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HSS Posted 17 years ago
Grammar
My Thought Was Amazement
Hi.
I saw a sentence that says, "My first thought was amazement." Would this be better with 'of' before 'amezement'?
--- My first thought was of amazement.
What other word could be in this construct?
My thought/ ( ) / ( ) / ( ) / ... was amazement/ ( ) / ( ) / ( ) / ....
Thanks.
Hiro/ Sendai, Japan
I saw a sentence that says, "My first thought was amazement." Would this be better with 'of' before 'amezement'?
--- My first thought was of amazement.
What other word could be in this construct?
My thought/ ( ) / ( ) / ( ) / ... was amazement/ ( ) / ( ) / ( ) / ....
Thanks.
Hiro/ Sendai, Japan
Top answer
Hi, This sentence seems strange to me because 'amazement' is not normally considered a thought. I would expect 'My first reaction was amazement' or 'My first reaction was one of amazement'. It's not easy to come up with a context in which you'd say the sentence as originally written.
- Hi, This sentence seems strange to me because 'amazement' is not normally considered a thought.
- I would expect 'My first reaction was amazement' or 'My first reaction was one of amazement'.
- It's not easy to come up with a context in which you'd say the sentence as originally written.
- Best wishes, Clive
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9 Answers
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Hi,
This sentence seems strange to me because 'amazement' is not normally considered a thought.
I would expect 'My first reaction was amazement' or 'My first reaction was one of amazement'.
It's not easy to come up with a context in which you'd say the sentence as originally written.
Best wishes, Clive
This sentence seems strange to me because 'amazement' is not normally considered a thought.
I would expect 'My first reaction was amazement' or 'My first reaction was one of amazement'.
It's not easy to come up with a context in which you'd say the sentence as originally written.
Best wishes, Clive
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I should have given more context. It goes like this:
"The airforce had paved the way. Bombs, missiles, and mortars had been exploding since the day before, and as we crossed the bridge into the city, my first thought was amazement at the stillness. My squad was assigned to an outlying neighborhood. ..."
In your example, "one" refers to "reaction," right? Would
"The airforce had paved the way. Bombs, missiles, and mortars had been exploding since the day before, and as we crossed the bridge into the city, my first thought was amazement at the stillness. My squad was assigned to an outlying neighborhood. ..."
In your example, "one" refers to "reaction," right? Would
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HSSMy first thought was amazementThis impresses me as the sort of thing that can happen in spontaneous speech. We start a sentence one way, stumble and slip on the logic (or simply disregard it in our enthusiasm), and veer off at some obtuse angle to another related but oddly diagonal, though not completely unsatisfactory, ending.
My first thought
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Okay, thanks. Then, let's just stick with "reaction" here ....
[1] My reaction was amazement.
[2] My reaction was of amazement.
[3] My reaction was one of amazement.
Do the above three carry the same nuance? "One" substituates for a reaction, right?
Hiro/ Sendai, Japan
[1] My reaction was amazement.
[2] My reaction was of amazement.
[3] My reaction was one of amazement.
Do the above three carry the same nuance? "One" substituates for a reaction, right?
Hiro/ Sendai, Japan
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Hi,
1] My reaction was amazement.
[2] My reaction was of amazement. This does not seem completely grammatical to me.
[3] My reaction was one of amazement.
Do the above three carry the same nuance? #2 focuses on the idea that there were several possible reactions. (eg one of amazement, one of amusement, one of disgust, one of sadness ... )
"One" substituates for
1] My reaction was amazement.
[2] My reaction was of amazement. This does not seem completely grammatical to me.
[3] My reaction was one of amazement.
Do the above three carry the same nuance? #2 focuses on the idea that there were several possible reactions. (eg one of amazement, one of amusement, one of disgust, one of sadness ... )
"One" substituates for
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CliveThis may sound off topic, but I will ask you anyway. I keep seeing the construct "A is of B," and I normally take it to mean "A is one
[2] My reaction was of amazement. This does not seem completely grammatical to me.
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"The reaction was of amazement" not seeming completely grammatical, would the following sentences be better with 'one' before 'of' by analogy?
[4] The tone of the reviewers was of surprise and awe.
[5] The combination of interferon with retinoids seems to be of promise in preventing the tumour development of certain kinds.
Hiro/ Sendai, Japan
[4] The tone of the reviewers was of surprise and awe.
[5] The combination of interferon with retinoids seems to be of promise in preventing the tumour development of certain kinds.
Hiro/ Sendai, Japan
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Hi,
"The reaction was of amazement" not seeming completely grammatical, would the following sentences be better with 'one' before 'of' by analogy?
[4] The tone of the reviewers was of surprise and awe. Here, I prefer 'one of surprise . . . '
[5] The combination of interferon with retinoids seems to be of promise in preventing the tumour development of certain kinds. Thi
"The reaction was of amazement" not seeming completely grammatical, would the following sentences be better with 'one' before 'of' by analogy?
[4] The tone of the reviewers was of surprise and awe. Here, I prefer 'one of surprise . . . '
[5] The combination of interferon with retinoids seems to be of promise in preventing the tumour development of certain kinds. Thi
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