Is that correct?

Question

Hi

I have grammar questions and I hope that you guys can help me to solve it!

I have learned that a noun can be used as a verb, for example

1. We cock-colaed all night away.( Does it mean that you drink cock-cola all night long?)

2.You need to Ajax your hair.( Does it mean that you have to use the shampoo named Ajax to wash your hair?)

And my questions are

If both of above are correct, what do they mean? Are my explanations right?

Does any noun can be used as verb?

Goodman · Accepted Answer

Keira Yang
Hi

I have grammar questions and I hope that you guys can help me to solve it!

I have learned that a noun can be used as a verb, for example

1. We ****-colaed all night away.( Does it mean that you drink ****-cola all night long?)

2.You need to Ajax your hair.( Does it mean that you have to use the shampoo named Ajax to wash your hair?)

And my questions are

If both of above are correct, what do they mean? Are my explanations right?

Does any noun can be used as verb?

Hi,

Welcome to the forum. You will hear from time to time people use certain brand name or product as verbs. I am not exactly sure if this is grammatically accepted as correct. However, it's becoming more common.

Your questions:

#1- I would say it’s not acceptable.

#2- is scrubbing power containing chlorine which people use to clean bath and kitchen sink with. So if you ask your roommate: Are you going to the toilet, I guess it’s ok.

Does any noun can be used as verb? - Not as a rule, however, it's possible.

Saiing · Answer

It's a perfectly correct and an accepted way for new verbs to be created. A recent example would be the increasing popularity of the verb "to Google [for something on the 'net]." - meaning to search the Internet for particular information. Recently, the verb (complete with capitalization) was added to the Oxford English Dictionary. Probably the most widely recognized example is "to hoover [the carpet]", which is the most popular choice in a number of countries for describing the action of using a vacuum cleaner (regardless of whether it's manufactured by the Hoover company).

This generic use of a brand (which is usually also a trademark) is often fiercely resisted by the company that owns it, as once the word becomes too widespread in use, the owner loses certain legal protections and rival companies can even use the trademarked word themselves.

Native speakers sometimes use their own "made-up" verbs, formed from nouns when they want to describe a particular activity. While you won't find this form of language in the dictionary, or a grammar book, when used well it can be both creative and descriptive; although it's probably not advised for language learners to do this unless they are at a fairly advanced level.

Is that correct?

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