Pain in the English
Pain in the English

Unpacking English, Bit by Bit

A community for questioning, nitpicking, and debating the quirks and rules of the English language.

Pain in the English
Pain in the English

Unpacking English, Bit by Bit

A community for questioning, nitpicking, and debating the quirks and rules of the English language.

Username

peter.brusky

Member Since

June 19, 2010

Total number of comments

1

Total number of votes received

2

Bio

Latest Comments

“Zen” as an Adjective

  • June 19, 2010, 5:16pm

Porsche, I caught the intent of the "oh so very Zen" comment, and loved it.

Noun and adjective are interchanged more than people realize, and practically any of either can function as the other. My understanding is that usage of a word as description renders the word an adjective in that case, whether we like it or not. Whether it be an accepted adjective or not, as is the case with adjectives as nouns.

i.e. "Do you want the red wine or the white?" "I'd like the red." Red becomes the noun, almost a pronoun of sorts. Please correct me if I'm wrong. I am a casual surveyor of linguistic eccentricity and invite any relevant criticism.