Stop at or stop by

It could be either.

And is it possible to stop off at a place as "I'll stop off at John's on the way from work"?

BTW, should it be "on the way from work" or "on the way home from work"?

Also, in your own words, how would you express this concept?

Thank you.

You didn't ask me but, as I'm sure must be the case with any language, there are lots of different ways to say basically the same thing in English, none of which are "incorrect."

A certain amount of deviation from the "formal" rules of language is prevalent in spoken language, completely aside from differences in dialect, etc., also. Many more things are left implied, rather than explicitly stated, in spoken language. As long as people can understand what you mean, no one really cares about strictly following the rules.

I'm sure this makes it more difficult for people to learn a new language, especially from books, from afar.

Example:

Here throwing in "home" would be "correct" but leaving it out wouldn't be any major breach or make the sentence incoherent. Maybe "home" would be wrong, actually, because you're not going home, but rather to your brother's. You have not said, exactly, if you omit your ultimate destination. But it's not important to the meaning, so no one would really care.

What does "from afar" mean here?

Once again, thank you very much for the help.

It means from a long way off, but I assume you know that. In this context, "afar" is intended to mean removed from an area where you are constantly exposed to the native speakers of a language.

Paok's chief problem is his/her failure to appreciate this.

The problem I have is that I feel insecure about the rightness of the alternatives I suggest in my questions. That's why I keep asking. Surely, I'm rather thick. Sorry.

I don't think so. I think you are anxious.

You're right! As I said before, I suffer from OCD. This is a disorder related to anxiety. Please be kind to me. Thank you.

You really need to relax about English, because, as we keep telling you, English speakers are often more relaxed than you think about usage.

I realize I'm too hard on myself. Every time I write something in English, I want to be perfect. That's what my OCD is all about. I have been struggling with this disorder since I was in my early twenties.

There are, of course, a few officious, self-appointed "language police" who attempt to ridicule and humiliate people who make even the slightest grammatical, spelling, and/or usage "error."

**** them pervs. They don't count for nuthin. They're weak-ass cheese-eaters, that's all.

There are also people who take care to give clear, researched answers to people about English usage.

Good for them, eh? I aint one of them.