"he had hands the size of trash can lids" - why is it correct?
Harry Potter's: "He looked simply too big to be allowed, and so wild – long tangles of bushy black hair and beard hid most of his face, he had hands the size of trash can lids, and his feet in their leather boots were like dolphins."
Why is there no linking words between "hands" and "the size of trash can lids"? Do you know any other examples of such pattern to better learn it?
Top answer
This pattern, where linking words such as "that was/were" are omitted, seems to be used mostly of measurements: "a rose bush the height of a small tree", "a garden the length of a football pitch". g. "a house the envy of all in the neighbourhood".
- This pattern, where linking words such as "that was/were" are omitted, seems to be used mostly of measurements: "a rose bush the height of a small tree", "a garden the length of a football pitch".
- g.
- "a house the envy of all in the neighbourhood".
- I expect there are others, but not a huge number.
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This pattern, where linking words such as "that was/were" are omitted, seems to be used mostly of measurements: "a rose bush the height of a small tree", "a garden the length of a football pitch". The only non-measurement example that I can think of right now is "envy", e.g. "a house the envy of all in the neighbourhood". I expect there are others, but not a huge number.
0Another example that popped into my head is "colour", e.g. "a complexion the colour of putty".
0
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