Grammar Question. Where is the adverb in the noun+adverb compound noun 'sunrise'?

Where is the adverb in the noun+adverb compound noun ‘sunrise’ ?

I must have missed something fundamental in every definition of ‘adverb’ I’ve ever read. I don’t see an adverb in this compound construction. To me most adverbs end in -ly.

A noun+adverb compound noun is a noun phrase made up of a noun and an adverb that together create a new noun. Some examples include:

  • “sunrise” (noun: “sun”; adverb: “rise”)
  • “sunset” (noun: “sun”; adverb: “set”)
  • “upset” (noun: “up”; adverb: “set”)

Examples of noun+adverb compound nouns include:

  • background check
  • handshake
  • playback

To me, both parts, “sun” and “rise”, in “sunrise” are nouns.

I agree.

Not a single adverb in there for me either.

There isn’t one. Where do you get the idea that this is a noun+adverb construction?

I don’t think that’s right, although I can see that an argument could made for it, since sunrise refers to the rise (noun) of the sun. More generally, though, when “rise” is used as a noun, it refers to an increase in the quantity of something, like a rise in interest rates. When it refers to something moving from a lower to a higher position, as the sun does in the morning, it’s a verb. During sunrise, the sun rises higher in the sky.

rise

noun

  1. appearance above the horizon, as of the sun or moon.

Sure, but it also gives this definition:

verb

  1. to ascend above the horizon, as a heavenly body.

Similarly, Merriam-Webster gives:

verb

  1. to appear above the horizon
    the sun rises at six

As I said, I can see an argument for both the noun and verb interpretation. But if one assumes that “rise” is being used as a noun, then I would regard “sun” as a de facto adjective called an attributive noun, in the same sense as in words like sunlight, moonlight, sun-bleached, sun-baked, etc. I guess it’s technically still a noun, but it’s a special case where it’s being used as an adjective. Which is a little different than just two nouns being smushed together. Whether this construction is hyphenated is just arbitrary convention.

Definitely no adverb in there. It’s a simple compound noun.

14 would give you The sun rises. 34 gives you the compound noun of sunrise. Whoever decided to call it an adverb modifying a noun, though?

I did some more digging, and while I still think a good case can be made for “rise” as a verb, the expert consensus seems to be that you’re right about it being a noun in this case. But I’m also right that “sun” in this case is an attributive noun, so effectively an adjective. It’s subtly different from just saying that “sun” and “rise” are both nouns

I stumbled on the grammatical term ‘noun adverb’ and found the Quora examples. If there is such a thing as a ‘noun adverb’ can anyone give me a clear example of it.

Quora is a garbage site, and that entire answer looks like AI-generated garbage to me. There’s no way that “upset” consists of the noun “up” and the adverb “set.”

I think the answer is that simple: someone is using AI to automatically answer Quora queries, and this example is especially nonsensical.

Less likely but still possible: a human with no freaking idea what a noun or an adverb (or, for that matter, a preposition) is provided that answer.

Nevertheless, I can think of a compound word with an adverb/article/noun formation. I can even think of an adverb/adverb compound word, which I will provide henceforth. And there’s a wonderful verb/adjective one, coming up tootsweet.

Absolutely. The last line is the giveaway. Very typical GPT-3 conclusion.

If it’s so “typical” then how come when I just asked ChatGPT 3.5 some of the questions in this thread, its responses were consistent with the general consensus here?

Sorry for the digression, and don’t accuse me of holding up ChatGPT as some sort of infallible font of wisdom, but I’m getting sick and tired of every piece of bullshit that someone posts on the internet being attributed to some malfunctioning AI. There are plenty of malfunctioning humans going around. Always have been, always will be.

End of digression. Carry on.

They’re called adverbial nouns, or adverbial noun phrases, as the case may be. In the sentence “I’m leaving soon”, “soon” is an adverb modifying the verb “leaving”. But in the sentence “I’m leaving Tuesday”, “Tuesday” is an adverbial noun serving that same function.

Thank wolfpup.That makes sense.

In this case, though, isn’t this just elipsis of the prepositional phrase “on Tuesday”? The phrase is adverbial but the words in it are preposition + noun.

Given “sunrise” and “moonrise,” I’d agree that sun is functioning adjectivally, but “rise” looks like a noun to me.

But it almost certainly is the product of an LLM. It contains all the hallmarks:

An introductory paragraph
An impeccably formatted series of bullet-pointed examples
A concluding summary paragraph

I’ve been looking at and grading a lot of LLM output in the last few weeks for a freelance job, and I can tell you with near 100% certainty this is the output of an LLM.

And if you don’t believe me, here’s my ChatGPT 3.5 answer for the question in the OP:

Hmm…looks pretty … similar?