the be-all and end-all

hereinchina · Post by **hereinchina** » Sat Mar 30, 2013 3:06 pm

Hello,
I'm not sure if I'm using the expression "the be-all and end-all" correctly. In other words, do the following sentences make sense and are they grammatically correct?
1. Money is not the be-all and end-all of life.
2. Money is not the be-all and end-all in my life.
3. Money is not the be-all and end-all of my life.

fluffyhamster · Post by **fluffyhamster** » Tue Apr 02, 2013 4:07 pm

I suspect that the most common form of the expression is simply that something isn't the be-all and end-all full stop (i.e. there might not need to be an 'of...life' tacked on at the end). Obviously the addition of 'my' serves to specify the speaker (should the context demand that). As for the choice of preposition preceding whatever additional noun, I'd go with 'of' rather than 'in', as per the standard form given in dictionaries: http://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/b ... -001004754 .

hereinchina · Post by **hereinchina** » Thu Apr 04, 2013 10:28 am

Hello Fluffyhamster,
Thank you very much for taking the time to answer my question.
Best wishes,