Independent work on lexicology Theme: Conversion

«Stone wall» problem.

• «Stone wall» problem.
• The problem whether adjectives can be formed by means of conversion from nouns is the subject of many discussions. In Modern English there are a lot of word combinations of the type , e.g. price rise, wage freeze, steel helmet, sand castle etc.
• If the first component of such units is an adjective converted from a noun, combinations of this type are free word-groups typical of English (adjective + noun). This point of view is proved by O. Yespersen by the following facts:
• 1. «Stone» denotes some quality of the noun «wall».
• 2. «Stone» stands before the word it modifies, as adjectives in the function of an attribute do in English.
• 3. «Stone» is used in the Singular though its meaning in most cases is plural,and adjectives in English have no plural form.
• 4. There are some cases when the first component is used in the Comparative or the Superlative degree, e.g. the bottomest end of the scale.
• 5. The first component can have an adverb which characterizes it, and adjectives are characterized by adverbs, e.g. a purely family gathering.
• 6. The first component can be used in the same syntactical function with a proper adjective to characterize the same noun, e.g. lonely bare stone houses.
• 7. After the first component the pronoun «one» can be used instead of a noun, e.g. I shall not put on a silk dress, I shall put on a cotton one.