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imchongjun
Joined: 14 Nov 2005
Posts: 120
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 Posted: Fri May 26, 2006 5:26 am Post subject: "This is by me" |
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Hi, teachers.
I have a simple question: what does "This is by me" mean in the following passage?
Very simple sentence, but I don't understand what it means. I would much appreciate your help. Thanks!!
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(Aubrey saw some mysterious nocturnal activities at a bookshop which the proprietor("that guy") called "Haunted Bookshop")
In the quivering light of the street lamps he could see the bookseller's sign gleaming whitely, with its lettering THIS SHOP IS HAUNTED.
Aubrey sat back in his chair. "Well," he said to himself, "that guy certainly gave his shop the right name. This is by me. I do believe it's only some book-stealing game after all. I wonder if he and Weintraub go in for some first-edition faking, or some such stunt as that? I'd give a lot to know what it's all about." |
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Harmony
Joined: 23 Mar 2006
Posts: 140
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| Posted: Fri May 26, 2006 4:35 pm Post subject: Re: "This is by me" |
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| imchongjun wrote: |
Hi, teachers.
I have a simple question: what does "This is by me" mean in the following passage?
Very simple sentence, but I don't understand what it means. I would much appreciate your help. Thanks!!
-----------------
(Aubrey saw some mysterious nocturnal activities at a bookshop which the proprietor("that guy") called "Haunted Bookshop")
In the quivering light of the street lamps he could see the bookseller's sign gleaming whitely, with its lettering THIS SHOP IS HAUNTED.
Aubrey sat back in his chair. "Well," he said to himself, "that guy certainly gave his shop the right name. This is by me. I do believe it's only some book-stealing game after all. I wonder if he and Weintraub go in for some first-edition faking, or some such stunt as that? I'd give a lot to know what it's all about." |
Hi Imchonjun,
Your question may seem simple, but it's not! I can only guess at the meaning. When someone says "This is by me" they're usually referring to something they've created, such as a painting, a poem, or a song. "This is by me" is an informal way of saying "I created this."
The Haunted Bookshop was written in the early 1900's and is filled with language now considered to be archaic. I can think of two possible meanings for the sentence as it's used in the passage. It may mean "This is beyond me" (by can mean past or beyond), indicating that Aubrey is puzzled by what he has just seen, or it may mean "Here's what I think" as an introduction to the next sentence where he says he suspects a book-stealing game. The meaning here would be similar to current usage.
If I had to choose one or the other of my guesses I'd choose the first because I feel it best fits the context of the passage. If anyone else has an opinion or certain knowledge to share, please do so.
~ ~ ~ Harmony  |
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