'starving' and -ing

Question

Hi everybody,My question is the following: I'm curios whether the word 'starving' exists or not. I'm looking for an adjective with the following meaning:1. A cat which starves.I would like to use it as: 2. It is a starving cat.Does the second version exist?My other question: Is there any rules for the case when you make an adjective from a verb (with adding an -ing suffix)? Or should I learn these by rote?For example:confuse -&gt; confusingstarve -&gt; starving Maybe this text was a little bit confusing. Sorry for that.Thanks for your help in advance.

Mr. Tom · Accepted Answer

Yes, starving is used as an adjective.

Starving children in Ethiopia
I'm starving means I'm very hungry.

Many verbs turn into adjectives when "ing" is added to them, but not all.

Don't confuse me -- It's a confusing question.
He was tempted by her offer -- It was a tempting offer.

BUT this rule does NOT apply to all verbs.

Tom

Hole One a New See · Answer

I quote you:

"BUT this rule does NOT apply to all verbs."

Is there a rule for it (to recognize the verbs which are appropriate to this transformation), or should I learn these adjectives one by one?

AlpheccaStars · Answer

Hole One a New SeeIs there a rule for it (to recognize the verbs which are appropriate to this transformation), or should I learn these adjectives one by one?

Every English verb has present and past participles. Both present and past participles can be used as modifiers anywhere that they make sense. Most dynamic verbs are suitable for present participle modifiers..
Here are some examples:

A winning strategy (a strategy that wins)
A crying baby ( a baby who is crying)
A loving mother (a mother who loves)
A stinging remark ( a remark that stings)
A babbling brook ( a brook that babbles)
A howling dog ( a dog that is howling)
A giggling girl ( a girl who is giggling)
The rising sun (the sun when it is rising)
A singing telegram (A telegram that is delivered by people singing it)
A ringing phone ( a phone when it is ringing)

etc.

You can read more here:

http://www.annies-annex.com/participles_as_adjectives.htm

Hole One a New See · Answer

Thank you very much. I will read it over. It seems very useful (and hard).

I would like to ask one more thing. Maybe it can be here (without a new post). If I don't find present participle (as adjective) in the dictionary (Oxford advanced learner's dictionary, http://dictionary.cambridge.org/), then it hasn't a present participle as adjective?

In this particular case I refer to the word 'washing' which is indicated as a noun, but maybe there is an adjective with the same spelling. I don't know. At least I didn't find it (the adjective version) in dictionary. But it looks me a dynamic verb therefore I could imaginge something like: 'I saw a washing woman next to the bathtub.'

Again: I didn't read that text so far (so sorry, if I asked something that is included in that text), but I bookmarked it and I begin to read now.

Thanks for your answer in advance.

AlpheccaStars · Answer

Hole One a New SeeIf I don't find present participle (as adjective) in the dictionary (Oxford advanced learner's dictionary, http://dictionary.cambridge.org/ ), then it hasn't a present participle as adjective?

Every English verb has a present participle.
Except for spelling changes, this form is completely regular. There are no exceptions.

But it IS true that all present participles can (in theory) be used as modifiers.
It is NOT true that all of them are adjectives.
The difference is the rules used to tell us if a modifier is a true adjective or not. All adjectives are modifiers, but not all modifiers are adjectives.

A true adjective can be graded. That is, it has a comparative and superlative.
A true adjective can be modified by adverbs such as "very."

Take, for example confusing.
This is a very confusing topic.
This topic is more confusing that that one.

Great. So the present participle of the verb confuse is qualified as an adjective, because there are degrees of confusion.

Now try the same thing with chiming.

We bought a chiming clock. (A clock that goes ding-ding-ding, counting the hours every hour.)

It is a very chiming clock. This does not makes any sense, If a clock chimes, it chimes.There are no degrees of chiming. It can be very charming, but not very chiming.

My clock is more chiming than yours. This does not makes any sense either. One clock can chime more frequently than another (eg every 15 minutes), but to say more chiming is nonsense.

Thus chiming is a modifier, but it does not qualify as an adjective.

AlpheccaStars · Answer

Hole One a New SeeIn this particular case I refer to the word 'washing' which is indicated as a noun, but maybe there is an adjective with the same spelling. I don't know. At least I didn't find it (the adjective version) in dictionary. But it looks me a dynamic verb therefore I could imaginge something like: 'I saw a washing woman next to the bathtub.'

The word washing is a perfect modifier.

We bought a new washing machine.
Now you can figure out if washing is an adjective or not.

By the way, a woman who washes clothes for money is called a washerwoman.

And usually this modifier is placed after the noun:
I saw a woman washing next to the bathtub.

Hole One a New See · Answer

Thank you very much. It is really hard for the first time.

"The word washing is a perfect modifier." -> Is this 'perfect modifier' thing is a grammatical expression or means: 'it is great to use as a modifier'?

AlpheccaStars · Answer

Hole One a New See 'it is great to use as a modifier'?

Just my own expression...

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