Azalea آزالیا
Nouns that function as adjectives... Nouns can function as adjectives: apple pie, state taxes, bicycle thief, shoe store, dining room chair, .... Recently an English language learner wrote: sadness city Of course, I changed it to "city of sadness". Of course, the language learner asked "WHY?" Of course, I couldn't explain why. So, I put together some other combinations: sorrow place, happiness hill, ... I changed them to: city of sadness, place of sorrow, hill of happiness.... better? Would you agree that nouns that refer to emotions usually sound a little awkward as adjectives?
Feb 28, 2015 1:15 AM
Answers · 4
Certain phrases, like "apple pie," have become normative and idiomatic, but it doesn't work well with all phrases. "City of sadness" is a bit poetic, and that requires a proper genitive structure, with the "of" conjunctive.
February 28, 2015
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