# The Verbless Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 2, 2001, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-verbless-thread/60555 "2001-04-02T22:45:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![UncleBill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@UncleBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBill)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2001, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-verbless-thread/60555/42 "2001-04-03T06:53:08Z")
Slack. Cool. Welcome. **iampunha** Clueless. ---
**Author:** ![Palmyra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/57b2e6/32.png) [@Palmyra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palmyra)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2001, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-verbless-thread/60555/43 "2001-04-03T06:55:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by UncleBill \* > \*\*Slack. Cool. Welcome. > > **iampunha** Clueless. \*\* Paddy dear… timberlake, male. “N’Sync.” spears, enhanced female. “Spears.” conjecture, hankypanky. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@UncleBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBill)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2001, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-verbless-thread/60555/44 "2001-04-03T07:01:27Z")
Paddy? Irish! Old man. No N’Sync. Aerosmith. Jethro Tull. Floyd. hankypanky good. ---
**Author:** ![Palmyra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/57b2e6/32.png) [@Palmyra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palmyra)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2001, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-verbless-thread/60555/45 "2001-04-03T07:05:01Z")
Paddy Irish? unknown. Areosmith good. Jethro Tull. ew. Floyd excellent. hankypanky awesome. ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2001, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-verbless-thread/60555/46 "2001-04-03T08:24:50Z")
> [@](#): > > Jethro Tull. ew. Ew? EW!!! Sacrilege!! Jethro Tull – classic! Yes. Pink Floyd exceptional. Except early albums. Yuk. Strawpeople, anyone? ---
**Author:** ![Jenericho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Jenericho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenericho)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2001, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-verbless-thread/60555/47 "2001-04-03T12:33:10Z")
[QUOTE] \*Originally posted by UncleBill \* Completed. Gerund. Object of subject Thoughts. Neener. Neener. Neener.QUOTE] “Completed” not gerund. All gerunds “verb”-ing “verb”-ing “verb”-ing etcetera. “Verb”-ed “verb”-ed “verb”-ed etcetera not gerund. Never gerund, even. “Completing” gerund. But only sometimes. _Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha._ 😉 ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2001, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-verbless-thread/60555/48 "2001-04-03T12:37:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ice Wolf \* > **Pink Floyd exceptional. Except early albums. Yuk.** Yanni, too. Early stuff: too weird and esoteric for my tastes. Later stuff: _much_ better. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2001, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-verbless-thread/60555/49 "2001-04-03T12:47:02Z")
Boy, where Jane? With Cheetah? Again? ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2001, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-verbless-thread/60555/50 "2001-04-03T15:16:33Z")
Linguists useful for verification of verbless status, especially of predicates, gerunds, and whatnot. Matt\_mcl = linguistics major, therefore source of information. Swift draftsman of syntactic trees, à la O’Grady and Dobrovolsky. Not a syntactician (yet), but nevertheless successful postulant of first-year linguistics (yes, pathetic, but better than nothing). Further courses in syntax and semantics on their way in the future, possibly next year. Very long verbless paragraph the most noteworthy in the thread, without exaggeration. Latinate adjectives synonymous with certain (more common, but here illegal) Germanic participles most useful. Ruling necessary re. verb status of various Latin phrases. “Viz.” short for “videlicet;” a verb in Latin, but in English merely an abbreviation. A matter of judgment, not linguistics; jurisprudence? Advice? ---
**Author:** ![MrVisible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@MrVisible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrVisible)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2001, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-verbless-thread/60555/51 "2001-04-03T15:24:26Z")
Ahh… early Floyd. **Atom Heart Mother**. Magnificent. Towering. Oddly charming. **Ummagumma**. Really odd. Insane instrumentals. And Tull… wow. **Minstrel in the Gallery**. Massively conceptual. **Thick as a Brick** , now… epic scope, fine musicianship. Seminal album. ---
