“All of the sudden” is only valid because it’s so commonly (incorrectly) used. Much as it annoys me, that’s just how language works.
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Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works 11 months agoUpvoted and agreed, not least because I just learned that “all of the sudden,” while at present a nonstandard variant of “all of a sudden,” has valid history.
And of course it doesn’t matter in this casual context!
But in formal writing, in this era, using “a” will avoid distracting the reader from your main point.
samus12345@sh.itjust.works 11 months ago
macaw_dean_settle@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Only if you allow the ignorant to remain uncorrected.
Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Erin: “All of the sudden, I was awake.”
Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works 11 months ago
“of the sudden” (1570) actually predates “of a sudden” (Shakespeare) according to my OED as squinted at through the nifty magnifying glass. But it’s been considered obsolete for a long time despite having all of a sudden experienced a resurgence.
samus12345@sh.itjust.works 11 months ago
People aren’t saying it because they’re language scholars, it’s because they misheard the proper modern usage. So it goes for many language shifts.
TonyTonyChopper@mander.xyz 11 months ago
Can’t we just embrace adverbification and agree to write “suddenly”?
Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works 11 months ago
Nothing wrong with “suddenly.” It’s just that sometimes you want to say “all of a sudden.” The extra time helps build the suspense. “Suddenly” is more sudden in that it just jumps in there. With “all of a sudden,” the subject isn’t ready but the listeners are.
MeThisGuy@feddit.nl 11 months ago
all of the suddenly?
samus12345@sh.itjust.works 11 months ago
If “all of the sudden” becomes standard I will definitely do this.
Kellenved@sh.itjust.works 11 months ago
No! For made up reasons I don’t understand adverbs are verboten!
Bloomcole@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Non-Anglo here.
Totally not distracted bcs my brain autocorrected it to “all of a sudden” without even noticing.
A bit like “It deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are”
Also never seen/heard the “the” variant. (Well consciously that is).
macaw_dean_settle@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Does not have to be Before Christ.