Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[Linh]

Dear teachers,

My first question is concerned with the following sentences:

"It's been the ruin of many a poor boy"

"I discussed how CLT appears to have failed to take roots in many an EFL context."

I have read several sentences like these, and I'm just wondering how come they use "many a" or "many an". I mean, that is not the English grammar I learned at school. Could you help me clarify this?

Another question: can I say "okay. Done!" to an older person/ one of higher status esp. that person is from the US. Well, I ask because it is not accepted in my culture.

Thank you in advance for your reply.

[dragn]

[Linh]

Oh thanks. The example you show me is really interesting.

But I'm still not clear about the "many a/an" construction. What's the purpose of using this? What does the writer want to emphasize?

btw, "House of the rising sun" is one of my favorites, and I'm from Vietnam.

[dragn]

There is no real purpose in using it: it's just an old variation from the early days of English that has stuck around. It just means a large, indefinite number. It doesn't have any special meaning. If anything, I suppose it might influence the listener to consider the nouns being referred to (for example, poor boys) as individuals rather than as a faceless mass.

One thing to remember: variations in grammar and syntax are common in songs and poetry because the author may need a certain number of syllables in a line or for some other consideration. The needs of the poem or song come first, and rules and standards of grammar are sometimes bent to accommodate it.

Greg

[Linh]

Thank you Greg for your speedy response. I appreciate that