Is natural and correct to say something passed over me meaning it didn't affect me in any way? For example:
The economic crisis passed over me. I didn't lose my job.
If doesn't sound good, could you tell me what you would say to communicate it.
asked Jun 15, 2020 at 12:05
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1Passed me by, or past by me.– Bruce MurrayJun 15, 2020 at 12:15
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@BruceMurray is past by me a typo?– PeterJun 15, 2020 at 12:25
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Yes. I'm on a phone with predictive text. Thanks for the heads up.– Bruce MurrayJun 15, 2020 at 12:26
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Using over is not incorrect. There are variants which use over such as "I was passed over for promotion" and "the remark passed over his head."– Weather VaneJun 15, 2020 at 13:57
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I can't help thinking there's something of a "subject inversion" going on here. It's not so much that the crisis passed me by (even though that's how we normally phrase it). Rather it's that I passed by the crisis (without really noticing and/or being affected by it). It feels a bit like “The ticket is printing” vs “…is being printed” to me, but I don't actually know if it really is an example of The Middle Construction.– FumbleFingersJun 15, 2020 at 15:07
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1 Answer
These are common ways of expressing that someone was not affected by an event or circumstance:
The economic crisis bypassed me
The economic crisis passed me by.
The economic crisis passed by me.
"Over" is more likely to suggest that a person was affected:
The crisis was over my family for many months. (We felt its effect)
A wave of regret passed over me. (I felt intense regret)
