Grammatically correct use of the word 'glimpse', anyone?
What is grammatically correct:
a. "Every time he glimpsed her"
or b. "Every time he glimpsed AT her"?
I am firmly convinced that it's option A; "glanced at her" would be correct, but isn't "glimpsed" used without "at"? I'm proofreading this sentence and it's really driving me crazy. Help me out, please, guys.
The word glimpse is beginning to sound really iffy to me in any case.
a. "Every time he glimpsed her"
or b. "Every time he glimpsed AT her"?
I am firmly convinced that it's option A; "glanced at her" would be correct, but isn't "glimpsed" used without "at"? I'm proofreading this sentence and it's really driving me crazy. Help me out, please, guys.
The word glimpse is beginning to sound really iffy to me in any case.
Best Answer - Chosen by Voters
Actually, both are correct. 'Glimpse' may be either an transitive verb or an intransitive verb.
Used transitively, it takes a direct object: Every time he glimpsed her.
Used intransitively, it's a synonym of 'glance', and like 'glance' requires a prepositional phrase: Every time he glimpsed at her.
There is a slight difference in the meanings. The transitive form (glimpsed her) means he caught a brief passing look at her - the look was incidental. The intransitive form (glimpsed at her) means he specifically looked at her for a brief time.
To show the difference, you could say 'He glimpsed her out of the corner of his eye,' but you couldn't say 'He glimpsed at her out of the corner of his eye.'
Used transitively, it takes a direct object: Every time he glimpsed her.
Used intransitively, it's a synonym of 'glance', and like 'glance' requires a prepositional phrase: Every time he glimpsed at her.
There is a slight difference in the meanings. The transitive form (glimpsed her) means he caught a brief passing look at her - the look was incidental. The intransitive form (glimpsed at her) means he specifically looked at her for a brief time.
To show the difference, you could say 'He glimpsed her out of the corner of his eye,' but you couldn't say 'He glimpsed at her out of the corner of his eye.'
Source(s):
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090803220507AAWlSAq
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