**Author:** ![Atreyu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@Atreyu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atreyu)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2001, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-verbless-thread/60555/52 "2001-04-03T15:35:19Z")
Noun. Adjective noun. Preposition noun. Noun noun. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2001, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-verbless-thread/60555/53 "2001-04-03T15:35:56Z")
Matt\_Mcl: What a mouthful! Some days chicken, some days feathers. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@UncleBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBill)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2001, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-verbless-thread/60555/54 "2001-04-03T15:37:53Z")
[QUOTE] \*Originally posted by Jenericho \* \*\* > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by UncleBill \* > > Completed. Gerund. Object of subject Thoughts. > > Neener. Neener. Neener.QUOTE] > > “Completed” not gerund. All gerunds “verb”-ing “verb”-ing “verb”-ing etcetera. “Verb”-ed “verb”-ed “verb”-ed etcetera not gerund. Never gerund, even. “Completing” gerund. But only sometimes. > > _Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha._ 😉 \*\* Corrected. Completed verb? No. ---
**Author:** ![Mooney252](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7c8e57/32.png) [@Mooney252](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mooney252)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2001, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-verbless-thread/60555/55 "2001-04-03T17:05:09Z")
Sunday morning: Him: Hey beautiful! Her: Not now. Him: Hmmm . . . Her: Hot. Him: Good! Her: Too hot. Sweaty. Him: Oh. When? Her: Later One hour later: Her: Now! Him: What? Her: Ready! Him: Too late. Her: Why? Him: Baseball. ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2001, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-verbless-thread/60555/56 "2001-04-03T21:12:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Palmyra \* > \*\*Paddy dear… > > timberlake, male. “N’Sync.” > > spears, enhanced female. “Spears.” > > conjecture, hankypanky. \*\* Yes. Paddy smart. “Mrs. Spears” in previous post. Paddy: huh? Spears with ring . . . ? Spears with Timberlake? Aaaah. Path to truth visible. Paddy Irish. Paddy also German. Make for confused genes. Paddy in third person far too much. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2001, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-verbless-thread/60555/57 "2001-04-03T21:29:06Z")
Very clever, **Mooney252**! How about this one? EMPLOYEE: \*&%^#(&@!!! BOSS: Cussing forbidden in our professional environment. EMPLOYEE: Where? BOSS: Employee handbook. EMPLOYEE: So what? BOSS: Bad image, unprofessional, blah blah blah. EMPLOYEE: Whatever :rolleyes:! BOSS: Warning #1! EMPLOYEE: \*&%#@&!!!!!! BOSS: Warning #2! EMPLOYEE: \*&%#@&!!! THBPBPHBPT!!! BOSS: Severance package! Unemployment line! _¡Adios!_ ---
**Author:** ![Sweet\_Sue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Sweet\_Sue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sweet_Sue)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2001, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-verbless-thread/60555/58 "2001-04-03T22:24:14Z")
\*\*sub         [/sub]O         º       sub[/sub]         +         A         " \*\* ---
**Author:** ![aseymayo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e57/32.png) [@aseymayo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aseymayo)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2001, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-verbless-thread/60555/59 "2001-04-03T23:02:59Z")
**rastahomie** , “forbidden” not verb anymore? News to me. Hickory Dickory Dock A mouse on top of a clock Time: at the tone, one ack emma \<\\> - no mouse now, only clock. ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2001, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-verbless-thread/60555/60 "2001-04-03T23:09:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by aseymayo \* > **rastahomie, “forbidden” not verb anymore? News to me.** Forbidden not verb but adjective. Without “den”, verb. With, adjective. ---
**Author:** ![aseymayo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e57/32.png) [@aseymayo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aseymayo)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2001, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-verbless-thread/60555/61 "2001-04-04T01:19:29Z")
Crumbs! Not past participle? Hey, **matt\_mcl** - your opinion? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-verbless-thread/60555.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-verbless-thread/60555.md?page=4)