conundrum

[Paul B. Gallagher]

Sarah Hurst wrote:

> I just read in the paper that Alaskans found "a soccer and later a
> volleyball" washed up among the debris from the Japanese tsunami. I
> really don't like this because it sounds like "soccer" is a noun,
> i.e. the ball that was found - even more so because the "ball" in
> "volleyball" is part of the word and not a separate word. But I also
> think that "a confectionery and a pasta factory" sounds like "a
> confectionery" is a noun, unrelated to a factory.

Yes, as I noted upthread. Merriam-Webster thinks it's a noun, and offers 
no adjectival definitions:

<http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/confectionery>
con·fec·tion·ery
noun \-shə-ˌner-ē\
plural con·fec·tion·er·ies

Definition of CONFECTIONERY
1: the confectioner's art or business
2: sweet foods (as candy or pastry)
3: a confectioner's shop

For that matter, "pasta" is a noun, too.

-- 
War doesn't determine who's right, just who's left.
--
Paul B. Gallagher
pbg translations, inc.
"Russian Translations That Read Like Originals"
http://pbg-translations.com

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