our biggest foe is time

[alpacinou]

Hello,

I wanted to express the idea that the fact that time is passing so fast could be regarded as one of our biggest enemies. For example, time takes away our youth and our friends from us. I came up with the idea of using "shifting sands of time".

What do you think about this sentence that I have written?

One of our biggest and most implacable foes is the shifting sands of time. It takes away our youth.

If you think it doesn't work, please tell me how I can fix it.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Hm. When we talk about the sands of time, it's usually an hourglass metaphor. It doesn't have to be, though. I'd go along with it. And you'll enjoy knowing that it's a song:

 

[TheParser]

One of our biggest and most implacable foes is the shifting sands of time. It takes away our youth.

NOT A TEACHER

A popular American television soap opera (daytime drama) is called Days of Our Lives.

That show's writers chose that title because "Like the sands through an hourglass, so are the days of our lives."

 

[alpacinou]

Mismatch.

How do I fix it? Is it fixable? What about this?

Our biggest and most implacable foes are the shifting sands of time. They takes away our youth.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

They take . . . .

 

[alpacinou]

They take . . . .

Yes. That was a slip. Which one do you like better Charlie? Can't we use singular for shifting sands of time if we consider the whole thing as time?

1. Our biggest and most implacable foe is the shifting sands of time. It takes away our youth.
2. Our biggest and most implacable foes are the shifting sands of time. They take away our youth.

And generally, would you say the sentence is natural sounding and native like?

 

[Rover_KE]

I'd use 'sand' uncountably:


Our biggest and most implacable foe is the shifting sand of time. It takes away our youth.

 

[alpacinou]

I really like this sentence myself:

Our biggest and most implacable foe is the shifting sand of time. It takes away our youth.

I know you have already said this to correct my own original sentence, but what do native speakers think about it?