Linked Questions
20 questions linked to/from Is "running" a gerund or a participial adjective?
1
vote
3
answers
658
views
gerund or participle [duplicate]
Literature is inevitably a distorting--not a neutral--medium. Writers interpose their vision between the reader and reality.
In the above sentence, is the word distorting a gerund or a participle ? ...
3
votes
1
answer
136
views
Is the word shocking in this sentence being used as a gerund or present participle? And why? [duplicate]
Is the word shocking in this sentence being used as a gerund or present participle? And why?
We heard shocking news.
My daughter had recently taken an English test at a Korean middle school. The ...
- 39
1
vote
2
answers
249
views
What part of speech is "baking" in "baking is fun"? [duplicate]
In the sentence "baking is fun," what part of speech is "baking"?
- 11
16
votes
13
answers
9k
views
How many parts of speech can a word be at the same time?
ᴛʟᴅʀ: Is it ever possible for a sentence to have a word in it that is simultaneously more than one single part of speech in that sentence under the same parse and meaning?
(For example, a few possible ...
- 137k
16
votes
6
answers
5k
views
Using "so" and "very" for ungradable adjectives
We generally use modifiers such as "so" and "very" for gradable/normal adjectives (water can be quite/so/very HOT, but not quite/so/very BOILING (an ungradable/extreme adjective). Yet would you say ...
- 2,667
15
votes
4
answers
9k
views
How productive is the verb prefix "un-"?
Is it possible to use un- with new words such as sit, sleep, sad? I'm currently seeing many words (in programming) which use un- in the meaning of undoing something.
For example, is it possible to ...
user16142
6
votes
1
answer
18k
views
Should I modify a gerund using an adjective or an adverb?
I know that a gerund is a noun, so it should be modified by an adjective. However, it is also a verb form. Can I modify it by using an adverb?
- 199
5
votes
4
answers
3k
views
Is "Let's get started" passive voice or not?
Is the idiomatic expression 'get started' (as in "Let's get started") a passive construction?
Or is 'started' here an adjective?
EDIT
As John Lawler has suggested in his answer, let's not get ...
- 7,316
5
votes
7
answers
2k
views
Is "entitled" a passive voice verb or adjective in "everyone is entitled to respect"?
Adjective or verb passive form??
In the sentence
We teach our children that everyone is entitled to respect and dignity
is 'entitled' more likely an adjective or a verb?
A similar question appeared ...
- 141
6
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Adjectives that do not have predicative position
I've read somewhere that some adjectives cannot be used in the predicative position; for example "this is a major problem" is acceptable, but "the problem is major" is not acceptable.
I'm wondering ...
- 7,045
6
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Should "gerund + objective" be modified by adjectives or adverbs?
I read from TheFreeDictionary http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Gerunds.htm the examples "Studying too hastily will result in a poor grade." and "Working from home allows me to spend more time with my ...
- 159
2
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Difference between gerund and present participle [duplicate]
What is the difference between a gerund and present participle? When should we use a gerund and when should we use a present participle ?
- 31
0
votes
3
answers
572
views
-ing word as modifier of a noun: Verb or attributive/deverbal Noun?
Note: I sat on this question for quite some time, but after wracking my brain on it for quite a while, I finally caved and decided to ask it as a question.
When I say “dining room,” most people, I ...
- 31
5
votes
2
answers
277
views
Noun + Gerund Structure Differences [closed]
Just need your insights on the sentences that really boggle my mind.
The first sentence below is an excerpt taken from the following article:
The effect of smoking on bone healing
It is difficult to ...
- 57
2
votes
1
answer
623
views
For the linguists among us: I like loud singing vs I like singing loudly
Can you explain why using "loud" as either an adjective or an adverb changes the meaning of the sentence. Is it just an English convention, or is there something deeper going on?
I like loud singing =...
- 375
1
vote
1
answer
614
views
Polysemous prefix 'un-'
The prefix 'un-' is polysemous. Its meaning depends on the word class of the root/stem it is being attached to: for verbs the meaning has a "reversible" effect and for adjectives it has a "negated" or ...
- 13
2
votes
1
answer
350
views
Is "rumored" a verb or an adjective (a participle adjective)?
According to a dictionary, rumor can function as a noun or a verb. I can see rumor being a noun, but am having difficulty accepting it as a verb.
The dictionary gives the example sentence, John is ...
2
votes
1
answer
247
views
Verb, Adjective, noun?
A case refers to a "binding" or authoritative decision made by the court.
Binding is a verb, noun or an adjective?
- 29
0
votes
2
answers
99
views
Can live be used as a lexical verb in future tenses when meaning “live conferencing”?
Context: In technology, there is such a thing as a live video broadcast but I cannot seem to construct a sentence where “live” is the main verb. Consider this example. My colleague is going to be at a ...
- 1
0
votes
0
answers
28
views
"this drug induces sleeping" or "this drug induces sleep"?
I seem to have heard both structures before, but I don’t understand which it would be.
In other languages the second verb would be in the infinitive, but I have heard things like "Josh hates ...
- 43