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Anonymous Posted 17 years ago
Grammar

Putting adjective front and back and another

Hi. Is it correct in modern English to put adjective in the front and back of an abstract noun like "joy" or should it be part of old English? What is the difference? Hymns seem to be where a lot of this kind of pattern surfaces.

He has a great joy sublime. -- Is this the ellpited form of "He has a great joy that is sublime"?

He has a great and sublime joy.

Also, if one is exhilated about the happiness or or greatly sadden due to a sadness he is experiencing, could one write this as part in a poem or song?

What a sadness/happiness
  

Top answer

He has a great joy sublime - this is an archaic type of expression rarely used in modern English (poetry may still use this type of phrasing). What a sadness/happiness - no, you could not write this. Sadness and happiness are not countable (you cannot have a number of "happiness") and so you cannot use "a" or "an" with them.

— Anonymous

  • He has a great joy sublime - this is an archaic type of expression rarely used in modern English (poetry may still use this type of phrasing).
  • What a sadness/happiness - no, you could not write this.
  • Sadness and happiness are not countable (you cannot have a number of "happiness") and so you cannot use "a" or "an" with them.
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1 Answers
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He has a great joy sublime - this is an archaic type of expression rarely used in modern English (poetry may still use this type of phrasing).

What a sadness/happiness - no, you could not write this. Sadness and happiness are not countable (you cannot have a number of "happiness") and so you cannot use "a" or "an" with them.
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