with a brain the size of a walnut

[Sonia.m]

Are the following OK?

Woody : And I’m the one with a brain which is the size of a walnut?
Woody :And I’m the one with a brain the size of a walnut?


Movie: Woody woodpecker

 

[Tarheel]

Yes.

 

[Phaedrus]

If I had to expand a brain the size of a walnut, I'd add of, which has arguably been omitted: a brain of the size of a walnut.

 

[tzfujimino]

How about "being"?
... with a brain (being) the size of a walnut

 

[jutfrank]

The second sentence is much better.

It is correct and very natural to use the pattern which the second sentence uses:

with [noun phrase] the size of [noun phrase]

 

[Tdol]

How about "being"?
... with a brain (being) the size of a walnut

You could come up with a context where this could work, but this example is not such a context.

 

[Sonia.m]

with [noun phrase] the size of [noun phrase]

Thanks.
Are the following OK?
With a pair of shoe the size of 8.
With a sheet of page the size of A4.

 

[jutfrank]

Are the following OK?
With a pair of shoe the size of 8.
With a sheet of page the size of A4.

No, that structure is not used to say which particular size a design is. It is used to liken the size of something to something else.

 

[Phaedrus]

With a pair of shoe the size of 8.

with a pair of shoes of size 8 (or: with a pair of size 8 shoes)

 

[Skrej]

With a pair of shoe the size of 8.
With a sheet of page the size of A4.

You can think of this with [noun phrase] the size of [noun phrase] construction as being more of a literary device, rather than a grammatical construction. Use it to make an interesting or humorous comparison, like we do with a simile. It won't work to actually describe the size of something, though.


They say I have a brain like a walnut.
They say I have a brain as big as a walnut.

They say I'm the one with a brain the size of a walnut.