Half / Halved

[jack]

What do these mean?
1. This is a half car.
2. This is a halved car.

Thanks.

[Casiopea]

Originally Posted by jack

What do these mean?
1. This is a half car.
2. This is a halved car.

Thanks.

Remember? -ed participles functioning as adjectives describe the noun they modify as having undergone a change. The car has been halved, cut in two?

[jack]

Remember? -ed participles functioning as adjectives describe the noun they modify as having undergone a change. The car has been halved, cut in two?

Thanks. I had a hard time picturing 'This is a half car.' . I thought that was wrong.

[Casiopea]

Originally Posted by jack

Thanks. I had a hard time picturing 'This is a half car.' . I thought that was wrong.

But. . . there's nothing wrong with sentence 1. It's fine. Picture a car that's half car and half bus or truck or motorcycle. It's a "half car": It's 50% car and 50% bus. I don't know if such a vehicle exists, but there's a term for it!

Note, "It's half of a car" could mean,

A. It's a halved car. (50% car, 50% nothing: half the car exists, half doesn't)
B. It's a half car. (50% car, 50% something else: a bus, a truck, a motorcyle)