Quote:
Originally Posted by Andrew H.
less [subtly manipulative] or [less subtly] manipulative?
|
Subtly manipulative is a compound adjective consisting of an adverb and a verb.
Less modifies the compound adjective.
Less subtle in its manipulativeness avoids modifying a compound adj. but seems a tad awkward to me.
Then again, I have a relative who writes law manuals, so I might be immune to disconcerting stacks of words.
The odd thing about your two interpretations is that the brackets seem to imply parentheses or commas, which would invite completely different interpretations.