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OP The word for today, "dermatoglyphics," got me thinking about adjectives used as nouns. As with words such as "optics" and "metrics," an adjective can be used as a noun when it is referring to a field of study; however, dermatoglyphics are also the subjects studied within this field. My instinctual reaction is to want to use “dermatoglyphs” as the plural noun. In my work life I rail against the use of such things as "deliverables" to describe the product we will deliver. Am I wrong? Is there a rule in English to govern the use of adjectives as nouns, or is it simply inherited on a case-by-case basis?
Last edited by kmatchstick; 03/13/09 03:52 PM.
Entire Thread Subject Posted By Posted adjectives as nouns kmatchstick 03/13/09 03:45 PM Re: adjectives as nouns tsuwm 03/13/09 04:01 PM Re: adjectives as nouns kmatchstick 03/13/09 04:07 PM Re: adjectives as nouns Faldage 03/13/09 11:38 PM Re: adjectives as nouns Zed 03/14/09 12:57 AM Re: adjectives as nouns Faldage 03/14/09 11:55 AM Re: adjectives as nouns zmjezhd 03/14/09 12:37 PM
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