>
>  If we say, "She is five years in age," the modification seems a little
> redundant. Whereas the range of forty miles in length can contrast with
> five miles (long) in breadth (even 200 square miles in area, *etc.*)*,* "five
> years" as predicate to a person is usually only of the person's age.
> Bruce
>

Does five years "of" age still seem redundant? I find it a fairly common
phrase, both spoken and published...

Also, would there be better constructions for these statements? Neither
necessarily deal with a specific age.

She is five years past the age limit to join the team.
She is five years into her term as president of the board.





>  --- [log in to unmask] wrote:
>
> From: "Hancock, Craig G" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: adverb construction
> Date: Thu, 6 Sep 2012 16:33:43 +0000
>
>  Bruce,
>
>     This is very helpful. I was trying to square an analysis of a phrase
> like “forty miles above the earth” where “miles” is usually the head with
> “forty miles away,” or “forty miles long,” where “away” and “long” seem to
> be the head and “forty miles” just quantifies extent (like ‘very long” or
> “a little long.”) . Would “forty miles in length” give us “miles’ as head,
> but “forty miles long” give us “long” in the same role?  That doesn’t feel
> quite right to me.
>
>
>
> Craig
>
>
>
> *From:* Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar [mailto:
> [log in to unmask]] *On Behalf Of *Bruce Despain
> *Sent:* Thursday, September 06, 2012 9:03 AM
> *To:* [log in to unmask]
> *Subject:* Re: adverb construction
>
>
>
> Craig,
>
> I have kept my eyes open over the years since I put a masters thesis
> together on the quantifier construction in 1974, but have not seen much
> progress made.  And so I would be very interested in alternative analyses.
> You probably already saw my work on these expressions when I referred to
> them last week (www.bdespain.org/S&L/SE/SE-155.htm).  I understand them
> as having an adverb (or two) that are understood, but not explicitly
> expressed.  Hence,
>
> 1) They hovered forty (many) miles (far) above the earth.  *etc.*
>
> With time the redundant version would be:
>
> 7) They came in twenty (many) minutes (long) after the speech. *etc.*
>
> These general adverbs of extent for space and time, *far* and *long*, are
> some that are regularly omitted, but others with more content will remain:
>
> 1)' They hovered forty (many) miles high above the earth.
>
> 7)' They came in twenty (many) minutes late after the speech.
>
> It may be noted that the phrase structure rule that characterizes this
> construction is recursive allowing the *many* also to anchor a head. The
> quantifier, viz. adverb, appears when the modifier to the quantifier
> phrase, viz. adverb phrase, is questioned.
>
> 7A) How many minutes (long) after the speech did they come in?
>
> 7B) How long after the speech did they come in?
>
> The context of my description classifies ten different quantification
> expressions in three parts of phrase (pre-quantifier, quantifier, noun).
> The constructions for quantifiers seem to fall into seven different kinds
> of expression.
>
>
>
> Bruce
>
>
> --- [log in to unmask] wrote:
>
> From: "Hancock, Craig G" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: adverb construction
> Date: Wed, 5 Sep 2012 16:30:05 +0000
> I have had trouble sending this message (new system?) so I apologize if
> you receive it more than once.
>
> I am interested in ways to understand constructions like the following.
>
> 1)       They hovered *forty miles above the earth*.
>
> 2)      They hovered *forty miles above*.
>
> *3)**      *The road was *forty miles long.*
>
> 4)      They went *forty miles past the exit sign*.
>
> 5)      They went *forty miles past*.
>
> 6)      They went *way past*.
>  We can come up with similar patterns for time location.
>
> 7)      We came in *twenty minutes* *after the speech*.
>
> 8)      We came in *twenty minutes after*.
>
> 9)      We came in *twenty minutes late*.
>  What are the standard views? Are there alternatives?
>   Craig
>
>
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>
>


-- 
John Chorazy
English II and III, Academic and Honors
Advisor, Panther Press
Pequannock Township High School
973.616.6000

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