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Knightofsports Posted 13 years ago
Grammar

In that long ago

Then he picked up the phone and dialed the number of his father's house in that long ago?

What does - in that long ago - in this sentence mean?

Thanks!
  

Top answer

It just sounds wrong. is there some kind of poetic, literary context? Clive

— Clive

  • It just sounds wrong.
  • is there some kind of poetic, literary context?
  • Clive
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18 Answers
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It just sounds wrong.
is there some kind of poetic, literary context?

Clive
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CliveIt just sounds wrong.is there some kind of poetic, literary context?Clive
It's from The Road by Cormac McCarthy.
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It's a literary style.

My guess is it means 'in that long ago time in the past '.
Ie before the apocalypse, when life was normal.

Clive
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CliveIt's a literary style.My guess is it means 'in that long ago time in the past '.Ie before the apocalypse, when life was normal.Clive
How complicated is that... Why would he write in such complex form, it's hard for me to understand his story telling.
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Many native speakers would find the phrase elegant, stylish, even beautiful.

Clive
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CliveMany native speakers would find the phrase elegant, stylish, even beautiful.Clive
Do you consider yourself a native speaker?
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This passage specifically describes a post-apocalypse event wherein the man uses a telephone to dial what had once been his father's phone number, in a spasm of futile hope and longing. It's made all the more poignant by the boy's lack of understanding of the gesture.
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CliveYes.
And yet you thought it didn't make any sense? Why?
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Are you saying that all native speakers who read this passage in the book will be able to understand its meaning? For some reason I doubt it.
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