Chapter 4

1. Chapter 4 • Conversion

2. Conversion • Definition • Examples • She singled him out at once as a possible victim. • He elbowed forward through the crowd. • It was a beautiful win.

3. Conversion • Definition • Examples • She singled him out at once as a possible victim. (adj→v) • He elbowed forward through the crowd. • (n→v) • It was a beautiful win. (v→n)

4. Conversion • Conversion is to use words of one class as those of different classes. • Conversion is the change of word-class in actual use. • Other names: • functional shift = change of functions • zero-derivation = derivation by adding zero affix

5. Conversion • Continental quilts simplify bed-making. • (simple → simple + -ify) • She singled him out at once as a possible victim. • (single →single)

6. Conversion • Conversion involves mainly three classes of words: • nouns • verbs • adjectives.

7. Conversion • 1. Conversion to N (nouns) • V to N • (1) State (of mind or sensation) • He has a deep love for his country. • (2) Event or activity • The class has decided to have a swim in the afternoon.

8. Conversion • (3) Result of the action • The fishermen were very happy to have a good catch this time. • (4) Doer of the action • The boy is such a bore. It seems he never speaks. • (5) Tool or instrument to do the action with • Better hammer the nail in.

9. Conversion • (6) Place of the action • This road is dangerous, for it has many sharp turns.

10. Conversion • Phrasal verbs to N (nouns) • hand out 分发hand-out 施舍物/印刷品 • stand by 旁观stand-by 备用(人员/物) • lay by 储存/备用lay-by 路侧停车处 • shut down关闭shut-down关闭 • right-branching

11. Conversion • Phrasal verbs to N (nouns) • break outoutbreak • fall downdownfall • flow overoverflow • cry outoutcry • left-branching

12. Conversion • A to N • (1) Full conversion • common adjectives • a white a liberal • drinkablesnecessaries • participles and others • a drunk newly-weds • bests worsts

13. Conversion • Characteristics: • An adjective is treated as a common noun. • It can be changed into singular by taking article a or into plural forms by taking -s.

14. Conversion • (2) Partial conversion • the poor, the poorer, the poorest • the more affluent, the most corrupt • In partial conversion, an adjective functions as a noun but it keeps the adjective features: • A. it should be used with the articlethe; • B. it can be used in different degrees.

15. Conversion • Examples: • Come to the fire and have a warm. • Poor innocents! • The old man is the poorest among the poor. • The young should not look down upon the old.

16. Conversion • Miscellaneous conversion • Would you like a with or a without? • (preposition) • Better to be an also-ran than a never-was. • (past form) • His argument contains too many ifs and buts. • (conjunction)

17. Conversion • Life is full of ups and downs. • (particles) • Rubber gloves are a must if your skin is sensitive to washing powders. • (modal verb) • Patriotisms, nationalisms, and any other isms you'd like to name. • (suffix)

18. Conversion • 2.Conversion to V (verbs) • N to V • Seven types of meaning of V converted from N: • (1) To put in or on N • The thief was pocketing the money from the drawer when the host came in. • (to put the money into the pocket)

19. Conversion • (2) To give N or to provide with N • Now the scientists are busy fueling the rocket. • (to provide the rocket with fuel) • (3) To remove N from • The monkey knows how to peel bananas before eating them. • (to remove the peel from bananas)

20. Conversion • (4) To do with N • People there have to pump water from deep wells. • (to get water with pumps) • (5) To be or act as N • Each supervisor tutors three post- graduate students. • (to act as tutors)

21. Conversion • (6) To make or change into N • You can fool some of the people all the time, and all the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time. (Loncoln) • (to change them into fools)

22. Conversion • (7) To send or go by N • Bush helicoptered to Irag stealthily. • (to go by helicopter) • The goods will be shipped to Shanghai. • (to send by ship) • All the verbs converted from nouns are transitive except type (7), which includes intransitive use.

23. Conversion • suffix (v) • The function of the bound morphemes when suffixed to nominals… • To noun the process, …

24. Conversion • A to V • Meaning of verbs converted: • He walked carefully so as not to wet his shoes. • (to make …wet) vt • The photograph yellowed with age. • (to become yellow) vi

25. Conversion • Two men carrying a wooden keg emptied its contents into the opening. • The play was over and the auditorium began to empty. • Most verbs converted from A can be used both transitively and intransitively. • Transitive verbs are not many and intransitive verbs are few.

26. Conversion • Miscellaneous conversion • The intellectuals are muched again. • (adverb to V) • We downed a few beers. • (particle to V) • She will off and do her own thing. • (Particle to V)

27. Conversion • But me no buts. • (conjunction to V) • The engineers ahed and ouched at the new car. • (Onamatopeic word to V)

28. Conversion • 3. Changes • Changes are few, but the few changes are found mainly in pronunciation and spelling. • (1) Voiceless to voiced consonant • Noun Verb • house /-s/ house /-z/ • use /-s/ use /-z/ • mouth /-θ/ mouth /-ð/ • shelf /-f/ shelve /-v/ • heath /-θ/ sheathe /-ð/

29. Conversion • (2) Vowel change • Noun Verb • breath /e θ / breathe /i: ð / • bath /α: θ / bathe /ei ð /

30. Conversion • (3) Initial to end stress • Noun Verb • `conduct con`duct • `extract ex`tract • `permit per`mit