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Hans51 Posted 10 years ago
Grammar
Act jumpy
A : She is acting jumpy.
B: She is sensitive because she is a little pushed for time.
I have learned that "act + adjective" implies "pretend" but it the dialogue, she is not pretending the feeling and then should it be "acting jumpily" or jumpy there is used as an adverb?
What do you native English speakers think?
Thank you so much as usual in advance.
http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/act_2
behave
B: She is sensitive because she is a little pushed for time.
I have learned that "act + adjective" implies "pretend" but it the dialogue, she is not pretending the feeling and then should it be "acting jumpily" or jumpy there is used as an adverb?
What do you native English speakers think?
Thank you so much as usual in advance.
http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/act_2
behave
- [intransitive] to behave in a particular way+ adv. John's been acting very strangely lately.act like somebody/something Stop acting like spoilt children!act as if/though… She was acting as if she'd seen a ghost.In spoken English people often use like instead of as if or as though in this meaning, especially in North American English:She was acting like she'd seen a ghost. This is not considered correct in written British English.
- [intransitive] to pretend by your behaviour to be a particular type of person+ noun He's been acting the devoted husband all day.+ adj. I decided to act dumb.He acts all macho, but he’s a real softie underneath.
Top answer
Both interpretations are possible, with "jumpy" as either an adjective or adverb, but unless the context strongly suggests otherwise, I would understand it as an adverb, and to mean that she really is jumpy. I do not very readily think of someone pretending to be "jumpy", though of course it is possible.
- Both interpretations are possible, with "jumpy" as either an adjective or adverb, but unless the context strongly suggests otherwise, I would understand it as an adverb, and to mean that she really is jumpy.
- I do not very readily think of someone pretending to be "jumpy", though of course it is possible.
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1 Answers
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Both interpretations are possible, with "jumpy" as either an adjective or adverb, but unless the context strongly suggests otherwise, I would understand it as an adverb, and to mean that she really is jumpy. I do not very readily think of someone pretending to be "jumpy", though of course it is possible.
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