In Expressions^x, Nouns^x

The ending -ness makes a noun. Maybe she was being silly and putting -ness on every word, thus making everything a noun. She then commented on what she had been doing by saying explicitly, "Everything is a noun", meaning "I've been turning everything into a noun". If...

To Clive:I guess it means what it says.   When you think about it on a simple level, it seems true enough. - yeah... I know, right?... hehehePerhaps it is a shorthand way of referring to some subtle linguistic debate.Where did you find this expression?Best wishes, Clive - I really don't get...

This is an example of a grammar issue that is made difficult because frequent usage of the "a lot" construction in informal conversation makes it tricky to say what is correct based on how it "sounds." Whether the nouns are countable/uncountable or singular/plural is beside...

1. I should have copied the reference from MW Unabridged, but I was too tired or lazy to go back. It's not a usage I'm comfortable with.distinguishing is an adjective, and characteristic and usage are nouns. I used the expression "distinguishing characteristic" as a modifier...

As you know, use (noun) and use (verb) have different pronunciations it's a noun or a verb.

Please correct the following text:As you know use (noun) and use (verb) have different pronunciations. Most of the time when I encounter use in some expressions I cannot know for sure if it's a noun or verb.

Hi CP,As you know use (noun) and use (verb) have different pronunciations. Most of the time when I encounter use in some expressions I cannot know for sure if it's a noun or verb.

Yes, you need the definite article before a superlative, whether the noun it modifies is singular or plural. the most beautiful girl/girlsTop gun; top dog are fixed expressions when used without an article. Ultimate climber/climbers may be a fixed expression, but I haven't heard it. If so,...

The courier tried t deliver it to you last week. 'Post' - you can't use this noun to describe the person making a delivery. hand to - this means physically pass something to someone. Using it in this sentence makes it sound as though the courier stood in front of the person trying to...

I've heard the expression "massed chorus" where at some kind of choral festival all the choruses attending were combined into one huge chorus. It would be synonymous with "combined chorus.""mass" is a noun, an adjective, and a verb. In "mass slavery,"...