doored and roomed

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Hi guysWhy do we say 'a three-doored vehicle' and 'a three-roomed flat'? I believe 'a three-door vehicle' and 'a three-room flat' are also correct grammatically. There are no such words as 'doored' and 'roomed'. How did the former version originate?

Inchoateknowledge · Accepted Answer

IMO, from the fact that verb's past participle can be in adjectival function.
broken hearts

Cool Breeze · Answer

Yoong LiatHi guys

Why do we say 'a three-doored vehicle' and 'a three-roomed flat'? I believe 'a three-door vehicle' and 'a three-room flat' are also correct grammatically. There are no such words as 'doored' and 'roomed'. How did the former version originate?

The -ed ending is frequently added to nouns: a long-legged girl, a brown-haired boy. Contrary to what Inchoateknowledge says, door is not a verb. Your expressions have been formed on the analogy of the above expressions. I won't take a stand regarding their correctness. I can only say that all languages change and people usually object to most changes because they are not used to them. Every change that has happened in English since c. 448AD must have been viewed with suspicion and resistance, but most people think that there is nothing wrong with the outcome, modern English.

Cheers
CB

BarbaraPA · Answer

Are these examples of UK usage? In the U.S., I'd say "a five-door vehicle" and a "three-room apartment." Obviously, without the -ed ending.  But usage is certainly mixed - I would also, as CB says, say "brown-haired little boy."

Yoong Liat · Answer

They are examples of UK usage. Examples taken from a grammar book, but there is no explanation for the -ed form.

doored and roomed

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