User:Visviva/POS testing

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Ing

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Verb or noun

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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.

Verb or adjective

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Ed

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Verb or adjective

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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

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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.