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Grammar pedants - help please.

1 lurker | 95 watchers
Muttley
Muttley
Sep 2024
8:38am, 29 Sep 2024
3,498 posts
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Muttley
(Heh, should have checked Cerrertonia's link)
Northern Exile
Northern Exile
Sep 2024
8:39am, 29 Sep 2024
10,495 posts
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Northern Exile
Got it. Thanks gents.
ChrisHB
ChrisHB
Sep 2024
8:40am, 29 Sep 2024
23,218 posts
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ChrisHB
I'm happy to know it is(was?) an Americanism
Northern Exile
Northern Exile
Sep 2024
11:06am, 29 Sep 2024
10,496 posts
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Northern Exile
I'm still struggling a bit with it, I must admit. To my tortured mind "absent" is still quantifying the noun and in that context is more adjectival in structure than a preposition.
NordRunner
NordRunner
Sep 2024
11:09am, 29 Sep 2024
4,587 posts
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NordRunner
I can't help you but I do know that, absent absinthe, absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Northern Exile
Northern Exile
Sep 2024
12:32pm, 29 Sep 2024
10,497 posts
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Northern Exile
Lovely :-)
larkim
larkim
Oct 2024
9:43am, 3 Oct 2024
25,736 posts
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larkim
Once upon a time I'm sure I came upon a very, very long sentence which gave a great, if slightly ridiculous, example of how we "know" adjectives should be in a particular order to "sound right" in English.

It had something like 20-30 adjectives in a row (though I may be exaggerating). Has anyone got any good examples?
sallykate
sallykate
Oct 2024
9:51am, 3 Oct 2024
15,247 posts
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sallykate
Like this? bbc.com

“Adjectives in English absolutely have to be in this order: opinion-size-age-shape-colour-origin-material-purpose Noun. So you can have a lovely little old rectangular green French silver whittling knife. But if you mess with that word order in the slightest you’ll sound like a maniac. It’s an odd thing that every English speaker uses that list, but almost none of us could write it out.”
larkim
larkim
Oct 2024
10:00am, 3 Oct 2024
25,737 posts
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larkim
Yes, but imagine at least twice or three times that length. I may, of course, have imagined it!!
LindsD
LindsD
Oct 2024
10:01am, 3 Oct 2024
70,109 posts
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LindsD
That's a great article

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