English loves adjectives to the point of bursting with them. Like weeds growing in the cracks of pavement, we find adjectives that overlap in meaning or split into better and better distinctions. It is difficult to imagine such a small but recognizable difference in meaning as between, for example, rust And rust—words that certainly overlap in meaning but also have a lexical life of their own.
Trusted friends, reliable climbing gear
How are adjectives formed?
One reason for the popularity of overlapping adjectives is that English easily forms adjectives from both verbs and nouns. Adjectives are formed from verbs using the past participle of the verb:
reliable
salted
weighted
winding
These root words also have parallel adjectives formed from their similar nouns, using -y the ending conveys the meaning “have the quality of a modified noun”:
reliable
salty
have weight
windy
Although sharing basic meanings, these words are not always synonymous. A common observation is that the verb form -ed adjective that can be said to be the result of some process, action, or change: salt added to something to make it salted; weight added to make something weighted; Fast sprinting can make someone winding. It is as if these adjectives express the consequences of the action of the verb.
In contrast, parallel adjectives are formed from nouns with -y represents the state of existence. (They are, for the sake of a better word, noun.) Present salty is the irreversible condition; have weight often a material or metaphorical burden; weather is either windy or it is not.
Adjectives are also formed from nouns using -ed, usually indicates something or someone “equipped” or “has”:
culture, beard, disease, money, wings, talent
Others mean “having the characteristics of”:
obstinate, obstinate
This -ed ending is also how we turn noun phrases into adjectives:
black hair, three heads, hourglass body
The fact is that both verbs and adjectives can be properly formed by adding -ed Only cause confusion or amazement if you expect English to be governed by the imagination of logic rather than the seemingly opportunistic or chaotic reality that is the English form. Indeed, some language commentators in the past have emphasized that such adjectives, which are based on nouns but seem to follow a more conventional pattern for verbs, are inappropriate. and “savage”. These insults are directed vehemently specifically to the use of the word innocent and helpful talented.
As a matter of dictionary policy, since -ed Since adjectives are common and predictable in meaning, they are usually not given separate entries and definitions, unless the adjective conveys something specific other than the verb or noun on which it is based. This is why, for example, damaged there is no separate entry in our dictionary, but licensed do.
‘Reliable’ vs ‘Reliable’
Let’s take a closer look at the pair reliable And reliable. According to the verb/noun distinction mentioned above, we see that a person has won the trust of another to become reliable and the one that is reliable is reliable.
The words most often associated with reliable include:
source
friend
name
adviser
adult
partner
assistant
ally
colleague
workers
List of words modified by reliable:
Steed
dog
friend
bicycle
laptop
axe
Camera
notebook
mule
rag
The obvious contrast between these groups of phrases (words that are often used together) are words related to reliable mainly refers to people, while those most related to reliable refers to animals, devices, and tools other than humans. Hence, we say “reliable Swiss Army knife” but never “trustworthy Swiss Army knife”; Its utility and reliability are inherent, not sought, developed or earned.
This distinction is relatively recent; it seems to have settled into its current usage in the 1940s. Shakespeare used reliable for both meanings (“trustworthy servant” and “trusted sword” appear in his writings), and both Dickens and Conan Doyle used reliable to describe people rather than animals or objects. Emily Dickinson used the word to refer to something closer to reliable or reliable:
As reliable as the stars
Who quit their brilliant work
Reminds me like when I light them up
In Genesis’ new home,
Stable as dawn
Whose flowers are they?
Make the whole world nervous
Die and rejoice.
Today, this usage may sound archaic or unusual to most English speakers. Indeed, the Bible King James used reliable as a noun, meaning “trusted advisor”, something that would be recognizable and poetic in the way of many adjectives when used as nouns. It is still understandable to us today, but this usage is now obsolete:
He takes away the words of the trustworthy, and the understanding of the elderly.—Job 12:20
How we use reliable And reliable has evolved naturally over time. As far as we can tell, these distinctions have evolved without the strenuous and serious arguments of those who like to define their uses and then impose them on others, like us. can be seen with the distinction of more deliberate usage present in pairs such as not interested And indifferent or furthermore And further. English thrives on a combination of nuance, color, and precision that comes from adjectives that share a common meaning, and often enough that meaning is based on trust.
Categories: Usage Notes
Source: vothisaucamau.edu.vn
