Are noun adjunct modifiers accepted in current English usage?

Question

Are noun adjunct modifiers accepted in current English usage?Noun adjunct modifiers which means modifiers such as "rotten" in "rotten apple taste".Thanks.

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

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It sounds fine to me, but I'd hyphenate-- rotten-apple taste.
.

Wholegrain · Answer

I would have agreed with you before

But I looked on google and noticed few people hyphenate.

Anonymous · Answer

I am also wondering a little about noun adjuncts for the moment regarding administrative or organisational bodies.
I guess that there is maybe no absolute answer but it seems that general use is accepted for some kind of bodies and not for others.
I mean that you say usually "department of physics" and not "physics department". It is the same for "university" or "institute".
What about "unit" ? Would you say "unit of physics" or "physics unit" ?

Anonymous · Answer

Maybe should we use "unit of physics" because it is a peculiar unit (only one unit of physics in a given university) ? By opposition to "research group" (and not "group of research") for example which is a general term (many research group can exist).

Clive · Answer

Hi guys,
Here are a couple of comments..

I am also wondering a little about noun adjuncts for the moment regarding administrative or organisational bodies.
I guess that there is maybe no absolute answer but it seems that general use is accepted for some kind of bodies and not for others.
I mean that you say usually "department of physics" and not "physics department".I see nothing wrong with 'physics department'. In fact, my guess is that it would be the more common of the two, at least in speech.

It is the same for "university" or "institute".
What about "unit" ? Would you say "unit of physics" or "physics unit" ? 'Unit of physics' sounds extremely unnatural to me. I'd have some trouble understanding your meaning if I heard this.

Best wishes, Clive

Anonymous · Answer

Thank you for your answer! ("Unit" stands for a subgroup of a department, like a research group.)
I will give you an example of the puzzle : at the University of Glasgow (not Glasgow University), you have a Faculty of Physical sciences (not Physical sciences Faculty), a Department of Geographical and Earth Sciences (not Geographical and Earth Sciences Department) but a Human Geography Research Group (not a Research Group of Human Geography)...
Any comment ?

Clive · Answer

Hi,
I will give you an example of the puzzle : at the University of Glasgow (not Glasgow University), you have a Faculty of Physical sciences (not Physical sciences Faculty), a Department of Geographical and Earth Sciences (not Geographical and Earth Sciences Department) I don't see anything wrong with the alternatives in brackets, although obviously they have not been chosen as the official names. If someone at the University used one of the bracketed terms in everyday conversation, I don't think anyone would think that sounded odd.

but a Human Geography Research Group (not a Research Group of Human Geography)... ' Yes, ' . . Group of . . .' does sound awkward. However, '. . . Group for . . ' sounds OK and is not uncommon.

I feel really that such things are just a matter of what is common usage. Some things we say, some things we don't say.

Best wishes, Clive

Anonymous · Answer

I believe so, but you would have to hyphenate rotten and apple--"rotten-apple taste"--unless you mean that the unknown noun has an apple taste that is morally reprehensible. In that case, leave the construct as is.

Are noun adjunct modifiers accepted in current English usage?

Are noun adjunct modifiers accepted in current English usage?

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