All of a sudden...

[auronlu]

... I learn that I have been using the wrong form of an idiom since childhood. I'm guessing that my mostly-southern family says "all of the sudden" for the same reason that we use "y'all" as second person plural. Either way, it's a very peculiar idiom, since "sudden" is not usually a noun.

mneme_forgets pointed out my error. Being a stubborn little wench, I had to go and research the matter to assure myself that she was correct.

I found an amusing blog entry on the subject which I'm preserving for future reference. I like the way this person writes.

Note to self: sooner or later, I need to hammer out my use of "which" and "that" once and for all, and decide whether I'm going to follow MLA or APA format for quoted phrase + comma/period.

Comments

[mneme-forgets.livejournal.com]

Aww, I looked at it myself and wondered if people maybe said it both ways. But I just corrected it cause that's how I am accustomed to seeing it. :)

Quoth This English Major

[muggy-mountain.livejournal.com]

Grammar in English is such a slippery thing. Whom/which/that will always trip me up, no matter how many times I correct myself. It's like a math concept I can't grasp.