@Thudlow Boink, I don’t understandthe part in bold, either. What are “may” problems?
Thudlow Boink was pointing out that the bolded word was an error. The original poster meant to type “many problems” but mistyped.
Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology
Volume 19, Number 2 (1990), 205-213, DOI: 10.1007/BF01056088
Methyl parathion residue removal from protective apparel fabric soiled with synthetic sebum or vegetable oil
Mixed ligand complexes of Iron (II) and (III) with cyanide and aromatic di-imines
Bacterial contamination of dental radiographic film
[QUOTE=page 422]
A strong contrast between the element ratios,
however, is easily obtained if the contaminate had a
very low Nd content as may be found in fluids.
[/QUOTE]
Thank you.
Those examples are all more technical than I, or a seventh grader, would have run across on our own, but they do prove the legitimacy of using “contaminate” as a noun.
But they don’t illustrate a typical use of the word in a computer virus context. That’s where the use is inappropriate, although probably immaterial for test purposes.
Am I the only one who suffered through grammar lessons taught as “New English” in the 1970’s? (similar to "new math’ of the same era).
They invented a new technical term for the word “the”. It was no longer called the definite article, it was re-named as the “noun determiner”.
Any word coming after the word “the” HAD to be a noun.
Therefore, in the OP’s example, “contaminate” is a noun. No matter how awkward it sounds.
English isn’t my first language, but wouldn’t Any word coming after the word “the” HAD to be a noun cause confusion with legitimate sentences such as: “The red truck crashed.”?
I think you’re right that it’s not a good way to put it, but <red truck> is a noun phrase so a slightly modified premise stands (at least I’m pretty sure it stands).
This is essentially how grammar is taught in universities. Never heard of ‘New English’. And I’ve never heard that any word coming after ‘the’ had to be a noun. ‘The’ merely gives away that you’re dealing with a noun phrase, even if the word is usually a verb.
I uploaded an example - here.
‘The’ and ‘red’ are modifying the head noun, which is ‘truck’.
Generally everything between ‘the’ and the next noun is part of the noun phrase, though I’m sure there are exceptions? The best way to figure out whether something is a verb or noun is to use substitution - put another less ambiguous noun or verb in there and see if it makes sense.
Even if it had never been used as a noun before, the usage clearly marks it as one - you don’t need to understand every word in a sentence to be able to analyze whether it’s acting as a noun, verb, adjective…
Given how flexible English is with regards to whether something is a noun, adjective, verb, etc., there has to have been a first time for every one of those shifts.
That said, I would never have thought that whether something is a verb, noun, etc. would be called a “part of speech” in English (in Spanish the direct translation of that means something else), so thanks for the new expression.
**Anthimeria **is an old rhetorical figure; naturally, some uses are more pleasing than others.
anthimeria: Substitution of one part of speech for another (such as a noun used as a verb).
“Seems a lady poet suicided at Verringer’s ranch in Sepulveda Canyon one time.”
–R.Chandler, The Long Goodbye, ch.15
I’ve been Republicaned all I care to be this election year.
Noun used as verb.****
Did you see the way those blockers defenced on that last play?
Noun used as verb.
Feel bad? Strike up some music and have a good sing.
Verb used as noun.
http://rhetoric.byu.edu/figures/A/anthimeria.htm
Re the original test Q:
con·tam·i·nate
tr.v. con·tam·i·nated, con·tam·i·nat·ing, con·tam·i·nates
- To make impure or unclean by contact or mixture.
- To expose to or permeate with radioactivity.
n.
One that contaminates; a contaminant.
Contaminate - definition of contaminate by The Free Dictionary
Clearly and unarguably a noun.
I’m no linguist but the language classes I took all referred to words like the, a, an, this, these, that, those, many, few, several and so on as determiners because they determine whether a noun is definite or indefinite, location relative to the speaker, or quantity of the noun.
[Foghorn Leghorn] “Here is the, I say, the exception.” [/Foghorn Leghorn]
Survey of online dictionaries which have ‘contaminate’ as a noun:
American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: NO
American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: YES
Collins English Dictionary**: NO**
Macmillan Dictionary: NO
Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary, 11th Edition: NO
Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary: NO
Wiktionary: NO
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Ed.: NO
The Wordsmyth English Dictionary-Thesaurus: NO
Infoplease Dictionary : YES
Dictionary.com: YES
Online Plain Text English Dictionary : NO
Webster’s Revised Unabridged, 1913 Edition : NO
Webster’s 1828 Dictionary : NO
Free Dictionary**: YES**
So let’s be clear here: The use of ‘contaminate’ as a noun is in no way to be considered common. If anything, it’s a recent neologism, most likely being used in certain niches and only starting to reach mainstream sources.
I was thinking object myself. How is this wrong?
its usage there is a noun. it is more common as a verb. it has long been used as a noun in the natural and physical sciences.
Two ways, I think. Object is a part of a sentence (subject, predicate, object), not a part of speech(noun, verb, adjective). And “the contaminate” is the subject, not the object.
Ah well, I guess I’m wrong on all accounts then!