Automattic / Automattic/harper

Mixing up "lifetime" and "life"

Open
#3,489 0 comments 0 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub
enhancement harper-core linting
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Rust
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Description

There seems to be a recent, I'm guessing post-Millennial but maybe Millennial, shift toward using "lifetime" when we mean "life". So far I only hear it in American-English YouTube.

Google AI explains the difference this way:
> ... they differ slightly in scope.
> "In my life" refers to your entire existence up to the present moment.
"In my lifetime" encompasses all the years you will ever live, often looking back on a historical era or a span of time that is drawing to a close.

It's most often after a superlative adjective, but not always (best in my lifetime, etc.)
I don't think the reverse ever happens. I never hear anything like "It's a once-in-a-life opportunity".

Examples:
- But it's limited to just two times in your **lifetime**.

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

Research direction

No source file, test, or entry point is identified in the issue. Start by reviewing Harper's existing grammar rules and tests for word-choice distinctions, then determine whether the examples support a precise rule and add coverage for the reported lifetime usage.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
rust
Domain
devtools
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Needs clarification
Newbie friendliness
35/100

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