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I need help with the grammar of this sentence from a light novel:

短い黒髪に、高くも低くもない平均的な身長。

  1. What is the purpose of に after 黒髪? Is it a conjunction particle?

  2. Does the く after 高 and 低 make them adverbs? If so how does it affect the verb です (which I assume is the implied verb)

  3. I don't understand the use of もない in the sentence

Eddie Kal
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user39936
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1 Answers1

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This に is a listing particle. See: Particle に to enumerate things?

高くも低くもない平均的な身長 is the same as 高くもなくて低くもない平均的な身長, or "an average stature which is neither big nor small". See: What is the correct grammar for "neither x nor y"? / How would you say "Something isn't X, but isn't Y as well."

  • 高い身長: "big stature" ("tall height" is more literal but this is probably unnatural in English, so please bear with this)
  • 高くない身長: "stature that is not big"
  • 高くも低くもない身長: "stature that is not big nor small"

The omitted verb after 身長 is indeed だ/です (or をしている), but it has little to do with the grammar above.

短い黒髪に、高くも低くもない平均的な身長(だ/をしている)。
[He/She] has short black hair, and an average stature that is neither big nor small.
[He/She] has short black hair, and is neither tall nor short.

naruto
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