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Anonymous Posted 5 years ago
Grammar

Their last

But without a sip of water now and then, the snakes would shrivel up and hiss their last.

Is "their last" a noun phrase in the sentence above?

In other words, does "hiss" function both as a predicator (head of the VP) and an understood direct object in the NP "their last [hiss]"?

  

Top answer

anonymous Is "their last" a noun phrase in the sentence above? No. It is an idiomatic expression, and it is adverbial, meaning "for the last time".

— Anonymous

  • anonymous Is "their last" a noun phrase in the sentence above?
  • No.
  • It is an idiomatic expression, and it is adverbial, meaning "for the last time".
  • There is no omitted final "hiss".
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2 Answers
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anonymousIs "their last" a noun phrase in the sentence above?

No. It is an idiomatic expression, and it is adverbial, meaning "for the last time". There is no omitted final "hiss".

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anonymousIs "their last" a noun phrase in the sentence above?

Yes.

anonymousIn other words, does "hiss" function both as a predicator (head of the VP) and an understood direct object in the NP "their last [hiss]"?

It is open to opinion how strongly a noun is implied after "last", and whether that noun is specifical

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