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PaperclipPerfector  1yr ago (text post)   2819 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for September 15, 2023

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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Not sure if kidding, but that makes no sense at all? Using exhorting as an adjective is not typical usage anywhere that I can think of, and "the virtues" are not really a thing you can exhort.

You've been hallucinated on -- at a broader scale too I'd suggest. What use is ChatGPT to a cancer patient?

Using "exhorting" as an adjective is not typical usage anywhere that I can think of

No, that part is perfectly fine.

  • Good: "I overheard Akpu exhorting Babulal to use ChatGPT"

  • Good: "I heard Akpu extolling the virtues of ChatGPT to Babulal"

  • Bad: "I heard Akpu exhorting the virtues of ChatGPT to Babulal"

It's being used as a verb in your first example; Babulal is the object. "The virtues of ChatGPT" do not make sense as an object for that verb, as you point out.

It's being used as a verb in your first example

A participle is a verb and an adjective simultaneously.

It can be, but that's not what it's doing here. Per your article:

  1. Participles are used to form periphrastic verb tenses:

The present participle forms the progressive aspect with the auxiliary verb be:

Jim was sleeping.

Akpu (was) exhorting Babulal -- subject, verb, object.

That's a different construction with a different meaning.

  • "I saw Akpu exhorting Babulal": "exhorting" is unambiguously an adjective(+verb).

  • "I saw [that] Akpu was exhorting Babulal": I'm not a linguist, but I would still call "exhorting" an adjective+verb here (acting alongside the verb "was"), even though it also can be considered part of the "was exhorting" verb construction. But that may be breaking things down too far.

"I saw Akpu exhorting Babulal": "exhorting" is unambiguously an adjective(+verb).

What verb is it modifying?

Adjectives modify nouns. Adverbs modify verbs and adjectives.

Here, "exhorting" modifies "Akpu".

Sorry, that's what I meant -- the point being, how can 'exhorting' modify 'Akpu'? It's not a property of Akpu, it's an action being taken towards him. (ie. a verb)

'I saw Babu run after Akpu' -- you would say that the 'run after' construction is some sort of adjective? It's not -- 'run after Akpu' is a subordinate phrase.

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