grammar of 'years old'

Question

Please define what the word combination 'years old' is in grammatical terms. Example, "We are addressing the topic to people who are 50 years old." Thank you!

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

I believe it is an adjective phrase modifiying '50':

They are 50.
They are 50 years of age.
They are 50 years old.

I would be happy to receive correction, however. Interesting question.

MrPedantic · Answer

Hello Guest and Mister M.

It looks like a postpositive adjective to me as well, meaning 'having lived
for'; though I would say it relates to 'they' (in this example).

Other views surely abound out there...

MrP

CalifJim · Answer

"old" is an adjective, of course.
"fifty years" is a noun phrase used as an adverb answering the question "how (old)?".

How old is he? = adverb adjective verb pronoun.

The pattern is NUMBER + UNIT + DIMENSION-ADJECTIVE

Numbers: 3, 6, 10, 20, 75, ...

Dimension adjective: old Corresponding Units: years, days, months, ...
Dimension adjective: long Corresponding Units: miles, feet, yards, meters, light-years
Dimension adjective: wide Corresponding Units: (same as for length)

From this we get "How long?" "Five meters long." "How old?" "Fifty years old." "How deep?" "A millimeter deep." ...

Exception: It's not "25 degrees hot", just "25 degrees".

Anonymous · Answer

Please advise which is correct: He is a forty-two year old male or
He is a forty-two years old male.

BarbaraPA · Answer

Anonymous Please advise which is correct: He is a forty-two year old male or
He is a forty-two years old male.

I prefer 42-year-old, but if you spell out forty-two, then you need forty-two-year-old.

Do not use the plural "years."

Class build 944 · Answer

aged xx years or above / aged xx years old or above --> which one is correct, please advise

grammar of 'years old'

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