drive "slow" or drive "slowly": the diff

[infinikyte]

Hi,

I wonder if the following phrases are only used in colloquial situations:

drive slow
play safe
eat raw

Are the adjectives above better replaced by adverbs(ones with -ly) in formal context?

Thanks a million

 

[RonBee]

Slow and fast are used as both adverbs and adjectives. Play it safe is an expression meaning that one shouldn't take unnecessary chances. It does not mean the same thing as play safely. (I have never heard the expression play safe.)

You can eat raw vegetables, but I do not recomment eating raw meat. As for the expression eat raw, that would be an expression I have never heard if you mean that raw is used as an adverb in that context.

 

[infinikyte]

You can eat raw vegetables, but I do not recomment eating raw meat. As for the expression eat raw, that would be an expression I have never heard if you mean that raw is used as an adverb in that context.

Thanks. So, can I say eat it raw?

 

[RonBee]

You can eat raw vegetables, but I do not recomment eating raw meat. As for the expression eat raw, that would be an expression I have never heard if you mean that raw is used as an adverb in that context.

Thanks. So, can I say eat it raw?

Yes! Indeed you can.

 

[infinikyte]

You can eat raw vegetables, but I do not recomment eating raw meat.

You know, you'll be suprised when you actually see how much raw meat the Japanese have to eat. They like to eat things raw, and emphasize the ultimate freshness could only come from raw food. Once in Japan I tried the famous raw horse meat, and I couldn't stand the "freshness" so I cooked it as "teppanyaki". After all, Japanese rank first in IQ and longevity. Sure that's more to do with "miso" than raw food..

 

[Tdol]

Steak is someitme eaten raw in Europe. I've never had raw horse meat, though. ;-)

 

[infinikyte]

Steak is someitme eaten raw in Europe. I've never had raw horse meat, though. ;-)

Based on RonBee's explanation, eaten raw seems to be ... rather unacceptable????

You can say something be eaten raw but not to eat something raw??

 

[RonBee]

Steak is someitme eaten raw in Europe. I've never had raw horse meat, though. ;-)

Based on RonBee's explanation, eaten raw seems to be ... rather unacceptable????

You can say something be eaten raw but not to eat something raw??

No, eaten raw is quite a common usage. The term raw refers to the condition of the food and not the manner in which it is eaten. A similar sentence is I like my coffee hot. In that sentence, hot does not describe the manner in which the coffee is drunk but the condition the coffee is in when it is drunk.

What you can't do is use raw as an adverb, thus: I like eating raw, which is in structure much like I like driving fast, in which fast is an adverb. Instead, raw has to refer to some kind of food.

Does that help?

 

[Tdol]

I like eating raw horse meat???? ;-)

 

[infinikyte]

Steak is someitme eaten raw in Europe. I've never had raw horse meat, though. ;-)

Based on RonBee's explanation, eaten raw seems to be ... rather unacceptable????

You can say something be eaten raw but not to eat something raw??

No, eaten raw is quite a common usage. The term raw refers to the condition of the food and not the manner in which it is eaten. A similar sentence is I like my coffee hot. In that sentence, hot does not describe the manner in which the coffee is drunk but the condition the coffee is in when it is drunk.

What you can't do is use raw as an adverb, thus: I like eating raw, which is in structure much like I like driving fast, in which fast is an adverb. Instead, raw has to refer to some kind of food.

Does that help?

Thank you RonBee, prefectly clear now!! :up: :up: :up:

 

[RonBee]

I like eating raw horse meat???? ;-)

Yuk!

:wink:

 

[infinikyte]

(I have never heard the expression play safe.)

Actually, I did a search in Google and it came up 59,000 results of "play safe". Some of them were extracted from news reports. It seems to me as very common usage. Might it be a shorthand for "play it safe"?

Upon consulting a dictionary, I found:

17: behave in a certain way; "play safe," "play it safe";

WordNet ® 1.6, © 1997 Princeton University

My original question is raised again.

 

[RonBee]

Play it safe

From a Google search:

• "play it safe" = 66,000
  "play safe" = 25,000
  "play safe"+UK = 5,910
  "play it safe"+UK = 6,420
  "play safe"+USA = 2,650
  "play it safe"+USA = 6,750
  "Let's play safe" = 28
  "Let's play it safe" = 51

The phrase play safe does seem to be an alternative to play it safe. That seems to be especially true in the UK.

Miscellaneous returns for play safe:

• Fun Play, Safe Play
  Play Safe Thong
  play safe be safe!
  PLAY SAFE, PLAY FAIR
  Play Safe Surfacing, Inc.
  Fun Play, Safe Play
  "England plan to play safe" (headline)
  Play Safe in Maryland State Parks
  Sponsor a play safe! be safe! Workshop.
  Play safe (Australia)
  Health Food producers play safe with nuts (UK)
  300 Play Safe Stay Safe Temporary Tattoos

It does seem likely that a newspaper story with play safe in it is more likely to be in a UK newspaper than it would be in a US newspaper. Perhaps a poll is in order?

 

[jwschang]

(I have never heard the expression play safe.)

Actually, I did a search in Google and it came up 59,000 results of "play safe". Some of them were extracted from news reports. It seems to me as very common usage. Might it be a shorthand for "play it safe"?
Upon consulting a dictionary, I found:

17: behave in a certain way; "play safe," "play it safe";
WordNet ® 1.6, © 1997 Princeton University

My original question is raised again.

play safe = act with a (safe) approach = prep + (adj) + noun
play safe = act with (no) risk = prep + (adj) + noun
play dumb = act like a (dumb) fellow = prep + (adj) + noun
play stupid
play innocent
all are adjectives.
english is funny and likes to break the rules. :wink:

alternatively, one can view it as an adjective born of a noun (since nouns can act as adjectives), because play is both transitive and intransitive, as in: play the fool. :wink:

 

[infinikyte]

Thanks Chang.

alternatively, one can view it as an adjective born of a noun (since nouns can act as adjectives), because play is both transitive and intransitive, as in: play the fool. :wink:

This makes me think of another issue: when a noun's acting as an adjective, is it true that it could be used only in the attributive position?

e.g. I'm an office lady. ("office" as adj. before noun "lady")

On the other hand, if someone plays basketball as well as Michael Jordan does, does it sound right to say "He's so Michael Jordan."??

 

[jwschang]

Thanks Chang.

alternatively, one can view it as an adjective born of a noun (since nouns can act as adjectives), because play is both transitive and intransitive, as in: play the fool. :wink:

This makes me think of another issue: when a noun's acting as an adjective, is it true that it could be used only in the attributive position?

e.g. I'm an office lady. ("office" as adj. before noun "lady")

On the other hand, if someone plays basketball as well as Michael Jordan does, does it sound right to say "He's so Michael Jordan."??

You're welcome to the bit I know! :wink:
Adjectives (not just nouns acting as adjectives) can be used predicatively by placing it directly after linking verbs like Be, Became, etc.

He is young.
He is English.
He looks tired.
He's so Michael Jordan.
He's fun.
Other than linking verbs:
He turned green (with envy).
That's what I can think of.

 

[RonBee]

Nouns used in apposition can be said to be acting as adjectives. Example:

• Mrs. Green, the principal's wife, teaches third grade.