Somebody again

Question

Are these correct:

At the time being I am a bit depressed because I am not going out with somebody.

At the time being I am a bit depressed because I am not going out with anybody.

Is there any difference between them?

Bratannia · Accepted Answer

Their meaning is different. The first one is a slightly unusual sentence, but it coherently suggests that you are not going out with a particular person you want to go out with. You would have to say it in a very confidential way to make it seem natural in conversation. The person who you're talking to would naturally ask, "and who is that 'somebody?'"

The second one means that you are a bit depressed in general because you are not going out with anyone at all.

The only incorrect thing is that, in both sentences, the comma needed after the word "being" is missing. "At the time being, I am..." Such adverbial phrases coming before the subject of the sentence always have that comma, but in the case of your sentence it is particularly badly needed, because "at the time" is much more common as a sentence-opener than "at the time being" is. The reader naturally first starts reading, "at the time, being I am a bit...." Then the sentence obviously begins to be nonsensical and the reader goes back and starts over. Such moments of reader double-take are avoided whenever possible in writing.

Stylistically, "at the time being" is a bit officious when it's used outside of business talk, and it suggests a social nerd who probably can't coordinate clothing colours and so on. In other words, it suggests someone you would EXPECT not to be dating anyone. The more socially attuned person who was talking to a friend or acquaintance about an intimate topic like dating would be more likely to say "right now" or "these days" or "at the moment."

Somebody again

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