'die' is used as an adjective?

Status
Not open for further replies.

crazYgeeK

Member
Joined
Jun 9, 2010
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
Vietnamese
Home Country
Vietnam
Current Location
Vietnam
I have looked up with some dictionaries and couldn't find any says that 'die' is an adjective but I saw this sentence on CNN tv channel, that 'die' is used as an adjective : 'Parents to be die in a car accident' ?

Is that an idiom or simply a kind of speaking or informal English?
I think 'dead' should be used instead.

Thank you!

VipHaLong
 

Tdol

No Longer With Us (RIP)
Staff member
Joined
Nov 13, 2002
Native Language
British English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
Japan
It's a mistake- rolling news is produced at speed, so language errors get through. It's such a mess that it's hard to see what they wanted to say without the context of the article.
 

BobK

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 29, 2006
Location
Spencers Wood, near Reading, UK
Member Type
Retired English Teacher
Native Language
English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
UK
:up: And a verb can behave adjectivally; for example in ''kill order' or 'go command' or 'launch routine' the verb is used in each case to say what sort of order/command/routine it is. But it seems to me that 'die' is an unlikely candidate for this sort of treatment (except maybe in a war comic ;-))

b
 

5jj

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 14, 2010
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
Czech Republic
Current Location
Czech Republic
Parents-to-be (Pregnant woman and partner) die (verb) ...
 

crazYgeeK

Member
Joined
Jun 9, 2010
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
Vietnamese
Home Country
Vietnam
Current Location
Vietnam
Parents-to-be (Pregnant woman and partner) die (verb) ...

Wow, I think this is what they want to mean, but I'm sure that there are no dashes connecting 3 words "Parents to be" from that news report. Thank you, if so 'die' in this case is actually used as a verb.
 

5jj

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 14, 2010
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
Czech Republic
Current Location
Czech Republic
That's what they meant, and 'die' is a verb. As Tdol said, rolling news is produced at speed. Some of the errors are laughable.

'Parents to be arrested'. Are some parents expected to be arrested, or have some prospective parents been arrested? Nobody knows.
 

Tdol

No Longer With Us (RIP)
Staff member
Joined
Nov 13, 2002
Native Language
British English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
Japan
The hyphens make all the difference and dig out a meaning I hadn't seen. ;-)
 

emsr2d2

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 28, 2009
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
UK
I was chuffed to bits that I worked out the hyphens were missing in order to work out the meaning and then saw I'd been beaten to it. I need to be quicker off the mark.
 

emsr2d2

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 28, 2009
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
UK
Another new one for me!

Well chuffed!
Chuffed to bits.
Chuffed to pieces.
As chuffed as a chuffed thing in a chuffed competition.
 

probus

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jan 7, 2011
Member Type
Retired English Teacher
Native Language
English
Home Country
Canada
Current Location
Canada
Chuffed, so common in BrE, is never heard and probably would not be understood in North America.
 

emsr2d2

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 28, 2009
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
UK
Posh: Absolutely delighted/thrilled.
Normal: Happy. Chuffed.
Informal/Slang: 'S'all right. I'm made up, innit.
 

SoothingDave

VIP Member
Joined
Apr 17, 2009
Member Type
Interested in Language
Native Language
American English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
United States
Can chavs be chuffed?
 

BobK

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 29, 2006
Location
Spencers Wood, near Reading, UK
Member Type
Retired English Teacher
Native Language
English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
UK
Yes, 'chuffed to bits' and 'dead chuffed' are both well established - and are informal rather than vulgar.

Sometimes - and probably unrelated to this use of 'chuffed' - 'chuffing' is used as a euphemism for a word that uses many of the same letters and sounds. ;-)

b
 

probus

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jan 7, 2011
Member Type
Retired English Teacher
Native Language
English
Home Country
Canada
Current Location
Canada
and are informal rather than vulgar.

b

Even users of the RP, such as Her Majesty, are capable of being chuffed at least on rare occasions, one imagines, but they would be unlikely to speak the word. ;-)
 

probus

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jan 7, 2011
Member Type
Retired English Teacher
Native Language
English
Home Country
Canada
Current Location
Canada
Chuffed, so common in BrE, is never heard and probably would not be understood in North America.

It seems to me that we rarely or never hear from our Strine and Kiwi speaking colleagues on this sort of thing. I for one would be interested in hearing from them. I try to give the Canadian viewpoint when there is a distinct one.
 
Last edited:

5jj

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 14, 2010
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
Czech Republic
Current Location
Czech Republic
I was chuffed to bits that I worked out the hyphens were missing in order to work out the meaning and then saw I'd been beaten to it. I need to be quicker off the mark.
I was tickled to think that you were too slow this time.
 

Route21

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 27, 2010
Member Type
Interested in Language
Native Language
British English
Home Country
England
Current Location
Thailand
I was tickled to think that you were too slow this time.

By the looks of the avatar, Probus was tickled pink too! :lol: :lol:
Regards
R21
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top