at 10:48
Yes. "no cash on me" outweighs "no cash with me" by over 3:1 in Google Books. – FumbleFingers Jan 16 '12 at 17:26
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up vote 4 down vote

As Barrie England suggests, cash on me is probably more common in speech, but cash with me would have a slightly broader meaning. Cash on me would mean cash about my person, in my pockets, boots, wrapped in my handkerchief, or something of that nature. Cash with me might also include in my suitcase, in my car or caravan, or anywhere else near to hand but not necessarily about my person.

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I haven't been able to find a decent reference (okay, ANY reference) but this matches up with what I understand and use the on/with distinction as well more broadly as well... example - if I was told that a person had a pigeon on them, I'd be looking for the pigeon sitting on their head/shoulder. For a pigeon with them, I'd be looking at the small pigeon-sized box they're holding or they'd be telling me about their pet pigeon back at the hotel room. – tanantish Apr 22 '12 at 10:14
up vote 1 down vote

Grammatically, I think both are correct.

I don't have any cash with me.

Seems all right to me, since people also use,

I haven't brought the cash with me.

I'll try to find some reference to the usage on the internet or my Oxford Dictionary.

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