did I read a different article? Armstrong admits there was supposed to be an (a), but he left it off in the excitement.
Perhaps we are overlooking the obvious here.
Who can argue with W'ON that the addition of the word "a" adds clarity and precision to the message, particularly when we know that that's what the author intended?
But the quotation, with "a" included, produces an irksome extra beat, which upsets the cadence, and the poetry, of the complete sentence.
Poets typically resolve this difficulty by taking the stress off the "a" [elision]. In writing, this is rendered as "a'step" rather than "(a) step".
It is perfectly understandable that Armstrong, "in the excitement", elided, or muted the word "a" altogether, in unconscious regard for the natural rhythm of the sentence.
Even if Armstrong had not elided or muted the word "a", over time the word "a" would have disappeared from our collective memory.
Winston Churchill wrote "blood, toil, tears and sweat", but we remember only "blood, sweat and tears".
Shakespeare wrote "to gild refined gold and paint the lily", but we remember only "to gild the lily".
We demand that the sayings we esteem for all the ages obey the laws of rhythm and economy/vividness of imagery.
We are all poets at heart.
What was said may be less important than the way we want to remember what was said.
On May 10, 1940, Winston Churchill became Prime Minister. When he met his Cabinet on May 13 he told them that "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat."
