forgoodorill
Senior Member
Chinese
Hi, everyone!
I read a book named The Glamour of Grammar, I don't understand a phrase in it, this paragraph is from a person who understood the importance of 'the' in his reflection on the status of his famous father.
He routinely wrote long pieces for The New York Times Book Review, and, on occasion, the identifying caption would read, "the critic and teacher Alfred Kazin." The authority of that definite article!...Anyone who didn't [know him]was clearly a newcomer to serious literary conversation and needed a quick , if subtle, lesson about who deserved a "the" and who did not.
So what's the meaning of 'if subtle' here? especially the meaning of 'if'.
Thanks in advance!👁 Smile :)
I read a book named The Glamour of Grammar, I don't understand a phrase in it, this paragraph is from a person who understood the importance of 'the' in his reflection on the status of his famous father.
He routinely wrote long pieces for The New York Times Book Review, and, on occasion, the identifying caption would read, "the critic and teacher Alfred Kazin." The authority of that definite article!...Anyone who didn't [know him]was clearly a newcomer to serious literary conversation and needed a quick , if subtle, lesson about who deserved a "the" and who did not.
So what's the meaning of 'if subtle' here? especially the meaning of 'if'.
Thanks in advance!👁 Smile :)