Have you ever heard a phrase that you didn’t understand? Or, worse, a phrase that you thought you understood but that turned out to mean the opposite?<\/p>\n
This may seem unlikely, but the fact is it’s fairly typical. The classic example is “literally,” which originally meant that something actually happened but now often means the opposite.<\/p>\n
In a hot minute<\/strong><\/a> has also changed in the same way.<\/p>\n Today, we’ll look at another phrase that follows this pattern, “what a time to be alive.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The phrase “what a time to be alive” can be used sincerely or ironically. Used sincerely, it means someone is amazed by a technological or social advance. Ironically, the phrase can be used to make fun of something they consider to be a ridiculous use of technology or a regressive social change.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n At first glance, “what a time to be alive” might seem to be only half a sentence. (In grammatical terms, not a clause but a phrase<\/a>.) Where is the subject? The object? There’s barely even a verb.<\/p>\n Grammatically speaking, this phrase has a dark secret: its awkward phrasing contains what is essentially a dummy subject<\/a>.<\/p>\n That might make you more confused than you already are, but bear with us. We’ll soon unlock this grammar mystery.<\/p>\n In English, dummy subjects are things like “there” or “is” that stand in when a sentence would otherwise sound strange.<\/p>\n The standard example is “There’s a person outside to see you.” Here, you could just as easily say “A person is outside to see you.”<\/p>\n In “what a time to be alive,” the word “what” fills a similar role. Essentially, this is the same as saying “what a time it is to be alive.”<\/p>\n Any time you see “what” used at the beginning of a sentence like this, it doesn’t just imply “it is.” The word also acts as an intensifier, suggesting that some quality is extreme.<\/p>\n For example, “what a guy” really means “What a great guy he is.”<\/p>\n Now that we’ve tackled the tricky grammar of “what a time to be alive,” you probably already have a good idea of its meaning.<\/p>\n But wait! There’s more! Let’s take a look at the two ways this phrase can be used.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The oldest examples of “what a time to be alive” date to the early 20th century, when Hugh Walpole wrote a book called The Young Enchanted<\/em><\/a><\/strong>. Filled with excitement at the shape his life is taking, he looks out at the world, covered in sunlight and possibility, and says “What a time to be alive in!”<\/p>\n The use of this phrase today carries a similar meaning. In general, you can think of this phrase as meaning something like “Life is great and I’m so happy to be here.”<\/p>\n However, today it almost always refers to some kind of technological or social advance rather than just someone being filled with hope about their career prospects.<\/p>\nWhat is the meaning of the phrase “what a time to be alive”?<\/h2>\n
The grammar of “what a time to be alive”<\/h2>\n
The original meaning of “what a time to be alive”<\/h2>\n
\nIn that book, a character called Peter gets a job as a newspaper editor.<\/p>\n