"Set pattern"

Question

Hi.Please help.where can I learn about "Set pattern"?Do we have any source or list about Set patterns?

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

MIGwhere can I learn about "Set pattern"?

Set patterns of what?

MIG · Answer

Hi Mister Micawber.
This was the post in which dear GPY told me about "set pattern".

MIGHow is this possible?Her losing the spare keys wasn't too catastrophic an event
This is a set pattern: "too + adj. + a/an + noun". E.g. "I didn't have too bad a time", "This is too big a project for me", etc. In the US some people say "too + adj. + of + a/an + noun", which to me sounds wrong.

Similar patterns are "how + adj. + a/an + noun", "as + adj. + a/an + noun as ...", and others.

"Her losing the spare keys wasn't too catastrophic as an event" is grammatically well-formed, but it has a strange meaning, implying that it could be considered in other ways (other than as an "event"), in which case maybe it was more catastrophic.

But i find nothing about "set pattern" on the internet.

Mister Micawber · Answer

Ah, I see.

No, you will probably not find much information about the very general term 'set patterns' on the internet, for they are legion and omnipresent. These fixed forms exist for all manner of grammatical structures—phrases,clauses, idioms—and they result from the 'word chunking' nature of communication.

Here are some of the sub-classes of fixed expressions that you may find more information on: fixed phrases, fixed expressions, idioms, proverbs, stock phrases, catch phrases, allusions, idiomatic similes, social formulae, cliches, stereotypic expressions, stylistic formulae.

MIG · Answer

Thank you Mister Micawber for your kind and instructive answer.<img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/63.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/63.gif' alt='Emotion: rose'/>

"Set pattern"

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions