Show JUST TAKE MY Y WORD By Frank Colby From time to time readers have asked me to point out the incorrectness of the common expressions What day is tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow to to- to- to morrow morrow Tomorrow is Sunday Many insist that tomorrow is isa a ridiculous scrambling of the present and future tenses that the present tense tene of the verb is cannot be used for the future tomorrow But there is nothing illogical or ungrammatical In such usage which is well established in n English English English Eng Eng- lish idiom The idea of the future is conveyed not by the verb is but by the subject tomorrow To those who insist that Tomorrow Tomorrow Tomorrow To morrow will be Sunday one should say Tomorrow is the day dayon on the calendar that comes immediately immediately im immediately im- im mediately after today If tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow tomor tomor- row isn't Sunday pray what day dayis is it Nevertheless a number of readers readers readers read read- ers have insisted that 1 tomorrow tomor row is Sunday is both illogical and ungrammatical 2 that if tomorrow is Sunday Is correct then yesterday la is Friday al also o is correct Contention No 2 Is Interesting and on the surface appears to prove the incorrectness of tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow to morrow la is Sunday However it itIs itIs itis Is based on the false assumption that English is logical whereas It is noted for being illogical Also it fails to recognize that good English is highly idiomatic and that idioms arc are seldom logical logical logi logi- cal eal and are frequently That tomorrow is Sunday is quite proper idiomatic English is seen by comparison with the same construction in these familiar idioms Tomorrow is payday next Sunday is Easter Wednesday Wednesday Wednesday Wednes Wednes- day is a holiday Tuesday is my birthday my vacation starts next week the day after tomorrow tomorrow tomor tomor- row is our anniversary etc We Ve seldom use the l will be construction in such sentences On the other hand this idiomatic idiomatic idiomatic idio idio- matic usage does not extend into the past We Ve never say yesterday is Friday yesterday is payday last Wednesday is a holiday etc The past tense verb is always used in such statements as Yesterday was Friday etc And that's the crux of the Uia matter Tomorrow is Sunday is an established idiom and is therefore correct English yesterday yesterday yes is Friday is not an idiomatic idiomatic idiomatic idio idio- matic usage and is is therefore incorrect English t r I I |