John,
I think your parsing is sound. So often today we hear and even read where the real subject is lost sight of and agreement is not successful, the author thinking of the plural that resides in a prepositional phrase. Thus, "one of the men are dressed like penguins" or some such error. Perhaps the following will add to your healthy discussion:
The adjectival phrase "of the men" certainly tell use what kind of things the one is selected from. Other numbers like "ten of the men" in the noun position are all plural. The definite article in "the men" is completed in its definite scope by the modifying participial phrase "dressed like penguins." This might be replaced without significant change by a relative (adjective) clause "who are dressed like penguins." The mayors dressed themselves, so we don't think of this copula together with the participle as a passive voice phrase, but rather as a descriptive predicative adjective. Its function is to identify the class of men being referred to. The "like" is considered a preposition introducing an adverbial phrase, but there are some situations where it is a conjunction introducing an adverbial clause of comparison "dressed like penguins are dressed," though here penguins are not really dressed! (The men are dressed to look like penguins look.) The adverbial "in one of these rooms" is closest to "penguins" but like "like penguins" must also be taken to refer back to the men as an adverbial modification telling where they are. If we are inclined to only allow adjectives to modify nouns, then the adverbs in predicate position would also be problematic, "A man is in one of these rooms." The implication seems to be that there are men of the penguin appearance in all of the rooms. It is quite common for adverbial clauses, especially those of place and time, to modify as a relative clause "The room wherein the mayor is found has penguin dressed men in it."
Bruce
Speaking of adjectives and adverbs... The sentence below caused some healthy discussion in my classes today. From this model we found the simple sentence to be One is the mayor. Any thoughts on parsing the prepositional phrases acting as adverbs and adjectives? And can we say that dressed is a participle modifying men and like penguins is then an adverbial modifying dressed?
One of the men dressed like penguins in one of these rooms is the mayor.
Thanks very much!
John
On Mon, Jan 14, 2013 at 10:10 PM, Scott Woods
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Dear List,
In the sentence "The sun is usually blazing hot," how would you analyze "blazing"?
Thanks,
Scott
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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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