Jetshing's Blog

Some of my students are confused about the difference between ???some time??? and ???sometime???.Well,today,I???d like to talk about them:

1.Some time as two words means ‘ a period of time’, or ‘an indefinite time’, ‘a span of time’.Here ‘some’ is used as an adjective,modifying ‘time’:
??We spent some time in the lion’s cage.
You must give some time to your fellow men.

2. Sometime as one word means ‘at an unspecified time’, ‘ at some indefinite or unstated time’:
???I don’t have time to correct your essay today or tomorrow. I’ll have to do it sometime next week.??? means that I will do it next week, but precisely when is not specified or perhaps not yet known (i.e. maybe I’ll do it on Monday morning, maybe on Thursday afternoon, maybe some other time next week).???
Here are some other examples:
Let’s get together sometime.
Everything has to end sometime.
It was to be printed sometime later.

Usage Note:
1) Sometime as a single word should only be used to refer to an unspecified point in time. When referring to a considerable length of time, you should use some time. Compare: it was some time after, that the rose garden was planted, i.e. after a considerable period of time, with it was sometime after the move that the rose garden was planted, i.e. at some unspecified point after the move, but not necessarily a long time after.(Collins Thesaurus of the English Language ??“ Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 ?? HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002)

2)Some time is the choice when a preposition comes before it or a helping word follows it: A short time ago, I finished the project. / Some time ago, we had lunch together. Some time can be replaced with an equivalent phrase (like a short time, a long time), but sometime cannot, e.g.: They will get tested sometime during the school year. Sometime means ‘an indefinite or unspecified time, esp. at a time in the future’. In speech, you will know to choose some time if your emphasis/stress is on time.

3) Sometime as an adjective has been employed to mean “former” since the 15th century. Since the 1930s, people have used it to mean “occasional”: the team’s sometime star and sometime problem child. This latter use, however, is unacceptable to a majority of the Usage Panel.(The American Heritage?? Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ??2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.)

3. Sometimes means “now and then”: “Sometimes I go to the gravel pit and roll around in the sand.”

Practice:
(a) “_____ a scream is better than a thesis.” (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

(b) “I’ve been trying for _____ to develop a lifestyle that doesn’t require my presence.” (Garry Trudeau)

(c) “If you want an interesting party _____, combine cocktails and a fresh box of crayons for everyone.” (Robert Fulghum)