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Nouns as adjectives: a simple tip to avoid mistakes

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Comments

  1. Hi
    My doubt is, in phrases like Wonder Woman, miracle grain, etc., are ‘wonder’ and ‘miracle’ adjectives? What are they called?

    • Hi Tressa

      I’m not sure if there’s a technical word for them, but they are adjectives in examples like “a wonder drug” or “a miracle cure”.

      Let me know if you find a technical word please!

      Best wishes
      Fiona

  2. Many thanks for your question and for taking the time to explain it so clearly.

    As you correctly point out, the gap needs an adjective to describe the experts.

    Adjectives never take a plural ‘s’, so these people are ‘computer experts’, not ‘computers* experts’.

    There are lots of examples that you use everyday without thinking about it (see more in the blog), for example, a park (noun) for cars (plural noun) becomes a ‘carpark’ (not a ‘cars* park’).

    The noun (‘car’) becomes an adjective when it comes before the noun (‘park’) because it’s describing the kind of park it is.

    I hope that helps but please let me know if you have any other questions after you’ve read the blog,

    Best wishes
    Fiona

  3. Hi,

    while solving the questions for IELTS listening from the book:

    ” The Official Cambridge guide to IELTS FOR ACADEMIC AND GENERAL TRAINING ”

    I faced a difficulty to agree with a reason of one of the incorrect answer .

    (The addressed question is under the NB at the end of the comment. )

    P# 21

    3.2 Listen to an extract from a conversation and answer the question below.
    Complete the sentence below with NO MORE THAN ONE WORD AND/OR
    A NUMBER.

    The expo will be useful because there will be more than _________ experts there.

    3.3 Now look at the answers that different candidate wrote. Tick the correct answers. Why are the other answers incorrect?

    • two hundred and fivety computer
    • 250 computer
    • Two hundred and fifty computers
    • over 250 computer
    • 250 computer experts
    • over 250 experts
    • two hundred and fifty computer
    • 250

    Answer Key

    3.3

    • two hundred and fivety computer x (the number is spelt incorrectly)

    • 250 computer (correct)

    • Two hundred and fifty computers x (there should be no ‘s’ on computer- it’s an adjective here)

    • over 250 computer x (this is two words not one; over is not necessary because more than is already in the sentence.)

    • 250 computer experts x (this is two words not one; experts is not necessary because it is already in the sentence)

    • over 250 experts x (this is two words not on; the words over and experts are not necessary)

    • two hundred and fifty computer (correct)
    • 250 (correct)

    NB

    below is the addressed question from the above answer key:

    Two hundred and fifty computers x (there should be no ‘s’ on computer- it’s
    an adjective here)

    could you please assist me why

    1. There should be no ‘s’ on computer ?
    2. How is it an adjective here?
    3. How can a noun be converted in to an adjective?

    Thanks