# When (and how and why) did it become acceptable to say "shock \[noun\]" instead of "shocking \[noun\]"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Tags:** trump, kamala-harris\ **Created:** [October 28, 2024, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-and-why-did-it-become-acceptable-to-say-shock-noun-instead-of-shocking-noun/1009360 "2024-10-28T18:43:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2024, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-and-why-did-it-become-acceptable-to-say-shock-noun-instead-of-shocking-noun/1009360/21 "2024-10-28T22:11:18Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > witnessing a “horror auto accident” instead of a “horrible auto accident.” Consider “horror movie”, “horror show”. Nouns can modify other nouns; it’s not new. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2024, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-and-why-did-it-become-acceptable-to-say-shock-noun-instead-of-shocking-noun/1009360/22 "2024-10-28T22:46:17Z")
A _shock wave_ is not the same thing as a _shocking wave_… ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2024, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-and-why-did-it-become-acceptable-to-say-shock-noun-instead-of-shocking-noun/1009360/23 "2024-10-28T23:56:16Z")
That is a different construction though. A shock wave is a wave _of_ shock. ---
**Author:** ![f.coli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eada6e/32.png) [@f.coli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/f.coli)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2024, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-and-why-did-it-become-acceptable-to-say-shock-noun-instead-of-shocking-noun/1009360/24 "2024-10-29T16:51:46Z")
I’m sure that it is just the newspaper trying to save space in its headline. I’m not certain, because they could have just said “in New Hampshire Poll”, but I suppose that they thought that they should tell their readers that they were shocked by the poll. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2024, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-and-why-did-it-become-acceptable-to-say-shock-noun-instead-of-shocking-noun/1009360/25 "2024-10-29T17:17:20Z")
I think what’s new and different is the use of “shock” as a synonym for “shocking.” The original meaning of “shock” as a noun is “a sudden or violent blow or disturbance.” It has been used in this sense as an attributive noun for a long time. One example is the phrase “shock troops,” which are troops that attack suddenly. One meaning of “shock” when used as a verb is “to cause a surprised, disgusted, or horrified reaction.” The usual meaning of “shocking” derives from this: “surprising, disgusting, or horrifying.” In “Shock New Hampshire Poll” and “shock claim,” the word “shock” is used in the latter sense. That is, it’s intended to mean that the poll and claim are surprising or disturbing, not that they have delivered a sudden or violent blow. This may just be an example of headlinese. News outlets like to keep headlines short because of limited space. This sometimes leads to humorous results, like “Red Tape Holds Up New Bridge.” ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2024, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-and-why-did-it-become-acceptable-to-say-shock-noun-instead-of-shocking-noun/1009360/26 "2024-10-29T17:45:24Z")
It’s not very new though; headlines have been using it for a century at least. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2024, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-and-why-did-it-become-acceptable-to-say-shock-noun-instead-of-shocking-noun/1009360/27 "2024-10-29T18:14:22Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > The question isn’t about parties; is about whether the noun _surprise_ can function like an adjective in the context. This is different from the “shock” example because “surprise” is a legitimate adjective with a different meaning than “surprising”. You can have a surprise party, a surprise visit, a surprise inspection, etc. The results of a surprise inspection may be surprising, but the two adjectives have different meanings. As for constructions like “shock event”, calling “shock” in this instance an attributive noun is IMHO just a flimsy excuse for bad writing, since the adjective “shocking” is clearly what is meant. Legitimate examples of attributive nouns are things like “telephone company” or “hardware store”. But then, I’m an old fogey who’s been chastised by young’uns for being overly prescriptive. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2024, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-and-why-did-it-become-acceptable-to-say-shock-noun-instead-of-shocking-noun/1009360/28 "2024-10-29T18:16:23Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > As for constructions like “shock event”, calling “shock” in this instance an attributive noun is IMHO just a flimsy excuse for bad writing This is a fundamental misunderstanding of what grammatical terms do. Whether it’s good or bad writing is opinion, but whether it’s an attributive noun is a matter of grammatical classification, and is not remotely the same thing as an excuse. > [@wolfpup](#): > > legitimate adjective > [@wolfpup](#): > > Legitimate examples of attributive nouns There is no such thing as a “legitimate” adjective or a “legitimate” attributive noun. “Legitimate” is no more meaningful a descriptor of an adjective than “pink” would be. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2024, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-and-why-did-it-become-acceptable-to-say-shock-noun-instead-of-shocking-noun/1009360/29 "2024-10-29T18:29:48Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > This is a fundamental misunderstanding of what grammatical terms do. Whether it’s good or bad writing is opinion, but whether it’s an attributive noun is a matter of grammatical classification, and is not remotely the same thing as an excuse. Clearly what I’m saying is that I don’t agree with that classification. Just because there’s such a thing as an attributive noun doesn’t mean that every noun can and should be used as an adjective and still be considered standard English. > [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > There is no such thing as a “legitimate” adjective or a “legitimate” attributive noun. Yeah, there is. “Surprise” appears in the Cambridge Dictionary as a noun, verb, or adjective. “Shock” can be a noun or verb but not an adjective. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2024, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-and-why-did-it-become-acceptable-to-say-shock-noun-instead-of-shocking-noun/1009360/30 "2024-10-29T18:52:44Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Clearly what I’m saying is that I don’t agree with that classification. Right, I get what you’re saying. Disagreeing with that classification is a bit like disagreeing that elemental mercury is a liquid, because you think metals should be solid at room temperature. > [@wolfpup](#): > > Yeah, there is. “Surprise” appears in the Cambridge Dictionary as a noun, verb, or adjective. “Shock” can be a noun or verb but not an adjective. The second and third sentences have no relationship to the first. Again: this is factual questions. What you like or dislike doesn’t enter into the factual classification of words in a grammatical context. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2024, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-and-why-did-it-become-acceptable-to-say-shock-noun-instead-of-shocking-noun/1009360/31 "2024-10-29T20:52:21Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Again: this is factual questions. What you like or dislike doesn’t enter into the factual classification of words in a grammatical context. The OP isn’t asking about classifications – he’s basically asking whether the usage he cites is right or wrong – “Have the rules surrounding participles in English changed fundamentally since I was in 8th grade? These usages certain grate my ears.” There really is no factual answer to that except to say that, objectively, using “shock” in an attributive sense is fairly common and has been for years. Whether it’s “right” or “wrong” – or more pertinently, whether the usage should be avoided – is a matter of opinion. Since it’s out there it’s probably silly to call the usage “wrong” but I think it’s stylistically ugly. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-and-why-did-it-become-acceptable-to-say-shock-noun-instead-of-shocking-noun/1009360.md?page=1)