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 #2 (permalink) Sun Dec 31, 2006 11:49 am 'somewhere in smb.’s life' vs. 'somewhen in smb.’s life' |
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Hi Tamara,
'Somewhen' is interesting but not possible, I'm afraid. I would suggest: At some time in his life ....
A
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Alan
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| #3 (permalink) Mon Jan 01, 2007 11:43 am 'somewhere in smb.’s life' vs. 'somewhen in smb.’s life' |
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Good year to all! :)
Hi Alan!
Thank you for your response.
| Quote: | | At some time in his life .... |
I know the form and use it.
To make my point more specific (and add some more to my last-year question :)) :
1) If/When I am talking about an event (or some momentary act) can I equivalently use ‘At some point’ of his life…’?
2) When an ‘English native speaker’ is talking about the lifetime (as I understand, keeping in mind the line metaphor for the time), is there a context in which ‘(s)he‘ still can use ‘(some)where’ expressions (rather 'spacial' than 'time', I mean)?
(in Russian, for example, we can say – literally - something like ‘on some segment/length of his life…’)
3) What’s wrong with somewhen? Just archaic?
Could anybody say something about its use in modern English?
Dictionary definition: somewhen adv. At some indefinite time.)
BNC examples:
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B31 950 The species was probably first introduced into Sussex somewhen in the second half of the 19th century, and the largest flock in the county, at Petworth Park, was started somewhen between 1918 and 1930.
CET 1438 If --; and it is a very big `;if'; --; the matter sucked into a black hole must reappear somewhere and somewhen else, we must ask ourselves what the other end of the `;tunnel'; would be like. |
Google search for the expression somewhen during (about 42,100 of cases) provides some quite logical sentences.
For example, We expect that the nodes will be available again somewhen during the next day.
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Tamara
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| #4 (permalink) Mon Jan 01, 2007 14:27 pm 'somewhere in smb.’s life' vs. 'somewhen in smb.’s life' |
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.
I'd never heard "somewhen" either and would have immediately corrected any ESL learner who used it. But I've now discovered that Webster's actually has an entry for this word. :shock:
Even so, I wouldn't recommend using this word, Tamara -- despite the obvious logic of it. :wink:
Amy
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