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"modern American family" or "American modern

 
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nawee



Joined: 29 Apr 2006
Posts: 400

PostPosted: Wed Jan 24, 2007 2:42 am    Post subject: "modern American family" or "American modern Reply with quote

Hello,

Which order is correct?

a. modern American family
b. American modern family

Or are they both grammatically acceptable, but differ in terms of meaning?

Thank you,

Nawee
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CP



Joined: 12 Jun 2006
Posts: 2875
Location: California

PostPosted: Wed Jan 24, 2007 7:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

A native speaker would say "a modern American family" but not "an American modern family." I'm sure someone else knows what "rules" govern why this is so, but I don't. Good luck, modern American family member!
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Mary W. Ng



Joined: 26 Jun 2006
Posts: 261

PostPosted: Wed Jan 24, 2007 2:01 pm    Post subject: Re: "modern American family" or "American mod Reply with quote

Adjectives of general description (modern) come before adjectives denoting origin (American). Smile
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Mary W. Ng
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