come cheap

Question

Please advise if the word cheap in the following sentence is a adjective or an adverb, and why:A free press doesn't come cheap.

Goldmund · Accepted Answer

Dear Lcwang,

It is my opinion that «cheap» is there a subject complement. It is therefore an adjective.

But let us wait to see what the natives say.

Kind regards,

Goldmund

Paco2004 · Answer

I almost agree with Goldmund. I learned "not come cheap" is a kind of idiomatic phrase and the meaning is "tend to become expensive". So, from the syntactic parsing, the "cheap" should be an adjective. But somehow my E-J dictionary explains the phrase "not come cheap" in the entry of "cheap" as an adverb. I am wondering why so….

paco

Pinenut · Answer

Paco2004I almost agree with Goldmund. I learned "not come cheap" is a kind of idiomatic phrase and the meaning is "tend to become expensive". So, from the syntactic parsing, the "cheap" should be an adjective. But somehow my E-J dictionary explains the phrase "not come cheap" in the entry of "cheap" as an adverb. I am wondering why so….

paco

Paco,

After 21 years, Carl's dream of owning a home came true.
The ***** has come loose (=become loose) .

As the above two examples clearly tell us that the verb, come, is sometimes used as a linking verb.

The question at hand is also related to this line of thinking.

This item is cheap. This item stays cheap. This item gets cheap. This item comes cheap.

The word, cheap, describes the quality of the subect and thereby it acts as a comliment.

I thow in my two cents worth.

pine

Paco2004 · Answer

PinenutAfter 21 years, Carl's dream of owning a home came true.
The ***** has come loose (=become loose) .
As the above two examples clearly tell us that the verb, come, is sometimes used as a linking verb.
The question at hand is also related to this line of thinking.
This item is cheap. This item stays cheap. This item gets cheap. This item comes cheap.
The word, cheap, describes the quality of the subect and thereby it acts as a comliment.
I thow in my two cents worth.

Yes, Pine, I too thought so. This "come" could be taken to be almost the same as "become". But my E-J dictionary says the "cheap" in "not come cheap" is an adverb of the same sort that is used in the verbal phrases "get, buy, hire, sell something cheap". So I am being confused. By the way, do you think "cheap" belongs to words used as a compliment? In my native tongue, "cheap" is used rather as a word connoting kind of disparagement. It is interesting to know the same word is taken differently among people grown in different cultures.

paco

Pinenut · Answer

Paco2004
PinenutAfter 21 years, Carl's dream of owning a home came true.
The ***** has come loose (=become loose) .
As the above two examples clearly tell us that the verb, come, is sometimes used as a linking verb.
The question at hand is also related to this line of thinking.
This item is cheap. This item stays cheap. This item gets cheap. This item comes cheap.
The word, cheap, describes the quality of the subect and thereby it acts as a comliment.
I thow in my two cents worth.
Yes, Pine, I too thought so. This "come" could be taken to be almost the same as "become". But my E-J dictionary says the "cheap" in "not come cheap" is an adverb of the same sort that is used in the verbal phrases "get, buy, hire, sell something cheap". So I am being confused. By the way, do you think "cheap" belongs to words used as a compliment? In my native tongue, "cheap" is used rather as a word connoting kind of disparagement. It is interesting to know the same word is taken differently among people grown in different cultures.

paco

Paco,

I simply made a spelling error. I should have written the word as complement, not compliment.

I should have been more careful. I don't have anything to add to your comment.

pine

Lcwang · Answer

Hi, everyone:

In that case, what exactly does "A free press does not come cheap" mean? Does it mean "A free press does not become cheap" or "A free press can't be achieved at a low cost"? If it is the latter, don't you think cheap should be an adverb?

Paco2004 · Answer

Hello Pine

I see. Please don't mind.

paco

Paco2004 · Answer

Hello Lcwang

Do you mean the sentence could be taken as "we cannot get a free press cheap"? If it is so, "cheap" could be an adverb. I'd like to hear opinions from native speakers.

paco

Lcwang · Answer

Hello paco:

Thank you for your answer. But I am still confused. Let me present my problem in another way. Shall we say: Success never comes easy. Or Success never comes easily?

Lcwang

Paco2004 · Answer

Yeah ...it would be "Success comes easy". We can say also "Easy come, easy go". Humm...

paco

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