this post was submitted on 29 Dec 2023
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English usage and grammar

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What is the name of the phenomenon in which you confuse a noun with one of its verb tenses? (Example below.) (lemmy.world)
submitted 10 months ago by favrion@lemmy.world to c/english@lemmy.ca
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For example, if you say that "feed" isn't a real word because there is a better way to say "issued someone a fee," but the real word is "feed" as in "to provide with nourishment," what would that error in judgment be called?

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[–] xantoxis@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

If you said "feed" meaning "issued someone a fee", I think someone would be correct in claiming that "feed" is not a real word, meaning a word having that particular definition and in common usage. There is no word with that definition in common usage. Words aren't just arrangements of letters, after all, they also have pronunciations and meanings.

Now, if we were playing Scrabble, and I tried to argue "feed" wasn't a real word, I'd be wrong, because Scrabble is only concerned with spellings.

[–] CaptObvious@literature.cafe 0 points 10 months ago

correct in claiming that "feed" is not a real word

Not in this context, since to fee isn’t a verb.