• tatterdemalion@programming.dev
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    7
    ·
    edit-2
    3 days ago

    Nerd question: My English brain reads “happy little accident” and “big angry intent” as the correct ordering of adjectives for both phrases. But semantically, the adjectives are actually swapped in order (big and little are not in the same position). What is going on?

    Common rules for adjective ordering.

    • JackFrostNCola@aussie.zone
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      3 days ago

      I think its to do with the subject of the sentence.

      The subject of sentence 1 is happy accidents, and he is describing it as a ‘happy’ accident because its turned out in a pleasant way, as opposed to something like “frustrating little accident”.

      Sentence 2 the subject is angry intent, like he is behaving in a way that is focused by angry emotion, and in this case ‘big’ is the modifier that is giving you a scale of how intense the emotion is.

      Note: I am in no way an english or language authority, just how i think my brain is handling the structure of those sentences and the order that feels ‘right’.

    • backalleycoyote@lemmy.today
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      4 days ago

      Right there, on that one, let’s add Odin and a few screaming Valkyries riding forth from Asgard to rain wrath and ruin upon the nations of the White Christ.

  • Ariselas@piefed.ca
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    3
    ·
    4 days ago

    Bob’s not so well known spinoff “The Agony of Abstract Expressionist Painting”

  • Rhaedas@fedia.io
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    2
    ·
    4 days ago

    “Don’t make me angry. You don’t want to see me when I’m angry.” - Fred Rogers

  • 9point6@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    1
    ·
    4 days ago

    We want happy paintings, if you want sad things… I’m about to go on a happy little spree