This old car vs this quite an old car

[Alexey86]

1. This old car is expensive.
2. This quite an old car is expensive.

Is (2) correct? The quite + adj + noun pattern requires a/an before the adjective, but the sentence already has the determiner 'this'. I mean usually two determiners before a noun phrase would be considered an error (This [STRIKE]an[/STRIKE] old car is expensive.).

 

[GoesStation]

Number two is incorrect.

 

[Alexey86]

Number two is incorrect.

Should it be 'this quite old car'?

 

[GoesStation]

Should it be 'this quite old car'?

I wouldn’t say that in American English because "quite" doesn't work. "This very old car" is okay. This is a matter of word usage, not grammar.

 

[Tarheel]

It's hard to see why you need to add anything to "old car" but I suppose it's possible.

 

[teechar]

Re: This old car vs this quite an old card

Use other adverbs, such as "fairly", "rather", "very", "really" instead in such sentences.
Here's a useful reference about the usage of "quite".
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/quite

 

[Alexey86]

Re: This old car vs this quite an old card

Use other adverbs, such as "fairly", "rather", "very", "really" instead in such sentences.
Here's a useful reference about the usage of "quite".
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/quite

This rather an old car is expensive.

This sentence is grammatical even though 'old car' is preceded by two determiners, right?

 

[Alexey86]

No. Delete 'an'.

OK, my main question is about grammaticality of the this + quite + a/an + adj + noun construction.

Suppose somebody thinks the older the car, the higher the price. But one day he sees quite a new and expensive car and says "This quite a new car is more expensive than many older ones." Is it a correct sentence?

 

[GoesStation]

OK, my main question is about grammaticality of the this + quite + a/an + adj + noun construction.

Suppose somebody thinks the older the car, the higher the price. But one day he sees quite a new and expensive car and says "This quite a new car is more expensive than many older ones." Is it a correct sentence?

No. The construction doesn't exist.

 

[Alexey86]

No. The construction doesn't exist.

Thank you. What if I change it to 'This, quite a new, car is more expensive than many others'?

 

[Rover_KE]

No. Forget that, too.

 

[jutfrank]

You're confusing two different patterns.

1) It is quite an old car. :tick:
2) This quite old car is mine. :tick:

3) This quite an old car is mine. :cross:

 

[teechar]

2) This quite old car is mine. :tick:

I agree that the above structure exists.
This quite frightened man was found wandering around the town square.

However, it may be in decline (for whatever reason) and may not be natural in all varieties of English.

 

[Tarheel]

Well, I wouldn't use very old car.

A car that's very old is one of two things. It's either an antique or it's junk.

I find quite old (used with cars) to be rather unnatural. (Maybe it's just me.)

 

[Phaedrus]

I agree that the above structure exists.
This quite frightened man was found wandering around the town square.

However, it may be in decline (for whatever reason) and may not be natural in all varieties of English.

I seem to find it more natural when there is more than one attributive adjective, quite coming between the determiner and the first attributive adjective:

This quite frightened old man was found wandering around the town square.
He bought this quite clunky old car.
He encountered this quite spirited young woman who was handing out fliers.

Where there is a string of adjectives, the further removed from the head noun an adjective is, the more commentary-like that adjective tends to be. Compare:

This old man who was quite frightened was found wandering around the town square.
He bought this old car that was quite clunky.
He encountered this young woman handing out fliers who was quite spirited.