Grammar Labelling

Question

Hi, I hope some of you can help me label the following!

"matching criss-cross scars and scratches" - trying to label 'criss-cross' specifically! I'm thinking it's a qualitative adjective(before the nouns scars and scratches'?

"wisp of a body" - wisp in this one! I thought it was a qualitative adjective but apparently it is not!

All help greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

BillJ · Accepted Answer

Anonymous"matching criss-cross scars and scratches" - trying to label 'criss-cross' specifically! I'm thinking it's a qualitative adjective(before the nouns scars and scratches'?

Its origin is "Christ's Cross" which would make it a noun. But my Oxford Dictionary gives it as an adjective, which seems reasonable. That being the case, it's an adjective functioning as an attributive modifier of the noun phrase scars and scratches.

Anonymous"wisp of a body" - wisp in this one! I thought it was a qualitative adjective but apparently it is not!

Wisp is a noun here, head of the noun phrase wisp of a body. The of-phrase of a body is a preposition phrase that complements it.

BillJ

Anonymous · Answer

Christ's Cross" which would make it a noun. But my Oxford Dictionary gives it as an adjective, which seems reasonable. That being the case, it's an adjective functioning as an attributive modifier of the noun phrase scars and scratches.

So does that make "Criss-cross" a pre-modifier, normally a noun but here doing the job of an adjective?

Thanks Bill!

AlpheccaStars · Answer

"matching criss-cross scars and scratches"

criss-cross is an adjective. It describes a pattern of lines that cross each other.

Complex criss-cross pattern

BillJ · Answer

AnonymousChrist's Cross" which would make it a noun. But my Oxford Dictionary gives it as an adjective, which seems reasonable. That being the case, it's an adjective functioning as an attributive modifier of the noun phrase scars and scratches.So does that make "Criss-cross" a pre-modifier, normally a noun but here doing the job of an adjective?

I think it's probably best to see criss-cross as belonging to both adjective and noun categories, the justification being that both uses are quite well established today.

In your example it would be an adjective functioning as a pre-head modifier of the noun phrase "scars and scratches".

As a noun, the online Oxford Dictionary gives the example The blotting paper was marked with a criss-cross of different inks (note the indefinite article "a", which would mark it as a noun, and the PP of different inks as complement, which is typical of a noun dependent).

Incidentally, it can also be a verb as in The smaller streets criss-crossed in a grid pattern (again from the Online Oxford).

Bill

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