[Grammar] imaginable

[Maybo]

Earlier pictures show community, how we as humans tend to gather for every reason imaginable: to communally preen for the perfect tan on a Rio rooftop, embrace in a dance during Mardi Gras, or commemorate the priceless friendships and freedom of youth in prom photos near the U.S.-Mexico border. (After a dramatic start to 2020, these photos capture a rapidly changing world by EVE CONANT)

Can I say "... for every imaginable reason"?

 

[emsr2d2]

I'm not even going to try to explain why but the natural word order in that specific phrase is "for every reason imaginable".

 

[Maybo]

I'm not even going to try to explain why but the natural word order in that specific phrase is "for every reason imaginable".

How about

1. They have every imaginable type of vegetables.
2. They have every type of vegetables imaginable.

 

[emsr2d2]

How about these?

1. They have every imaginable type of vegetable. [STRIKE]s.[/STRIKE]
2. They have every type of vegetable imaginable.

See above. #2 is natural.

 

[GoesStation]

Number one works for me, too.

 

[emsr2d2]

#1 is grammatical but it just sounds awkward to me. Maybe it's just a BrE thing. Maybe it's just me!

 

[Tdol]

Can I say "... for every imaginable reason"?

You can, but the word order in the text is very common.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

All the placements of imaginable above sound good to these American ears.

(I'm not a grammarian, but putting it last seems like a flipped adjective, like meet cute, battle royal, lion rampant, and bar sinister — totally natural, though not in the natural order. Or order natural, for that matter.)

So as Tdol and Em suggest, it might be another small difference between east-of-the-Atlantic and west-of-the-Atlantic.

But yes, we all agree on both sides of the Big Wet: Don't pluralize vegetable.

 

[jutfrank]

#1 is grammatical but it just sounds awkward to me. Maybe it's just a BrE thing. Maybe it's just me!

It's definitely not just you. It could be a British English thing but I'd be surprised if that were the case.

Putting imaginable after the noun is a way to emphasise the completeness of the preceding any/every/all. It just doesn't work as well with imaginable before the noun.

any/every/all + noun + imaginable

A similar pattern occurs with superlatives:

the best /worst ... + noun + imaginable

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

It's definitely not just you. It could be a British English thing but I'd be surprised if that were the case. . . .

The two Americans who answered the question think putting imaginable before the noun sounds as natural as after.

That's not a a big enough sample for a pollster, but it might suggest something.

 

[jutfrank]

The two Americans who answered the question think putting imaginable before the noun sounds as natural as after.

I don't think it's a question of what sounds natural as much as the effect achieved. Consider this example from Collins:

...their imprisonment under some of the most horrible circumstances imaginable.

Would you put imaginable before the noun in this case?

 

[Tdol]

Nope.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

I don't think it's a question of what sounds natural as much as the effect achieved. Consider this example from Collins:

...their imprisonment under some of the most horrible circumstances imaginable.

Would you put imaginable before the noun in this case?

No. I'm just saying I'd put it in front of reason.