2

I heard a friends say that he's going to take a small nap. Is this correct usage? I thought we only take light naps.

| improve this question | |
  • 7
    short nap is better. – user13107 Apr 16 '14 at 6:09
  • 4
    Also a quick nap. – user66974 Apr 16 '14 at 6:13
  • 1
    Also a cat nap ;-) – Jim Apr 16 '14 at 6:26
  • 1
    How about a little nap? That's done a lot. – anongoodnurse Apr 16 '14 at 6:30
  • 1
    My jacket has a short nap. Although it's worn away in some places. – andy256 Apr 16 '14 at 6:34
6

'Small' doesn't make sense here because the adjective referring to the length of time (duration) of a nap. Small is more of a descriptor for the overall size of something rather than length in particular (such as the saying, "it's a small world").

'Short' is better because it is an adjectives used to describe length (of time or of objects). You might say "that was a short drive" or "the dog is playing with a short stick."

'Quick' is also appropriate here because it is used to describe duration (length of time), such as "it was a quick meeting."

A 'light' nap is also correct, but it is not referring to the length of the nap. It is instead is stating that the nap does not involve a deep sleep, and typically that implies a shorter nap.

Edit: saying "light nap" is similar to "light snack". Snacks are smaller than a meal, but adding the modifier 'light' implies it's a smaller snack than usual, possibly with healthier or less filling food. A light nap might be 5 minutes of just closing your eyes and breathing deeply, barely even sleeping, as opposed to a 2-hour nap where you likely reach deep stages of sleep.

| improve this answer | |
  • No nap can involve deep sleep. No nap can be otherwise than short and light. – Kris Apr 16 '14 at 7:14
  • 1
    Perhaps you only take light, short naps, but napping can involve deep sleep, and since a 5 minute nap is shorter than a 2 hour nap, it is still appropriate to modify the word nap with words like short. – AlannaRose Apr 17 '14 at 5:03
  • 1
    There's the 10 minute super-nap. Also, there's power naps, cat naps, 40-winks, etc. All these are different kinds of naps and not merely different ways of saying nap. – Tucker Apr 17 '14 at 17:42
0

I would assume neither would be necessary. Your friend "is going to take a nap" should suffice since by definition a nap is brief sleep during the day.

| improve this answer | |
  • 2
    But if you were going to prefix an adjective indicating that the nap is shorter than one would expect the average nap to be... – ksoo Apr 20 '14 at 15:10

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