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Jigneshbharati Posted 6 years ago
Grammar

Brain-jamming

She screamed, in the ear-splitting, blood-curdling, brain-jamming way that little Earth girls are famous for…". Why do we need present participles in those compound adjectives: ear-splitting…"? Please check out the link.

I don't know when to use present participle and when to use past participle in a compound adjective?

Are those ing present participles formed from their verb form?

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Top answer

"noun-verbing" adjectives generally mean that the modified thing does "verb" to "noun". Thus "ear-splitting way" means, literally, that her way of screaming "split the ear (of the listener)". Obviously it is not meant literally.

  • "noun-verbing" adjectives generally mean that the modified thing does "verb" to "noun".
  • Thus "ear-splitting way" means, literally, that her way of screaming "split the ear (of the listener)".
  • Obviously it is not meant literally.
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2 Answers
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"noun-verbing" adjectives generally mean that the modified thing does "verb" to "noun". Thus "ear-splitting way" means, literally, that her way of screaming "split the ear (of the listener)". Obviously it is not meant literally.

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Jigneshbharatiwhen to use present participle and when to use past participle

present participle = active (participle)
past participle = passive (participle)

Jigneshbharaticompound adjectives

The derivation of the active forms goes like this:

It splits the ears. > ear-splitting
It c

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