Adjective don’t know is defined quite simply in the dictionary: “don’t know” or “don’t know anything”. This word is usually followed by belong to: “The hotel manager is don’t know about the problem with the elevator.”
The common adverb form of the adjective ‘don’t know’ is ‘don’t know’. That’s not a mistake – it’s a holdover from Middle English.
The common adverb form of this word is surprise. It is often used in conjunction with a verb like grasp or take:
I don’t often watch late-night TV, that might be why I got caught surprise. Jimmy Fallon’s opening monologue starts off funny enough, then suddenly he turns to a series of inexplicably weak jokes centered on an upcoming football game. I gradually realized that I was watching a commercial for NBC’s “Sunday Night Football,” even though the opening monologue was done by Fallon himself. —Tim Wu, New York TimesNovember 25, 2016
The extension of street art’s aesthetic to psychedelic installations raises the question: What happens to street art when it’s no longer on the street? It certainly loses some of its shocking value — part of the beauty of street art is that it can take us surprise. Perhaps the examples above are an attempt to shock us by bringing the street into the gallery. —Sharon Mizota, LA timeApril 15, 2011
What’s so strange about-S end? This practice is a retention of Middle English words, a case known as possessive adverb. Think about how we add letters to a noun related to time when talking about a repetitive action or state: “Tuesday work from homeS“; “morningS she buys coffee at the market.” Possessive adverb is a relic of Middle English that, in addition to these examples, still occurs in words like always And Later. Possessive endings adverbs are also responsible for giving us words like between from between And besides from next to.
don’t know is the accepted form according to the model of the possessive modal adverb, but the adverb form is flat don’t know still appears sufficient in its own right:
Anyone can look miserable when you catch them don’t know–even at the Great Meeting in Minnesota. A candid shot of two teenagers on Sky Glider leaves the impression that these millennials are bored with the fair — and with each other. —Liz Sawyer, Minneapolis Star TribuneSeptember 9, 2016
It is not necessary that the enemy is captured don’t know, but it’s just that he realizes it too late to react effectively. —John I. Alger, Definitions and Doctrines in Military Art1985
caught not knowing is common enough for us to include the adverb don’t know in our dictionary as a synonym of surprise. Both spellings are perfectly standard.
Categories: Usage Notes
Source: vothisaucamau.edu.vn
