# Ie "slut shaming" more a verb or a noun? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 9, 2012, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ie-slut-shaming-more-a-verb-or-a-noun/627651 "2012-07-09T00:11:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2012, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ie-slut-shaming-more-a-verb-or-a-noun/627651/1 "2012-07-09T00:11:02Z")
Per the wiki. [Slut shaming](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slut-shaming) > [@](#): > > Slut-shaming is the act of making a woman feel guilty or inferior for being sexually active, having multiple sex partners, or acting or dressing in a way that is deemed excessively sexual, often by calling them a “slut” or other derogatory terms.[1] Slut-shaming is based on the idea that women should follow one sexual norm, and that any woman who deviates from this norm is inferior to other women. Slut-shaming can occur privately or publicly, between people in all types of relationships. Is this term more a verb or a noun? ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2012, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ie-slut-shaming-more-a-verb-or-a-noun/627651/2 "2012-07-09T00:36:44Z")
No, not really. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2012, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ie-slut-shaming-more-a-verb-or-a-noun/627651/3 "2012-07-09T00:44:10Z")
It’s a gerund, like many “-ing” words in English. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2012, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ie-slut-shaming-more-a-verb-or-a-noun/627651/4 "2012-07-09T01:02:51Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > It’s a gerund, like many “-ing” words in English. And gerunds in English can function as adjectives, nouns and parts of verbs. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2012, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ie-slut-shaming-more-a-verb-or-a-noun/627651/5 "2012-07-09T02:00:54Z")
Gerund. ---
**Author:** ![the\_apples\_fell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@the\_apples\_fell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_apples_fell)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2012, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ie-slut-shaming-more-a-verb-or-a-noun/627651/6 "2012-07-09T03:41:03Z")
Noun. I have heard it in sentences like this; “There is no excuse for slut shaming or blaming the victim.” In that type of context, it’d be a noun. ---
**Author:** ![ScarletNumber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@ScarletNumber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ScarletNumber)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2012, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ie-slut-shaming-more-a-verb-or-a-noun/627651/7 "2012-07-09T06:12:03Z")
Noun ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2012, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ie-slut-shaming-more-a-verb-or-a-noun/627651/8 "2012-07-09T12:37:28Z")
> [@the\_apples\_fell](#): > > Noun. I have heard it in sentences like this; > > “There is no excuse for slut shaming or blaming the victim.” > > In that type of context, it’d be a noun. It’s not a noun in that sentence; it’s a transitive verb, just like blaming. You can’t use a noun in those positions in that sentence. If you’re not clear on the distinction, pick some other word that you know to be a noun and use it instead, for example: “there is no excuse for spatula or glass the victim.” ---
**Author:** ![Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/4bbf92/32.png) [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heart_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2012, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ie-slut-shaming-more-a-verb-or-a-noun/627651/9 "2012-07-09T14:51:38Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > It’s not a noun in that sentence; it’s a transitive verb, just like blaming. You can’t use a noun in those positions in that sentence. If you’re not clear on the distinction, pick some other word that you know to be a noun and use it instead, for example: > > “there is no excuse for spatula or glass the victim.” I disagree; as I parse that sentence, “slut-shaming” is one distinct and complete act, and “blaming the victim” is another. Each verb phrase is in the gerund form, and can be replaced with other nouns. However, if we did use objects as nouns in this sentence as you suggest, we’d either use an article (a, an, the) or pronoun (this, those), or make them plural to indicate we’re speaking about that noun in general: “There is no excuse for that spatula or this glass.” “There is no excuse for spatulas or glasses.” I have seen “slut-shaming” used transitively: “they slut-shamed her.” But I’ve also, probably more often, seen it used intransitively: “I won’t engage in slut-shaming; there’s no excuse for it.” In a way, it’s actually transitive there, too, but with the object, “slut”, already built into the verb phrase. Similarly, we can phrase “blaming the victim” as “victim-blaming”. You’ll still see people saying things like, “she’s victim-blaming him,” but to my ear, that’s a little clunky and redundant, just like “they slut-shamed her.” ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2012, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ie-slut-shaming-more-a-verb-or-a-noun/627651/10 "2012-07-09T19:55:47Z")
As I learned it, -ing words don’t count as verbs on their own without a helping verb. In any other use they are a gerund. And a part of speech is the way it acts. Something that acts like a noun is a noun. The only discrepancy is when the noun contains multiple words which individually can be thought of as another part of speech. Then you have to use words such as “noun phrase” or “noun clause.” ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2012, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ie-slut-shaming-more-a-verb-or-a-noun/627651/11 "2012-07-09T20:01:08Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > As I learned it, -ing words don’t count as verbs on their own without a helping verb. You’re lying. :smack: NM, you’re right. In the above sentence, “are” (present as a contraction) is the helping verb. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2012, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ie-slut-shaming-more-a-verb-or-a-noun/627651/12 "2012-07-09T20:17:42Z")
It’s a gerund. And a lousy political term, if only because I agree with the sentiment but hate the term and its effect on dialogue. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2012, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ie-slut-shaming-more-a-verb-or-a-noun/627651/13 "2012-07-09T20:18:34Z")
> [@astro](#): > > Per the wiki. [Slut shaming](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slut-shaming) > > Is this term more a verb or a noun? It’s a food. ---
**Author:** ![tapu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@tapu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tapu)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2012, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ie-slut-shaming-more-a-verb-or-a-noun/627651/14 "2012-07-09T21:17:07Z")
> [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > I have seen “slut-shaming” used transitively: “they slut-shamed her.” But I’ve also, probably more often, seen it used intransitively: “I won’t engage in slut-shaming; there’s no excuse for it.” In a way, it’s actually transitive there, too, but with the object, “slut”, already built into the verb phrase. Similarly, we can phrase “blaming the victim” as “victim-blaming”. You’ll still see people saying things like, “she’s victim-blaming him,” but to my ear, that’s a little clunky and redundant, just like “they slut-shamed her.” Back Formation. A common example is “to drunk-drive.” An older one: “to typewrite.” ---
**Author:** ![greenslime1951](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e9bcb4/32.png) [@greenslime1951](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/greenslime1951)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2012, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ie-slut-shaming-more-a-verb-or-a-noun/627651/15 "2012-07-09T23:03:29Z")
It’s a really, really stupid construction, so typical of the crap discourse that is the bastard child of the internet. The meaning of the word as stated implies that it is something unfair: the pejorative labeling of a woman who is sexually active. But the term, “slut” is in itself pejorative. If she is, in fact, a slut (whatever that’s supposed to mean), then it isn’t actually shaming to call her one. Therefore the term should be something like: “sexually-active-woman-shaming,” as the root of the term should be neutral. Since the term as written above would be unwieldy, and the internet term is inaccurate, it would be best to pitch the whole thing overboard, especially since the term as expressed could be read as, “shaming a slut,” which I would imagine would be criticizing her hair color or something. We haven’t yet reached the point where people’s lack of English education should permit the use of Unenglish. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2012, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ie-slut-shaming-more-a-verb-or-a-noun/627651/16 "2012-07-09T23:18:06Z")
Noun or verb, it ought to be archaic by now.