[lit-ideas] Re: Grammar question
- From: Julie Krueger <juliereneb@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 1 Oct 2011 18:34:44 -0500
Is the issue that in "sometimes I think I might still take it up—sometime.",
the "sometime" is adjectival and "sometimes" is adverbial?
Julie Krueger
On Fri, Sep 30, 2011 at 6:41 PM, Robert Paul <rpaul@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Paul Stone wrote
>
>
> • Just a small note on this, as I think Mike inadvertently (or probably
> purposefully, knowing him a little bit) displayed in his little ditty, the
> rule I use is if I am saying "some time", then I split it, but if there's an
> 's' on the end, it's sometimes. I don't think I've EVER written or said
> "sometime" without and 's' on it. It would be like writing "somebeer" or
> "somegeese". But sometimes, you need to put that 's' on two collective words
> that already imply multiplicity/plurality just to create a word that is
> necessary. Replace "sometime" at the beginning of that last sentence, and it
> just sounds wrong!
>
> True, it does. But if you say, 'We should have lunch sometimes,' it sounds
> (and is) wrong. In your penultimate sentence, 'sometimes' = 'occasionally.'
> Sometimes, I wish I'd studied mathematics. I did spend some time on it in
> high school; sometimes I think I might still take it up—sometime.
>
> Sometimes I live in the country/sometimes I live in the town/sometimes I
> take a great notion...
>
> Robert Paul
>
>
>
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