The False Possessive

Wed Mar 4 20:59:05 UTC 2009

On Mar 4, 2009, from Matthew Gordon:

"Disappointed" could only be a participle and not an adjective
(modified by
"very")?

and from John Baker:

>
>        He should have been much disappointed.  Or, better still,
> agreeably disappointed.
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On
> Behalf
> Of Jonathan Lighter
> Sent: Wednesday, March 04, 2009 1:51 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Re: The False Possessive
>
> BRAIN-TEASER:
>
> Any English professor of 1899 could see what's wrong with this
> sentence.
> Can you?
>
> "I was very disappointed."

some discussion in
   http://arnoldzwicky.wordpress.com/2009/01/15/very-surprised-by-a-proscription/

arnold

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