Johnyxxx
Senior Member
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2014
- Member Type
- Interested in Language
- Native Language
- Czech
- Home Country
- Czech Republic
- Current Location
- Czech Republic
Hello.
The other day, I came across a strange thing in reading the short story "The Foreigner" (1900) by Sarah Orne Jewett. The tale is narrated in a colloquial way and the author uses "a sight of" instead of "a lot of". I had never seen anything like that so I would like to ask if it is a sort of invetion on the part of the writer, or if it is really used in some parts of USA. (the story is set in America)
Here are some examples:
"An' there was a long table all spread out with big candlesticks like little trees o' light, and a sight o' glass an' silverware."
"She had put sort o' long garlands on the walls, droopin' very graceful, and a sight of green boughs in the corners."
"Father said there wa'n't a mite o' harm in her, but somehow or other a sight o' prejudice arose."
Thank you very much.
The other day, I came across a strange thing in reading the short story "The Foreigner" (1900) by Sarah Orne Jewett. The tale is narrated in a colloquial way and the author uses "a sight of" instead of "a lot of". I had never seen anything like that so I would like to ask if it is a sort of invetion on the part of the writer, or if it is really used in some parts of USA. (the story is set in America)
Here are some examples:
"An' there was a long table all spread out with big candlesticks like little trees o' light, and a sight o' glass an' silverware."
"She had put sort o' long garlands on the walls, droopin' very graceful, and a sight of green boughs in the corners."
"Father said there wa'n't a mite o' harm in her, but somehow or other a sight o' prejudice arose."
Thank you very much.
