Date sent: Tue, 6 Feb 2001 18:43:07 -0800 Send reply to: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar <[log in to unmask]> From: "Paul E. Doniger" <[log in to unmask]> Organization: The Total Tutor Subject: Re: Query about "act professional and speak professional" To: [log in to unmask] >couldn't we look at the word, 'different' as a quotation, > which would make it a 'thing' and therefore a kind of noun? Not that the > word itself is a noun, but a response or a thought is a noun. I agree with the general line of reasoning here, since word usage is very flexible in terms of the part of speech function. Most words can function as several different parts of speech simply by using them that way in a sentence. For example, I didn't like the tone of the phrase "linguistic rhythm" (a little too clinical for my purposes), and I was racking my brain for an adjective corresponding to "language" instead of "linguistics," and finally I came up with ... "language," a noun that I simply used as an adjective: "language rhythm." Seems to work! However, there does seem to be a limit to this flexibility. "different" could be used as a noun but it seems to be stretching it (to me anyway). Can you have a "different," can you see the "different" walking down the street? Just barely. And then it doesn't seem to mean "different" any more. But to Paul Donninger, I just want to say "keep on thinking big!" ----------------------------------------------------- Sincerely, Robert Einarsson please visit me at www.artsci.gmcc.ab.ca/people/einarssonb 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/