On Sunday, August 26, 2018 at 4:46:50 PM UTC-7, Jerry Friedman wrote:
> On 8/24/18 2:17 PM, grammar...@gmail.com wrote:
> > Once in a great while, I seem to encounter the compound
> > subordinating conjunction (or whatever term you like)
> > "now that" with its "that" omitted, and I feel this to be
> > wrong. I feel that "that" ought not to be omitted from
> > "now that." Here is the latest example I encountered:
> >
> > "Now the shell was no longer a thing seen but not to be
> > touched, Ralph too became excited."
> > - William Golding, _Lord of the Flies_, Chapter 1
> More British than American, except that it's normal in American poetry,
> or was when I was reading more poetry.

I have been inspired to resurrect this thread, having just come upon a
very famous instance of the "that"-less "now that" in Milton's "Lycidas":

"But O the heavy change now thou art gone,
Now thou art gone and never must return!"

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44733/lycidas

> > I think it's noteworthy that this example is from one of the
> > most famous novels written in the twentieth century. The
> > sentence comes right after Piggy grabs the conch. Does it seem
> > to you, as it seems to me, that Golding was using "now that"
> > there without "that"? If so, how do you feel about the omission?
> ...
>
> I agree that this wasn't a good spot for it, because of that garden path.
>
> --
> Jerry Friedman

On 5/30/2022 2:54 PM, Metrist2021 wrote:
> Jerry Friedman wrote:
>> grammar...@gmail.com wrote:

>>> Once in a great while, I seem to encounter the compound
>>> subordinating conjunction (or whatever term you like) "now that"
>>> with its "that" omitted, and I feel this to be wrong. I feel that
>>> "that" ought not to be omitted from "now that." Here is the
>>> latest example I encountered:

>>> "Now the shell was no longer a thing seen but not to be touched,
>>> Ralph too became excited." - William Golding, _Lord of the
>>> Flies_, Chapter 1
>> More British than American, except that it's normal in American
>> poetry, or was when I was reading more poetry.

> I have been inspired to resurrect this thread, having just come upon
> a very famous instance of the "that"-less "now that" in Milton's
> "Lycidas":

> "But O the heavy change now thou art gone, Now thou art gone and
> never must return!"

> https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44733/lycidas

Once again. "that" demonstrates its amazing ability to disappear at will.

>>> I think it's noteworthy that this example is from one of the most
>>> famous novels written in the twentieth century. The sentence
>>> comes right after Piggy grabs the conch. Does it seem to you, as
>>> it seems to me, that Golding was using "now that" there without
>>> "that"? If so, how do you feel about the omission?
>> ...

>> I agree that this wasn't a good spot for it, because of that garden
>> path.

We wouldn't like to accuse Sir William of a comma-splice.