Find three nouns in sentence

@JTT,

JTT wrote:

Quote:
"Clean" in that sentence is an adjective, describing the state of the table.

I wiped the table [until it was] clean.

You've change the grammatical texture of the original sentence, C.

I don't believe I have changed the sense of it

0 Replies

JTT, the common construction [subject] [verb] [object] [end state] is constructed with an [end state] adjective at the end

I beat him bloody
I punched him black and blue
I shagged her senseless
I whipped the milk frothy
I ran him ragged

Does the adjective get transformed somehow into something else?

1 Reply

Quote:

"The surface of the dining table needs to be wiped clean."

When I first read the sentence...and accepted (for purposes of the question) that there were three nouns...the only word I came up with that might be the third noun...was "clean."

I am definitely having trouble conceiving of it as a noun...although I can see how a case can be made for it.

I notice in Wikipedia, the definition of noun has been expanded from a person, place, thing, or idea...to

In linguistics, a noun is a member of a large, open lexical category whose members can occur as the main word in the subject of a clause, the object of a verb, or the object of a preposition.[1]
Lexical categories are defined in terms of the ways in which their members combine with other kinds of expressions. The syntactic rules for nouns differ from language to language. In English, nouns are those words which can occur with articles and attributive adjectives and can function as the head of a noun phrase.

Object of a verb? "Wiped clean."

Dunno. In any case, I suspect the teacher is anything but an idiot.

1 Reply

@maxdancona,

Quote:

You skipped the question that I most wanted you to answer.

I wonder why you wanted me to answer that one, Max. Smile

Quote:

In the sentence "He painted the dishes red", is "red" an adverb?

I'm not at all sure, Max.

How about this one?

He painted the town red.

Quote:

Adverbs typically answer questions such as how?, in what way?, when?, where?, and to what extent?.

Doesn't your sentence "in what way?" answer the definition of an adverb?

In what way did he paint the dishes?

How did he paint the dishes?

What about "the town"?

0 Replies

@contrex,

I wiped the table off.

I wiped the table partially clean.

An adverb is a word that changes or qualifies the meaning of a verb, adjective, other adverb, clause, sentence or any other word or phrase, except that it does not include the adjectives and determiners that directly modify nouns.

1 Reply

I hate the gratuitous thumb downs. There is nothing wrong with anything anyone has said here, and people who don't want to see this discussion should just leave the entire thread.

1 Reply

@Frank Apisa,

Quote:

In any case, I suspect the teacher is anything but an idiot.

I suspect you are wide of the mark there, Frank.

The teacher is a ******* idiot.

1 Reply

@maxdancona,

Quote:

I hate the gratuitous thumb downs.

True dat, Max. But rather than leave, these types of cowards should add their two cents, or a dollar.

0 Replies

@McTag,

The Elements of Style does not deserve the enormous esteem in which it is held by American college graduates. Its advice ranges from limp platitudes to inconsistent nonsense. Its enormous influence has not improved American students' grasp of English grammar; it has significantly degraded it.

1 Reply

@JTT,

That may very well be so, indeed I have no reason to doubt it. But here we are faced with a teacher who finds three nouns in a sentence containing only two.
So this is not a matter of style; it shows a fundamental problem with the teacher's understanding of the very basics of his/her subject.

2 Replies

@McTag,

I sure wouldn't want you on a jury trying me for anything.

You haven't heard anything from the teacher.

1 Reply

@McTag,

Quote:

So this is not a matter of style; it shows a fundamental problem with the teacher's understanding of the very basics of his/her subject.

While my previous quote [G Pullum - Cambridge Grammar of the English Language] was only directed at the US, it is hardly the only place beset by these same problems, McTag.

One only has to review the peeves threads to see that there have been generations of badly misled students in all English speaking countries. The blame doesn't lie solely with teachers though they certainly have their burden.

0 Replies

@Frank Apisa,

Quote:

You haven't heard anything from the teacher.

That may be completely true or partially true, Frank. If the OP described the situation accurately, then the teacher was heard from.

In the teacher's best interests, you should refrain from helping him or her when it comes to language and grammar. Remember you are of the Strunk & White generation - you remind us of that with most every post on language.

1 Reply

@JTT,

Quote:

Quote:
Re: Frank Apisa (Post 5253712)
Quote:
You haven't heard anything from the teacher.

That may be completely true or partially true, Frank. If the OP described the situation accurately, then the teacher was heard from.

Since we cannot know from the OP if the situation was accurately described...nor anything the teacher has said to buttress what he/she was actually teaching...the teacher was NOT heard from.

Quote:

In the teacher's best interests, you should refrain from helping him or her when it comes to language and grammar. Remember you are of the Strunk & White generation - you remind us of that with most every post on language.

Really! How interesting. Thank you for sharing what you think.

1 Reply

@Frank Apisa,

Quote:

Since we cannot know from the OP if the situation was accurately described...nor anything the teacher has said to buttress what he/she was actually teaching...the teacher was NOT heard from.

You're making the unwarranted assumption that everyone is like you, Frank.

1 Reply

@JTT,

Quote:

Quote:
Re: Frank Apisa (Post 5253732)
Quote:
Since we cannot know from the OP if the situation was accurately described...nor anything the teacher has said to buttress what he/she was actually teaching...the teacher was NOT heard from.

You're making the unwarranted assumption that everyone is like you, Frank.

You are trying hard to make an insult that works.

You are failing miserably.

C'mon. Try harder.

0 Replies

@JTT,

JTT wrote:

I wiped the table off.

I wiped the table partially clean.

An adverb is a word that changes or qualifies the meaning of a verb, adjective, other adverb, clause, sentence or any other word or phrase, except that it does not include the adjectives and determiners that directly modify nouns.

Pardon me for being (or seeming) obtuse.

Here is a recipe:

1. Transitive verb
punch
shoot
squash
bleed
slap
knock

2. Subject
him
the policeman
the can
my victim
you
my mother

3. Adjective describing result
unconscious
dead
flat
dry
silly
senseless

In each case we can make a construction of the type being discussed. Indulge me a moment, since we seem to be getting on better these days, and show me how the adjectives in section (3) become transformed in their nature. Is it like the body of Christ in Holy Communion?

3 Replies

@contrex,

contrex wrote:

2. Subject

I am obtuse. I meant 'object'.

1 Reply

@contrex,

Mookbark

1 Reply

@JTT,

JTT...I notice you have not specifically answered the question implied.

In the sentence, "The surface of the dining table needs to be wiped clean"...

...is there any way the word "clean" can be considered a noun.

I am not sure...but I think a case can be made for it. I think the teacher had a point to make.

But you are an exert...so I am asking you for your take on it.

2 Replies

Find three nouns in sentence

Related Topics

Quick Links

My Account

able2know