What Does "All" Emphasize?
At breakfast on Thursday she bored them all stupid with flying tips she'd gotten out of a library book called Quidditch Through the Ages.
I was told that "all" is only in there for emphasis and the the essential parts are "she bored them stupid", i.e "she bored them to a state of stupidity." If so, what does 'all' intensify? ?'bored' or 'them'?
Top answer
Strictly speaking I suppose it's ambiguous, though the salient interpretation by far is that "them all" is a compound pronoun, since they are inseparable here. The direct object of "bored" would then be the NP "them all". Compare "She bored all of them stupid".
- Strictly speaking I suppose it's ambiguous, though the salient interpretation by far is that "them all" is a compound pronoun, since they are inseparable here.
- The direct object of "bored" would then be the NP "them all".
- Compare "She bored all of them stupid".
- e.
- as an intensifier used informally.
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Strictly speaking I suppose it's ambiguous, though the salient interpretation by far is that "them all" is a compound pronoun, since they are inseparable here. The direct object of "bored" would then be the NP "them all". Compare "She bored all of them stupid".
On the other hand, though very unlikely, it could be modifying "stupid", i.e. as an intensifier used informally.
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