0

Please where is the subject and the verb in the following sentence:

Slavery and the slave trade bulk large in this work.

Is it grammatically correct? And what kind of the word is 'large' in this sentence -- is it an adverb or ...

Thank you

Improve this question

3 Answers 3

Reset to default
1

You can think of "bulk large" as the whole verb, which means "feature prominently." I've heard "bulk large," but I've never heard "bulk" as a verb without the "large."

Historically (200+ years ago) "large" was used as an adverb, which meant something like "without restraint," but this usage is obsolete. It survives in certain verb phrases like "bulk large" and "live large" (live as if you're very rich, so you're not restrained by money).

The phrase "at large" is also related. When you say a criminal is "at large," it means that they are not yet captured, and their location is unknown. It can also be used as a modifier after certain political titles, like "at-large committee member", which means the politician is not constrained to a particular district. Lastly, "at large" can be used adverbially, to mean "in general."

All of these uses of "x large" sound kind of awkward to modern native English speakers. "Bulk large" is not a commonly used phrase, outside of the snobby sort of writing you get in book reviews.

Improve this answer
2
  • Thank you for the answer. If we say '... bulk largely in this work' is it correct. And what is the difference between 'bulk large' and 'bulk largely' if does exist.
    – slim Hass
    Commented Mar 26, 2020 at 1:18
  • No, "bulk largely" is not a thing. We basically don't have "bulk" as a verb in English unless it's "bulk large." Also, "largely" means "for the most part." It is not equivalent to this old, weird meaning of "large," which means "in general" or "without limitation." The reason it's confusing is that "bulk large" is an obscure, kind of pretentious old phrase that 99+% of English speakers have never used.
    – Diogenes Creosote
    Commented Mar 26, 2020 at 2:28
1

Large is an adjective - The construction is show in, e.g. "She arrived drunk (She arrived and she was drunk.) or He hammered the metal flat." (He hammered the metal and, as a result, it was flat."

The Google Ngram results for the verbal phrases bulk large,figure large,loom large, all of which have a broadly similar meaning, are given at [1]. They show a period of popularity for "bulk large" between 1900 and 2000 and "loom large" as the current popular choice.

A Dictionary of Modern Legal Usage - ( Bryan A. Garner - 2001 at Page 121) gives

bulk large is an acceptable variant of loom large. E.g. “Transferability of interests should not ordinarily bulk large in the decision whether or not to incorporate.”/ “It bulks very large, for instance, in every census of India.” Both loom large and bulk large have become CLICHES.

[1]https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=bulk+large%2Cfigure+large%2Cloom+large&year_start=1800&year_end=2008&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2Cbulk%20large%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Cfigure%20large%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Cloom%20large%3B%2Cc0#t1%3B%2Cbulk%20large%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Cfigure%20large%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Cloom%20large%3B%2Cc0

Improve this answer
0

It's a hair weird, in that the verb is "bulk", a word that is rarely used as a verb. And it's a bit archaic/pretentious.

But basically, "Slavery and the slave trade" is the subject, "bulk", meaning something along the lines of "grow" is the verb, and "in this work" is a prepositional phrase modifying "bulk". (Consider the use of "bulk" in the idiom "bulk up".)

"Large" also modifies "bulk", and hence is used as an adverb. Pretty much the same as if it said "Slavery and the slave trade grow large in this work".

Improve this answer
4
  • I don't agree with the last sentence of this answer. It is not saying slavery and the slave trade grow large in the book. It is saying the book features that topic prominently. "Bulk large" has a particular meaning that is not encompassed in the modern sense of "large."
    – Diogenes Creosote
    Commented Mar 26, 2020 at 4:28
  • 1
    @AndrewCone I don't think that was the intent. The postpositive adverb might have looked a bit odd with bulk as the verb; using a more recognisable verb makes the construct clearer.
    – Lawrence
    Commented Mar 26, 2020 at 9:17
  • The large in the phrase "grow large" does not mean the same thing as the large in "bulk large".
    – Diogenes Creosote
    Commented Mar 26, 2020 at 14:29
  • @Andrew Cole Please see the first paragraph of my answer above. "Large" is not an adverb: it does not qualify "to bulk". Compare "She arrived drunk" with "She arrived drunkenly" and "He hammered the metal flat".with "He hammered the metal flatly."
    – Greybeard
    Commented Mar 27, 2020 at 8:52

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.