User:Visviva/POS testing

Ing

Verb or noun

CGEL tests (pp. 81-82)

1. Complement. A noun will take "of". A participle will not.

   His washing the dishes was not such a good idea. - verb

   His washing of the dishes was not such a good idea. - noun

2. Modifier. A noun will take an adjective. A participle will take an adverb.

   He was fired for washing the dishes poorly. - verb

   He was fired for his poor washing of the dishes. - noun

3. Determiner. A participle will not take most determiners, such as the definite and indefinite article. A noun can do so.

   A Health Board inspection was caused by washing the dishes poorly. -verb

   A Health Board inspection was caused by the poor washing of the dishes. -noun

4. Plural. Only a noun can form a plural "-ings".

   Even after washing the same dish many times, he still couldn't get it clean. -verb

   Even after many washings of the same dish, he still couldn't get it clean. -noun

Wiktionary practice

The formation of a plural, suitably attested, has thus far been accepted as sufficient grounds for a ===Noun=== heading. There have been few tests of other criteria.

Ed

Verb or adjective

CGEL tests (p. 79, pp. 1436-1437)

• Occurrence with certain verbs. Past participles cannot serve as complement to certain verbs, notably seem, appear, look and remain. Adjectives can.

  He seemed enraged. - adjective

  He was enraged. - ambiguous

• Gradability, including modification by "very" or "too". A past participle cannot be graded. Many adjectives can. (Thus, this is a sufficient but not necessary condition.)

  She is even more infuriated today than yesterday. - adjective

• Un- prefixation. Adjectives and verbs take un- in a different sense: un- indicates an opposite quality for an adjective, but a reversal for a verb.

Wiktionary practice

Gradability has thus far been considered a sufficient basis for an adjective section. Un- prefixation might face a steeper climb.

Noun adjuncts

CGEL tests (pp. 537-38)

1. Predication. A noun cannot usually be separated from the modified word in a predicative construction. An adjective can.

   This book is heavy. - adjective

   This is a grammar book. - noun adjunct

   One cannot normally say "this book is grammar."

2. Modifier. A noun will take an adjective as modifier. An adjective will take an adverb.

   This is an extremely heavy book. - adjective

   This is an intense grammar book. - noun adjunct

   One cannot say "this is an intensely grammar book."

3. Gradability. Nouns cannot take "very", "too", "more", or "most" as a direct modifier. Most adjectives can.

   This book is heavier than that one. - adjective

   This book is more of a grammar book than that one. - noun adjunct

   One cannot say "this book is more grammar than that one."

Wiktionary practice

Gradability or adverbial modification have generally been considered sufficient to support an ===Adjective=== section for a noun entry.

Nouns can be compared to one another in a superficially similar way: "The subject of this book is more grammar than lexis." Such comparisons are not considered to demonstrate adjectivity.