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Post by Trevor on Sept 30, 2017 12:54:12 GMT
Hi all, long time no contribute.
My son (10) has the following question in his homework which I think is really badly worded, and I'd welcome your thoughts.
Complete the sentence below using the word danger as an adjective.
Remember to punctuate your answer correctly.
When the river floods, _______________________
He's written "the danger around it increases"
We both know that's not right. He's read that sentence back to me, and even he can tell me that in that sentence 'danger' is not an adjective. But I'm a little stumped. In that sentence, what is 'danger'?
And secondly, can 'danger' even be an adjective? The only possibility I've come up with is something like "danger zone", where danger tells us what type of zone it is, but even that doesn't feel like an adjective to me.
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Post by Little Jack Horner on Sept 30, 2017 14:06:02 GMT
Hi. You are right, it is a long time since we heard from you. Do you deserve a reply? But welcome back. Surely, in your son's sentence, "danger" is a noun. I think it is difficult to use "danger" as a genuine adjective. I might suggest "danger money" or "danger list" (patients in serious condition in hospital) but it seens to me that those examples and your danger zone are better thought of as a single lexeme, in this case a compound noun albeit without a hyphen or combined as one word.
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Post by Trevor on Sept 30, 2017 14:27:47 GMT
Thanks, LJH. Yes, of course it's a noun. And thanks for the suggestion of danger zone etc being a compound noun.
Which still leaves us with the problem of how to answer his homework. I may suggest he does two: "When the river floods, the surrounding area becomes a danger zone" (to see how the teacher responds!) and also one using danger as the root of an adjective and turn it into dangerous. "... the banks become a dangerous place to be" or some such.
Oh, and yes, of course I deserve a reply. I may be less prolific than you, but I have been here longer.
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Post by Verbivore on Sept 30, 2017 20:29:16 GMT
G'day, Trevor.
Your son's homework question is, to my mind, daft. How can danger ever be an adjective – unless as part of the noun compound danger zone (or similar)?
Perhaps take the two-answer approach as you've suggested.
The OED has no entry for – or example of – danger as an adjective.
I wish your son luck dealing with that teacher if s/he doesn't like his answer/s.
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Post by Little Jack Horner on Oct 1, 2017 1:18:33 GMT
Trevor. Sorry. Of course you deserved a reply. It was just my gruff north country humour getting the better of me. It often does. Please forgive me? 😳
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Post by Trevor on Oct 3, 2017 21:34:22 GMT
Thanks folks. I'll let you know if we get any feedback.
(Incidentally, I should mention that his teacher hasn't devised the question - it's from a pre-printed worksheet.)
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Post by Dave on Oct 4, 2017 16:49:47 GMT
(Incidentally, I should mention that his teacher hasn't devised the question - it's from a pre-printed worksheet.) I trust that the teacher has a pre-printed answer sheet as well! |
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Post by Kristine on Jan 8, 2018 21:50:03 GMT
The adjective relaring to danger is obviously dangerous. When the flood rises, it is dangerous.
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Post by Dave Miller on Jan 9, 2018 0:25:12 GMT
The adjective relaring to danger is obviously dangerous. When the flood rises, it is dangerous. Yes, indeed. But the question didn't say "use a word relating to danger"; it said "use the word danger" as an adjective. Danger and dangerous may be related, but they are two different words, no? |
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Post by Little Jack Horner on Aug 8, 2018 21:35:01 GMT
Hi, Trevor.
I wonder if the teacher ever provided an answer to the question?
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Post by Trevor on Aug 9, 2018 6:03:34 GMT
Hi, Trevor. I wonder if the teacher ever provided an answer to the question? No, of course not. Mind you, I don't think I ever actually mentioned the problem to the school, just queried it on here. And he finished at that school this year so I'll not be asking now. |
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