free/freely

free 本身可以用作副词,作“免费地”“自由地”解:

1. The children ran free across the meadow. (MD) 孩子们在草地上自由地奔跑。

2. Babies are allowed to travel free on buses. (LDCE) 婴儿准许免费坐公共汽车。

所以,上面两个句中的 free 用得是对的。如改成 freely,反而会产生歧义。因为 freely 可作“自由地”“率直地”“慷慨地”“大量地”解:

1. British goods were allowed to move freely from one state to another. (Collins) 英国产品准许由一个国家自由地运往另一个国家。

2. We are all comrades here and I may talk freely. 我们这里都是同志,我可以直率地谈话。

3. He gives freely to many organizations that help the poor. (LDCE) 他慷慨地向救济穷人的机构捐款。

因此，I freely give it to you. 并不是指“我免费把它给你”，而是指“我毫不保留地把它给你。”

注意下面句子在意义上的差别：

1. You can travel free with this special ticket. 持这张专用票, 就可以免费旅行。

2. You can travel freely to all parts of the country. 你可以随便到全国各地去旅行。

3. If they cannot do this, they have not really learned the spirit of the foreign language and cannot use it freely. 如果做不到这一点，他们就没有真正掌握外语的本质，因而不能运用自如。