Scott,
    Part of the solution might come from recognizing that nouns themselves can function as modifiers.
   In "a mile long," "a mile" tells us how long it was. In "a long mile," "long" tells us the experienced duration of the mile.
    A similar pattern would be "a moment too soon."
    "A dime less" is different from "less dimes."
   We also have "a day later," "the space beyond," and "the path between," (not sure about those last two. They seem a bit like elliptical prepositional phrases.)
    Great question.

Craig

From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Scott Woods
Sent: Tuesday, October 22, 2013 11:55 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: post-positional noun phrase adjectives

Dear List,

Why can adjectives of amount sometimes follow the noun they modify? Are there other types of adjective that can go after the noun?

<he has that ounce more of nerve control than a woman has >
<he has that ounce less of nerve control than a woman has>
and
<he has one more ounce of nerve control than a woman has>
<he has one less ounce of nerve control than a woman has>
<he has one ounce less of nerve control than a woman has>
but not
*<he has that more ounce than a woman has>

Also,
<I want one more bite>
<I want one bite more>
<I want just one bite more>
<I ate fewer potato chips today>
<I ate three fewer potato chips today>
?<I ate three potato chips fewer today>
<Today, I ate three potato chips fewer than yesterday>

Thanks,
Scott Woods
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