Grammar

I've been thinking about adjectives today.

(Yes, I know.)

Specifically, I've been thinking about lists of adjectives - and about special cases, when the listing rules don't really apply. In a comment to a dear friend's journal, I mentioned a "crumbling antebellum plantation manor", and I've been wondering since I wrote that whether it wants commas or not.

In my junior year of high school, ( ... )

Anyway. "Crumbling antebellum plantation manor".

I'm of the position that there are no commas needed, because these aren't listed adjectives, they're nested adjectives. "Plantation" describes "manor"; "antebellum" describes "plantation manor"; "crumbling" describes "antebellum plantation manor". In other words, "crumbling (antebellum (plantation (manor)))".

But I can see how people would think that it's a list. But even then - does "plantation" count in the list? (It describes what kind of manor it is.) Should it be "crumbling, antebellum plantation manor" or "crumbling, antebellum, plantation manor"?

Inquiring gnomes want to mine.

Forks in the road

Somebody remind me why I didn't go into law? It fascinates me an awful lot.