User:Visviva/POS testing

Verb or noun

 * CGEL tests (pp. 81-82)
 * 1) Complement.  A noun will take "of". A participle will not.
 * His washing the dishes was not such a good idea. - verb
 * His washing of the dishes was not such a good idea. - noun
 * 1) Modifier.  A noun will take an adjective.  A participle will take an adverb.
 * He was fired for washing the dishes poorly . - verb
 * He was fired for his poor washing of the dishes. - noun
 * 1) Determiner.  A participle will not take most determiners, such as the definite and indefinite article.  A noun can do so.
 * A Health Board inspection was caused by washing the dishes poorly. -verb
 * A Health Board inspection was caused by the poor washing of the dishes. -noun
 * 1) Plural. Only a noun can form a plural "-ings".
 * Even after washing the same dish many times, he still couldn't get it clean. -verb
 * Even after many washings of the same dish, he still couldn't get it clean. -noun

The formation of a plural, suitably attested, has thus far been accepted as sufficient grounds for a ===Noun=== heading. There have been few tests of other criteria.
 * Wiktionary practice

Verb or adjective

 * CGEL tests (p. 79, pp. 1436-1437)


 * Occurrence with certain verbs. Past participles cannot serve as complement to certain verbs, notably seem, appear, look and remain.  Adjectives can.
 * He seemed enraged . - adjective
 * He was enraged . - ambiguous
 * Gradability, including modification by "very" or "too". A past participle cannot be graded.  Many adjectives can. (Thus, this is a sufficient but not necessary condition.)
 * She is even more infuriated today than yesterday. - adjective
 * Un- prefixation. Adjectives and verbs take un- in a different sense: un- indicates an opposite quality for an adjective, but a reversal for a verb.

Gradability has thus far been considered a sufficient basis for an adjective section. Un- prefixation might face a steeper climb.
 * Wiktionary practice

Noun adjuncts

 * CGEL tests (pp. 537-38)
 * 1) Predication.  A noun cannot usually be separated from the modified word in a predicative construction. An adjective can.
 * This book is heavy . - adjective
 * This is a grammar book. - noun adjunct
 * One cannot normally say "this book is grammar."
 * 1) Modifier. A noun will take an adjective as modifier.  An adjective will take an adverb.
 * This is an extremely heavy book. - adjective
 * This is an intense grammar book . - noun adjunct
 * One cannot say "this is an intensely grammar book."
 * 1) Gradability. Nouns cannot take "very", "too", "more", or "most" as a direct modifier.  Most adjectives can.
 * This book is heavier than that one. - adjective
 * This book is more of a grammar book than that one. - noun adjunct
 * One cannot say "this book is more grammar than that one."

Gradability or adverbial modification have generally been considered sufficient to support an ===Adjective=== section for a noun entry.
 * Wiktionary practice

Nouns can be compared to one another in a superficially similar way: "The subject of this book is more grammar than lexis." Such comparisons are not considered to demonstrate adjectivity.