the whole sentence used as a noun

[hamoodee]

Some times in english language we see the whole sentence appears as a noun ,eg :
In " take it all or leave it all "
We read a sentence like this :
" I dont like his take-it-all-or-leave- it- all philosophy ."
My question is : Is there a rule in english grammar for
converting the whole sentence to a noun ?
Is it possible to convert any sentence to a noun ?
Many thanks for you in advance .

[mykwyner]

Actually, in your example the take-it-all phrase is being used as an adjective. However, for compounds of this type (regardless of the part of speech), always use hyphens to show that the group of words is a single unit of meaning.

[Johan[@CLT]]

Originally Posted by mykwyner

Actually, in your example the take-it-all phrase is being used as an adjective. However, for compounds of this type (regardless of the part of speech), always use hyphens to show that the group of words is a single unit of meaning.

Indeed, that is how I look at it as well. To my mind, there are no true strict rules when it comes to using an adjective. When you are into a conversation and you want to make something clear, you often go for the use of a adjective like in your example sentence. Sometimes you make or have to make one up, to make yourself clear. It can be an obligatory. When I use one during a conversation I tend to indicate it with my fingers by making the hyphens-sign ( "......")

.... ok ok Don't laugh at me


That's what makes the English language so interesting because there are no strict rules towards this.


Kind regards

[hamoodee]

I am pleased to recieve answers from two experts in the language .
I repeat my thanks to you .