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11-Jul-2008, 21:32
| | Member | | Join Date: Dec 2006 Country: China
Posts: 419
Current Location: USA First Language: Chinese Member Type: Other | |  Adjective or past participle
In a fashionably dressed young person", is the word "dressed" an adjective or a past participle? Thanks. |
11-Jul-2008, 22:02
| | Moderator | | Join Date: Feb 2005 Country: England
Posts: 2,428
Current Location: SE England First Language: British English Member Type: Other | | Re: Adjective or past participle
Hello Ian,
I would take it as a past participle used adjectivally. It is slightly defective, though, as it requires a qualifying adverb, e.g.
1. A well dressed man
2. He was badly dressed
So you might take the whole phrase (adverb + dressed) as the true unit.
It differs from another sense of "dressed":
3. Are you dressed?
"Dressed" in #3 refers to the state of wearing clothes; whereas "dressed" in #1 and #2 refers to the style in which those clothes are worn.
All the best,
MrP
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Not a professional ESL teacher.
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11-Jul-2008, 22:04
| | Member | | Join Date: Dec 2006 Country: China
Posts: 419
Current Location: USA First Language: Chinese Member Type: Other | | Re: Adjective or past participle
Quote:
Originally Posted by MrPedantic  Hello Ian,
I would take it as a past participle used adjectivally. It is slightly defective, though, as it requires a qualifying adverb, e.g.
1. A well dressed man
2. He was badly dressed
So you might take the whole phrase (adverb + dressed) as the true unit.
It differs from another sense of "dressed":
3. Are you dressed?
"Dressed" in #3 refers to the state of wearing clothes; whereas "dressed" in #1 and #2 refers to the style in which those clothes are worn.
All the best,
MrP | Thanks a lot. Will talk to you soon. |
11-Jul-2008, 22:07
|  | Senior Member | | Join Date: Mar 2008 Country: Aotearoa
Posts: 1,366
Current Location: Te Ika a Māui First Language: NZ English Member Type: Other | | Re: Adjective or past participle
Quote:
Originally Posted by MrPedantic Hello Ian,
I would take it as a past participle used adjectivally. It is slightly defective, though, as it requires a qualifying adverb, e.g.
MrP |
(not a teacher) Isn't "fashionably" serving as the qualifying adverb in the quoted phrase "a fashionably dressed young man"? |
11-Jul-2008, 22:33
| | Moderator | | Join Date: Feb 2005 Country: England
Posts: 2,428
Current Location: SE England First Language: British English Member Type: Other | | Re: Adjective or past participle
Hello Stuart,
Yes, I would agree with you:
1. A well dressed man
2. A fashionably dressed man
3. A fashionably well dressed man
etc.
All the best,
MrP
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Not a professional ESL teacher.
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11-Jul-2008, 22:34
| | Senior Member | | Join Date: Mar 2008 Country: Aotearoa
Posts: 1,366
Current Location: Te Ika a Māui First Language: NZ English Member Type: Other | | Re: Adjective or past participle
Quote:
Originally Posted by MrPedantic Hello Stuart,
Yes, I would agree with you:
1. A well dressed man
2. A fashionably dressed man
3. A fashionably well dressed man
etc.
All the best,
MrP |
I thought so, that's why I wondered why you said there was something missing when it was right there.  |
11-Jul-2008, 22:37
| | Moderator | | Join Date: Feb 2005 Country: England
Posts: 2,428
Current Location: SE England First Language: British English Member Type: Other | | Re: Adjective or past participle
Sorry, now I see what you mean. "Defective" related to "dressed", not Ian's particular example. (The intended but probably obscure parallel was with "defective verbs", which are incomplete in conjugation.)
MrP
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