Pass Away (Can it be an adjective?)
Hello,
Pass away is probably a euphemism for "die." We use it when we want to avoid the word "die."
https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/pass-away
https://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/american/pass-away
https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/pass-away?q=pass+away
In the dictionary, it is listed as a phrasal verb. I am wondering if we can use it as an adjective as in these examples:
Can anyone shed more light on this usage which I have not seen documented in the dictionary?
Top answer
Magic79 I am wondering if we can use it as an adjective No. It does seem like it ought to work, but no. All your examples take "has passed away".
- Magic79 I am wondering if we can use it as an adjective No.
- It does seem like it ought to work, but no.
- All your examples take "has passed away".
- "Is passed away" is non-standard and sounds like it.
- "Passed away" does not mean "dead".
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Magic79 I am wondering if we can use it as an adjective
No. It does seem like it ought to work, but no. All your examples take "has passed away". "Is passed away" is non-standard and sounds like it.
"Passed away" does not mean "dead". It means "died". The expression began as a reference to the soul. It was the soul that passed away to the afterlife.
0Magic79In the dictionary, it is listed as a phrasal verb. I am wondering if we can use it as an adjective as in these examples:
You could in an example like "He is passed-away" ("dead") where the two words are inseparable and thus best classified as a compound adjective (as opposed to a verb phrase).
As a verbal expression, "pass awa
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