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Anonymous Posted 13 years ago
Grammar

Please confirm the word class...

"The door swung open."

Please settle a debate. What word class does "open" belong to in the above sentence? Please explain why. One side of the debate is arguing that "open" is an adjective as it is describing the door. Others are arguing that "open" is an adverb as it is describing the way in which the door swung.
  

Top answer

Anonymous One side of the debate is arguing that "open" is an adjective as it is describing the door. Others are arguing that "open" is an adverb as it is describing the way in which the door swung. Both can be supported.

— Mister Micawber

  • Anonymous One side of the debate is arguing that "open" is an adjective as it is describing the door.
  • Others are arguing that "open" is an adverb as it is describing the way in which the door swung.
  • Both can be supported.
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10 Answers
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AnonymousOne side of the debate is arguing that "open" is an adjective as it is describing the door. Others are arguing that "open" is an adverb as it is describing the way in which the door swung.
Both can be supported.
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Mister Micawber .Both can be supported.
And have been, at tedious length, in some threads I have started to follow.
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Please forgive my ignorance, but how can this be possible? Does it not have to be one or the other?
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'Parts of speech' are merely conventional labels. They are an attempt to group words, as they are used in utterances, into small groups so that their functions can easily be talked about.

Sometimes words are used in such a way that it is not always easy to describe exactly what function it performs. Some people feel that if a door swings open, open is used to describe the direction
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Many thanks for your replies, fivejedjon.
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AnonymousPlease settle a debate.
I say it's an adjective because at the end of the action the door is open. Nevertheless, the classification of such a word into one word class or another is cause for a lot of debate in linguistic circles.

Why not impress all your friends by being the first in your group to explain that 'open' in that sentence is a
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CalifJim 'open' in that sentence is a subject-oriented depictive secondary predication?
Oooh! Now I'm all a-tremble!
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Mister MicawberOooh! Now I'm all a-tremble!
Careful. Barbara is around and about today.



CJ
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CalifJim"it was them who did it"
Yes, I was there just before here. Maybe I should have underscored 'I'm'?
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No. I got the "I'm". I guess you don't talk in your sleep so you're safe.

CJ
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