LIES1_a01_t12

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In certain circumstances, even words with primarily grammatical functions can be 
used as verbs or nouns, as in "We must look to the how's and not just the why's" or 
"Miranda was to-ing and fro-ing and not paying attention". 
Items may belong to more than one class. In most instances, we can only assign a 
word to a word class when we encounter it in context. 
 Looks is a verb in 'It looks good, but a noun in 'She has good looks'; 
 That is a conjunction in 'I know that they are abroad, but a pronoun in 'I know 
that' and a determiner in 'I know that man'; 
 One is a generic pronoun in 'One must be careful not to offend them, but a 
numeral in 'Give me one good reason. 
 
Here are some more examples: 
 I couldn’t give her an immediate answer . (answer is being used as a 
noun – note the attributive adjective immediate and the word an, both 
indicative of a following noun.) 
 I was surprised when he answered my letter. (answer is a verb – the 
subject he and the ending –ed show this.) 
 Do not write on the front of the answer sheet. ( answer tells you what 
kind of sheet is being talked about and is, therefore, an adjective.) 
 
 I cook dinner every Sunday (verb) 
 The cook is on holiday (noun) 
 
 He drives a fast car (adjective) 
 He drives very fast on the motorway (adverb) 
 
 Turn on the light (noun) 
 I'm trying to light the fire (verb) 
 I usually have a light lunch (adjective) 
Note: A dictionary does not (or should not) prescribe, but indicates the word class or 
part of speech where a word is usually placed. But in a given sentence, if the speaker 
or writer has used it as if it were in a different class, then this is where it should be 
placed. 
For example, toilet is usually classified as a noun. But UK primary school teachers 
often speak of toileting children (I had to toilet John twice today). In describing such 
a sentence, you should be guided by the internal grammar of the sentence (syntax) 
rather than the dictionary. Here toilet is a transitive verb. If this usage becomes 
standard, lexicographers will record it. This kind of word formation is called 
conversion, a self-explanatory name.