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“How big of a problem” vs. “how big a problem”
I was recently typing along on this site, when I found myself typing
. . . that big [of] a list.
and I couldn't figure out if of belonged in the phrase. Does it?
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1 Answers
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No: it's that big a list.
That big a list is going to be difficult to manage.
A list that big is going to be difficult to manage.
I can't think of an instance where an adjective can be of anything.
Andrew Leach
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1@Andrew Leach: The only instance I can think of is the construction,"That is big of him." or "That is kind of him." – JLG Apr 17 '12 at 17:18
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Google Books confirms many tens of thousands of people have gone in print with that big of a. Possibly by extension from the far more common that much of a, but the fact remains plenty of people use this form. – FumbleFingers Apr 17 '12 at 18:22
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3@FumbleFinger: Tens of thousands? I'm surprised it's that big of a number... ;^) – J.R. Apr 17 '12 at 18:32
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+ofin the search box and got no results, I clicked below "Alternately, try your search in Google:" at the bottom of the search page, and then in google changed+ofto"big of a". – James Waldby - jwpat7 Apr 17 '12 at 17:27