Bill, I looked into my trusty Quirk et al. for an answer to your research
question: Is there a class of verbs that can take on the aura of a linking
verb? The answer is yes. Intransitive verbs can do that: Here are some
other examples from Quirk: He lay flat; we stood motionless. Both of
these are in the category of current or existing attributes, as opposed to
resulting attributes, such as the door slammed shut; the lake froze solid;
the sun was sinking low; he fell flat; the kids ran wild. In these
examples, the attribute results from the event described by the verb.
(These issues are discussed in sections 10.21, 16.20, and App.I.54, among
other places, in Quirk et al., A Comprehensive Grammar of the English
Language.)
Here are some others: plead innocent, stand firm, play rough, fall silent,
wax eloquent.
Your act professional does not sound quite as idiomatic, perhaps, but I
think it falls in the "current" category--like "stand motionless."
Isn't grammar wonderful!
Martha
>Max, thanks to you and Johanna for answers to my questions. I was hoping
>that someone had come up with research on verb types--that maybe there is a
>class of verbs that can sometimes take on the aura of a linking verb. "Act"
>and "think" would seem to be two such verbs. We would not usually say "Why
>do you act so stupidly sometimes?" We say "Why do you act so stupid
>sometimes?" Or "It's time to stop all this negativity and think positive
>for a change."
>
>By contrast, the word "speak" doesn't have such an aura, and therefore,
>"speak professional" sounds ungrammatical.
>
>Any chance of that?
>
>Bill
>
>>Bill, with a great deal of trepidation, I'll jump into your question
>>(prepared to jump out at any moment). At first glance, you'd want
>>"professionally," an adverb, not the adjective "professional" in a
>>slot following an intransitive verb. But I think the adjectives are
>>functioning as adverbs. This gives them an interesting new meaning,
>>much like Apple's "Think Different." It has more resonance than Think
>>Differently would. After all, adjectives and manner adverbs are close
>>in structure and meaning. And lots of times one part of speech has
>>two syntactic manifestations (I'm grasping for terminology), kind of
>>like when verbs function as nouns (gerunds and infinitives). Is this
>>syncretism?
>>
>>I hope, Bill, this attends to the question you had in mind. Max
>>
>>>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>>-----------------------
>>>Sender: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar
>>> <[log in to unmask]>
>>>Poster: "William J. McCleary" <[log in to unmask]>
>>>Subject: Re: Query about "act professional and speak professional"
>>>---------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>----------
>>>
>>>While you're working on Linda's query about "now once again," please ponder
>>>this one. I have seen this construction several times, including in the
>>>play "The Miracle Worker" and wonder how the experts parse it.
>>>
>>>If you act professional and speak professional, people will respect you.
>>>
>>>Bill
>>>
>>>
>>> >Could I have some feedback about the wording of the following sentence,
>>> >especially regarding the phrase "now once again"?
>>> >
>>> >"In September 1991 the parish celebrated a re-dedication of the newly
>>> >refurbished bell, which now once again calls the faithful to Mass and
>>>lends
>>> >its voice to celebrate weddings and bid farewell at funerals."
>>> >
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>William J. McCleary
>>>3247 Bronson Hill Road
>>>Livonia, NY 14487
>>>716-346-6859
>>>
>>>To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web
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>>>
>>>Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/
>>
>>Max Morenberg, Professor
>>Department of English
>>Miami University
>>Oxford, OH 45056
>>[log in to unmask]
>>
>>To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at:
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>>
>>Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/
>
>
>William J. McCleary
>3247 Bronson Hill Road
>Livonia, NY 14487
>716-346-6859
>
>To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at:
> http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html
>and select "Join or leave the list"
>
>Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/
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