Not that big a sports fan? Or not that big OF a sports fan?

What you should know about the "intrusive of."

[audio:http://www.grammarunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/0030-Intrusive-Of.mp3|titles=0030 Intrusive Of]  

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One Response to “Not that big a sports fan? Or not that big OF a sports fan?”

  1. October 29, 2011 at 12:46 am

    I usually delete the word "of" in constructions like "all of my colleagues." I prefer "all my colleagues." Today, a colleague asked about it and said including the "of" sounded more natural to him. Is this another example of the "intrusive of," and am I correct in assuming that both constructions are correct, but that the variation without "of" is often preferable because it omits a needless word? Or is this, perhaps, a regional variation in speech?