Martha,
Could help me a little further with the form/function distinction.
I'm wondering about a word like "red," which seems to be an adjective
but also seems to satisfy the tests for a noun:
Many of the reds in Carpaccio's paintings have faded over the years.
(has a plural form)
The red's intensity drew my eye to the corner of the painting. (takes
possessive; takes determiner)
But would that mean that "red" in the following sentence is a noun in
form but functioning as an adjectival?
The red bathrobe was draped over the back of the chair.
Another example: the word "smooth." which, at first glance seems to
be an adjective.
The smooth surface of the river disguised the fact that it was
flowing rapidly.
But what about when it's used as a verb?
John Edwards smoothed Joe Biden's ruffled feathers.
Is this an adjective used as a verb? Or, does it make more sense to
say there are two words spelled and pronounced the same--smooth--but
one is a verb and a different word smooth is an adjective?
One more example. How do we decide whether words like "ride" or
"walk" are nouns that can function as verbs or verbs that can
function as nouns?
I took two rides on Saturday.
The ride's ending was a great surprise.
We ride/rode for hours
They will ride until the sun sets.
Our walks took place regardless of the weather.
The walk's purpose was to aid our digestion.
The teacher walks/walked to work.
The teacher has walked to class today.
Peter Adams
On Jan 14, 2008, at 4:33 PM, Martha Kolln wrote:
> Linda & all,
>
> The suffix -tion is an exceptionally good clue that a word is a
> noun. Even Karl's list of -tion verbs can be shown to be nouns as
> well by making them plural--with the possible exception of
> apportion. But the list of -tion words made from verbs is huge. In
> the discussion of noun derivational suffixes in Understanding
> English Grammar, I list the following from the first few pages of
> the dictionary: abbreviation, abolition, abortion, abstraction,
> accommodation, accumulation, accusation, acquisition, action.
> Every page has them in abundance--verbs that can be turned into
> nouns with the -ion (or -tion, -ation, etc.) added.
>
> And -tion is only one of many such derivational suffixes that
> identify a word as a noun: Another that was mentioned was -ment.
> There's also -ance, -al, -ant, -age, -y, -ure, and -er--and more.
> The concept of "noun" as one of the form classes--along with verbs,
> adjectives, and adverbs--is an important distinction between the
> Latin-based "eight parts of speech" and the word classes based on
> English. All the form classes have distinctive forms that students
> will come to recognize in a conscious way--and they'll learn to
> appreciate their inner grammar expertise.
>
> And of course, nearly all nouns can function as adjectives. It's
> important in discussing "parts of speech" to recognize the
> distinction between form and function. It presents a problem for
> test takers when they are asked to identify the "part of speech."
> In a sentence with "the telephone book," for example, the
> underlined word is functioning as an adjective, but that doesn't
> make it an adjective; it's still a noun in form.
>
> Just some thoughts.
>
> Martha
>
>
>> Here's a list (generated from an aspell file) of all the reasonably
>> common verbs ending in -tion. All were ultimately derived from nouns,
>> although for some of them (e.g., apportion) the conversion took place
>> before the word was borrowed.
>>
>> It's not a large list, but it does show that the -tion = N rule is
>> too tidy.
>>
>> apportion
>> auction
>> audition
>> caption
>> caution
>> condition
>> function
>> malfunction
>> mention
>> motion
>> partition
>> petition
>> portion
>> position
>> precondition
>> proportion
>> proposition
>> question
>> ration
>> reapportion
>> recondition
>> reposition
>> requisition
>> sanction
>> section
>> station
>> vacation
>>
>>
>> rbetting wrote:
>> > Herb,
>> >
>> > Comments on noun functions. Does calling nouns used this way
>> adjective make
>> > sense to students? Our linguistic system likes to be able to
>> manipulate form
>> > words into other parts of speech, nouns to verbs and so on. One
>> choice that
>> > appears to be handy is our use of nouns as modifiers, as in "the
>> stocking
>> > committee planning chart" or "a fan belt compression fitting
>> design plan."
>> > So we might hear of a "site plan coordination effort currently
>> underway." I
>> > just read about the " 2007 Devils Lake operation summary report
>> document."
>> > How's this: "The linear realignment task force control system
>> planning
>> > session." That could apply to grammar study.
>> > ----- Original Message -----
>> > From: "STAHLKE, HERBERT F" <[log in to unmask]>
>> > To: <[log in to unmask]>
>> > Sent: Monday, January 14, 2008 9:33 AM
>> > Subject: Re: tion & nouns
>> >
>> >
>> > Linda,
>> >
>> > You're right that nouns can modify nouns and therefore function as
>> > adjectives. And function is a nice instance of a verb in -tion.
>> > English borrowed "function" from French as a noun in the late
>> 16th c.
>> > It's verb use doesn't appear until 1856.
>> >
>> > And your cynicism is well founded.
>> >
>> > Herb
>> >
>> > -----Original Message-----
>> > From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar
>> > [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Linda Comerford
>> > Sent: Sunday, January 13, 2008 11:50 PM
>> > To: [log in to unmask]
>> > Subject: Re: tion & nouns
>> >
>> > Can't words ending in -tion (or -ion) also function as
>> adjectives like
>> > an
>> > election poll (or like a verb as used in this sentence:
>> function)? I'm
>> > all
>> > for simplifying as much as possible for my students, but I've
>> learned to
>> > be
>> > cynical about using the words "all" or "none" regarding grammar.
>> >
>> > Linda
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > Linda Comerford
>> > 317.786.6404
>> > [log in to unmask]
>> > www.comerfordconsulting.com
>> >
>> > -----Original Message-----
>> > From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar
>> > [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Jan Kammert
>> > Sent: Sunday, January 13, 2008 12:36 PM
>> > To: [log in to unmask]
>> > Subject: tion & nouns
>> >
>> >
>> > I teach middle school. One of the teachers in my district (not my
>> > building)
>> > said that all words that end in -tion are nouns. I never heard
>> that
>> > before,
>> > but I thought of all the words I could that end in -tion. I
>> think he
>> > might
>> > be right.
>> >
>> > Then I thought maybe all words that end in just -ion are nouns.
>> Am I
>> > right?
>> > Maybe this information will help my students, but I don't want
>> to tell
>> > them
>> > something wrong.
>> >
>> > If all words that end is -ion are nouns, can someone tell me
>> why? Is
>> > there
>> > some history about those words?
>> > Thanks!
>> > Jan
>> >
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