General Grammatical query

[noor_dalhousie]

Hi

This is a general query regarding a grammar. For example there is a sentence "X is contained in merely three percent of the cell’s DNA".

My query is isnt "three percent" an adjective that modifies "cell's DNA". And if three percent is adjective, won't "merely" correctly modify "three percent". However, OA is that instead of "merely" we need "mere". Please explain. Further, in such figures like 3% of X etc, dsn't 3% an adjective modifying noun X or is "3% of X" a proper noun. Please advise?

[RonPurewal]

...And that's exactly why you should just learn how stuff works, rather than putting so much effort into trying to classify everything in the world.
(Remember -- you'll be tested on whether things work or don't work. You will not be tested on grammatical classifications.)

I actually don't have any idea how that construction would be classified. But I know that merely three percent is correct, and that's that. Call it an adverb; call it a pink flamingo; call it Bob. Just know that it's a thing, and that it's correct.

Here's another construction that is also correct:
A mere 30 percent of the students are in class today.
I don't have clue #1 how to analyze it, but it's a legitimate idiom.

[RonPurewal]

As another example of something that it's totally pointless to analyze:
Because of today's football game, there will be more traffic than usual.
This is a correct construction.

What is "usual" here? Is it an adjective? If it's an adjective, how does it get away with not being parallel to anything?
I don't know the answers to these questions. But that doesn't stop me from knowing that "more xxxxx than usual" is a correct thing.

If you really can't get past the idea of classifying things, then just call these things "idioms".

[noor_dalhousie]

Thanks Ron :)

[RonPurewal]

Thanks Ron :)

Sure.