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 #17 (permalink) Sat Apr 26, 2008 11:01 am Is Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English wrong? |
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Some of these examples are compound nouns, and not adjective+noun combinations:
| Quote: | - antique trunk
- long trunk
- wide trunk
- swimming trunks
- tree trunk |
The best (usually reliable) test for determining whether you have a compound noun or an adjective and a noun is to put the first element in the position of a predicate complement. If it works, you've got an adjective. If it doesn't, you've got a compound noun:
antique trunk
"This trunk is antique." (It more or less works, so "antique" is an adjective.)
long trunk
"This trunk is long." (It definitely works, so "long" is an adjective.)
wide trunk
"This trunk is wide." (It definitely works, so "wide" is an adjective.)
swimming trunks
"These trunks are swimming." (It definitely DOESN'T work, so "swimming trunks" is a compound noun.)
tree trunk
"This trunk is tree." (It definitely DOESN'T work, so "tree trunk" is a compound noun.)
elephant trunk
"This trunk is elephant." (It definitely DOESN'T work, so "elephant trunk" is a compound noun.) |
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Jamie (K)
I'm a Communicator ;-)
Joined: 24 Feb 2006
Posts: 5332
Location: Detroit, Michigan, USA
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| #18 (permalink) Sat Apr 26, 2008 11:13 am Is Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English wrong? |
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| Alan wrote: | | You wouldn't say for example 'the table's leg' because it sounds ridiculous and you would say instead 'table leg'. |
That isn't always true.
"This table's leg is broken."
(The leg is attached to the table, so you know which table it belongs to.)
"This table leg is broken."
(The leg isn't part of any identifiable table, and it may never have been attached to a table. It could just be in a furniture factory's part inventory.)
Also:
"This camera's lens is scratched."
(The lens is either attached to the camera or is part of a kit, and it's clear which camera it belongs to.)
"This camera lens is scratched."
(The lens is not associated with any particular camera. It could be in the store being sold as a separate item.) |
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Jamie (K)
I'm a Communicator ;-)
Joined: 24 Feb 2006
Posts: 5332
Location: Detroit, Michigan, USA
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| #19 (permalink) Mon Apr 28, 2008 14:29 pm Is Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English wrong? |
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We study noun + noun structures, where the first noun modifies or describes the second (like an adjective). e.g. milk chocolate/chocolate milk.
We use the possessive 's structure most often when the first noun refers to a person or animal, or to a country, organization or other group of living creatures, especially if the relationship between the two nouns could be expressed with HAVE. (the government's decision, America's gold reserves and the name of the street, the back of the room) But there are so many examples of this kind: the train's arrival, the plan's importance, the concerto's final movement or the final movement of the concerto.
Thank you for attention. 
_________________
I am an incurable optimist. |
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 Inga
I'm here quite often ;-)
Joined: 21 Apr 2008
Posts: 255
Location: Minsk, Belarus
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| #20 (permalink) Tue Apr 29, 2008 17:58 pm Is Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English wrong? |
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| Jamie (K) wrote: | | Some of these examples are compound nouns, and not adjective+noun combinations: |
Yes, Jamie, I am aware of that, and that is precisely the reason I posted a mixed list. In a compound noun, one of the nouns is typically the main one and the other modifies it -- much the way an adjective does.
For example, "a government agency" does not mean that the agency is a government. However, the word government does modify the word agency. |
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Yankee
I'm a Communicator ;-)
Joined: 16 Apr 2006
Posts: 8265
Location: USA
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| In or Into? | Negatives in infinitive. |
)
... something we never have again, I know... I guess I really really know..