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Joined: Aug 2010
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Hi!
I'm trying to put together a comprehensive list of English adjectives that, in linguistic terms, "license Measure Phrases (MPs)".
In non-professional terms, this means I am looking for English adjectives that combine with measurements.
The easiest way to explain what I am looking for is using examples.
Consider these adjective constructions (the MPs are in bold):
"6 feet tall"
"3 meters deep"
"5 years old"
"2 minutes late"
It's exactly adjectives such as these that I am looking for...
Up to now, I was able to come up with the following (surprisingly short) list of adjectives:
tall
wide
long (both time and space)
deep
thick
old
high
strong (e.g. The crowd was 1000 people strong)
sharp/flat (e.g. Your DO is 20 hertz sharp)
fast/slow (for time, e.g. Your watch is 3 minutes fast/slow)
late
early
as well as some really interesting non-standard uses of adjectives:
short (money, e.g. Can you lend me some money? I am 3 dollars short)
and some other questionable ones:
open - as in the door is 20 degrees open, 20 cm open
But i was wondering if you could think of any adjectives that i may have missed...
A few qualifications:
1. I am not looking for adjectives that allow percents,
e.g. 30% full, 100% sure, 90% ready, etc.
2. It is very important that the adjectives not appear in the comparative form because then all adjectives license MPs, for example:
20 cm shorter, 20 degrees hotter, 3 pounds heavier, 10 points more intelligent, etc.
3. Likewise, for the same reason, the adjectives should not appear before an excessive "too"
20 cm too short, 20 degrees too hot, 3 pounds too heavy...
4. Also make sure that it's an adjective and not a preposition (e.g. 10 meters under/behind, 10 minutes before/after)
5. There are no right or wrong answers... (I've met people who consider "100 degrees hot" to be ok...) - just use your judgments as native English speakers
6. Make sure you can embed the "MP adjective" construction in a sentence, otherwise your judgment may be skewed.
Any contributions (even of strange combinations like Leonard Cohen's "1000 kisses deep") will be helpful! :-)
Thank you!!
blessings! :-)
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Joined: Feb 2010
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This would actually make a good thread.
3 sheets to the wind
2 cans short of a six-pack
1 meter apart
2 yards shy of the goal
8 miles high
3 men strong...
Sheesh, there's an abundance of these.
"I don't know which is worse: ignorance or apathy. And, frankly, I don't care." - Anonymous
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Joined: Feb 2010
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Do comparative forms count?
2 kilos lighter or heavier (there are many of these)
15 MPH above or over the speed limit
"I don't know which is worse: ignorance or apathy. And, frankly, I don't care." - Anonymous
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Joined: Feb 2010
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You already mentioned comparatives. Ooops. And I think I threw in a few prepositions, too. But I also think the topic is just barely tapped.
"I don't know which is worse: ignorance or apathy. And, frankly, I don't care." - Anonymous
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Joined: Aug 2010
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stranger
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OP
stranger
Joined: Aug 2010
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Thanks Beck123!
"shy" is one I left out, strong and high I listed...
The rest are either prepositions or comparatives...
Amazing that there are so few of these in English... I am trying to figure out why :-)
e.g. why you can't say I am 140 IQ points intelligent, or the oven is 300 degrees hot! :-)
blessings! :-)
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Joined: Jan 2002
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veteran
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veteran
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3 rooms vacant
1 pound Sterling
4 parsecs distant (about 13 light-years)
1 man standing (maybe exclude participles?)
5 days off (or on) - adj or prep depending on context
9 stitches sewn
2 tablespoons even
6 megapixel digital (camera)
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Joined: Jun 2010
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A Mile...(position in space)
ahead
beyond
back
aside
behind
up
down
below
left
A mile...(position in time)
back
down
made
behind
left
Just curious, micha, what semantical aspect are you investigating?
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Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
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e.g. why you can't say I am 140 IQ points intelligent, or the oven is 300 degrees hot! :-)
well, you can, sort of: be careful, that water is boiling hot. the water they dived in was freezing cold. he has MENSA intelligence. while this sort of thing is certainly measurable, there may be hyperbole involved in the event. : )
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stranger
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stranger
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hmmm, tx, but I don't think any of these really work...
A 3 rooms vacant hotel?
A 4 parsecs distant planet?
try saying any of these in a sentence (combine the adjective with a noun) and it seems really awkward!
but, thanks!
blessings! :-)
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Joined: Aug 2010
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stranger
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stranger
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lol :-)
yes sorry, i meant actual explicit measuring units,
freezing and boiling below are just like "very"
and intelligence is a noun not adjective!
but thanks for creativity!
m y
blessings! :-)
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