One of the headlines on the MSN front page today says

Is cyberterrorism really that big of a threat?

Is this the normal US usage because I'd certainly never use "of" in this way?

I'd say

Is cyberterrorism really that big a threat?

or


Is cyberterrorism really that much of a threat?



Vescere bracis meis.

Read all about my travels around the world here.
Read even more of my travel writing and poems on my weblog.

I agree with you! I see and hear many people using those words incorrectly.

And as far as MSN goes, I don't think there is anyone who edits what is put on those pages. It's sad to see some of the sentences, or fragments that are put there for us to read.

Bob, what do you expect from the country that brought you McDonalds except "McLanguage?"

Oh, gosh, guys.....I think I might say it that way. Is it for certain grammatically incorrect? When I get back to Chicago, I will run it past our editor.

quote:

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Originally posted by Kalleh:
Oh, gosh, guys.....I think I might say it that way. Is it for certain grammatically incorrect? When I get back to Chicago, I will run it past our editor.

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It's certainly wrong over here. Over there ? I don't know. It may be a common idiomatic construction in the US but it sounds very wrong to my UK ears.

Vescere bracis meis.

Read all about my travels around the world here.
Read even more of my travel writing and poems on my weblog.

Well, Bob, it seems to me that English is English, be it here or in England. If it is wrong in England, it must be wrong here as well. I will have to watch myself!

quote:

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Originally posted by Kalleh:
Well, Bob, it seems to me that English is English, be it here or in England. If it is wrong in England, it must be wrong here as well. I will have to watch myself!

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Not necessarily. Spoken English allows all sorts of dialects and accents which aren't acceptable in written English.
For example in my local dialect, instead of saying

"I'm not going." I'd probably say "I ay gooin'."
and if my accent were as strong now as it once was for "they aren't going are they" I'd say "them bay gooin' bin they" - scacrely recognisable as English at all.

I wouldn't write it though.

So when you say that you say "that big of a" it might just be that it's a local idiom in your part of the country. Do you write it, that's the question.

Vescere bracis meis.

Read all about my travels around the world here.
Read even more of my travel writing and poems on my weblog.

Interesting dialect, Bob. I can assure you that I would never understand you!

I can't say if I would write it or not. I have to admit that I might since it just doesn't sound wrong to me. Usually, my ear is attuned to poor grammar so this one has me stumped. It is incorrect, right?

Not so much of a threat as is MSN's attack on accepted standards of English. The construction is, of course, quite wrong.

I suspect the writer meant to say something like, "...that much of a threat..." and then decided to change it to "...that big a threat..." and forgot to delete the word "of".

Richard English

quote:

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Originally posted by BobHale:

One of the headlines on the MSN front page today says

Is cyberterrorism really that big of a threat?

Is this the normal US usage because I'd certainly never use "of" in this way?

I'd say

Is cyberterrorism really that big a threat?

or

Is cyberterrorism really that much of a threat?

---

“Of a” is an American idiom, according to Fowler
The “of” is not really needed in any of the above sentences, but I can’t see that it does any harm either. I wouldn’t consider it grammatically incorrect. I hear people say it either way. It’s much like half dozen versus half a dozen.

I hear on British programs phrases like “He’s in hospital”. We would say “He’s in a hospital” or, more likely, “He’s in the hospital”. I don’t consider any of those grammatically incorrect, either. They’re just different.

Tinman

Well, thank you, Tinman, for the rescue!

Precisely, Revenant. And, it is sooo good to see you posting about something other than death!

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Originally posted by Revenant:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by tinman:

I In England they say someone is "going to University" which also sounds odd to American ears.

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What do Americans say ?

Vescere bracis meis.

Read all about my travels around the world here.
Read even more of my travel writing and poems on my weblog.

quote:

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Originally posted by BobHale:
What do Americans say ?

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We would say someone is "going to college" or they are "going to the University of Michigan" or wherever.

We also would say, "He is going to the hospital" or "He is in the hospital".