20040607

Adhered Adjective

An adhered adjective is an adjective that is stuck to a particular noun, usually because the person saying it is obliged to use those words in combination because they are reading from a script. Often the adhered adjective seems awkward in this combination, and it is only through repetition that we fail to notice it. Often heard whilst travelling, eg:

"Please do not leave packages unattended as this may lead to unnecessary security alerts".

Here, 'unnecessary' is the adhered adjective. Note the subtle implication here, that there may in the course of an ordinary day be a necessary security alert, but if you leave your bag of sandwiches next to platform 4, then it will cause an unnecessary secturity alert.

"A warm welcome to our OnePass members who are earning valuable air miles on this trip".

In this Continental greeting, the script tries vainly to emphasise the importance and value of the air miles, despite the fact that it takes you about 10 years of frequent jetsetting to earn anything like enough miles for a trip from Newark to JFK.

Anyone know any more adhered adjectives?

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