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March 1997

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Subject:
From:
James Vanden Bosch <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Tue, 25 Mar 1997 15:13:16 -0500
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Here's the entry in the MW electronic dictionary:
 
Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary
 
any*more \'e-ne-"mor, -"mor\ adverb (14c)
1       : any longer <I was not moving anymore with my feet ó Anais Nin>
2       : at the present time : now <hardly a day passes without rain anymore>
 
Usage
Although both anymore and any more are found in written use, in the 20th
century anymore is the more common styling. Anymore is regularly used in
negative <no one can be natural anymore ó May Sarton>, interrogative <do
you read much anymore?>, and conditional <if you do that anymore, I'll
leave> contexts and in certain positive constructions <the Washingtonian is
too sophisticated to believe anymore in solutions ó Russell Baker>. In many
regions of the U.S. the use of anymore in sense 2 is quite common in
positive constructions, esp. in speech <everybody's cool anymore ó Bill
White> <every time we leave the house anymore, I play a game called ìStump
the Housebreakerî ó Erma Bombeck>. The positive use appears to have been of
Midland origin, but it is now reported to be widespread in all speech areas
of the U.S. except New England.
 
 
©1996, 1995 Zane Publishing, Inc.  Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary
©1995 Merriam-Webster Inc.
 
JVB
 
 
 
James Vanden Bosch                      (616) 957-6592
Department of English                   [log in to unmask]
Calvin College                          fax: (616) 957-8508
Grand Rapids, MI 49546                  http://www.calvin.edu/~vand/

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