What is 'writing' in these two sentences, a gerund or present participle (adjective): 1) "This is my writing table" and 2) "I bought a writing table"?
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"Writing" is best classified as a verb phrase functioning as an attributive modifier, where it has a purposive meaning: "table for writing". Note that modern grammar does not distinguish gerunds and present participials, simply calling both ing forms 'gerund-participials'.– BillJCommented Nov 27, 2021 at 17:37
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@FumbleFingersThanks for sharing the link. It was helpful.– AirforceCommented Nov 27, 2021 at 18:24
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2 Answers
A writing table is a table for the purpose of writing on, not a table that is in the act of writing. Writing here is a gerund used as an adjective.
https://medium.com/@engtuto1/can-gerunds-be-also-used-as-adjectives-89e5698411f3
answered Nov 27, 2021 at 13:02
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"Writing" fails all the usual tests for adjectivehood. It's actually a verb, where it has a purposive meaning: "table for writing".– BillJCommented Nov 27, 2021 at 17:20
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Yes, it's wrong. Here are two tests: (1) "writing" can't be modified by "very"; (2) "Writing" can’t occur as complement to complex-intransitive verbs like “become” (we can’t say *”It became became quite writing”) or complex-transitive verbs like “find” (we can’t say *”I found it quite writing). See my answer.– BillJCommented Nov 27, 2021 at 18:54
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@BillJ please always try make reference to your answer. Your answers seem to be misleading. You may like to explore a bit more in any reputed grammar book. Thanks for your time.– AirforceCommented Nov 27, 2021 at 19:13
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@KateBunting Finally someone has made my day, sharing the link. The best explanation. Much appreciated.– AirforceCommented Nov 27, 2021 at 20:11
This is my writing table.
I bought a writing table.
"Writing" is best classified as a verb phrase functioning as an attributive modifier.
It's clearly not a noun, and it fails the usual tests for adjectivehood. For example, it can't be modified by "very". And it can't occur as complement to complex-intransitive verbs like "become" (we can’t say *"It became became quite writing") or complex-transitive verbs like "find" (we can’t say *"I found it quite writing").
Compare this with, say "entertaining", which passes all the tests: "I found the show very entertaining" / "It became quite entertaining" / "I found it quite entertaining".
The range of expressions that can occur as pre-head modifier to a noun is very large and varied: we don't want to call them all adjectives. "Entertaining" has the properties of indisputable adjectives and hence must belong in that class, but others like "writing" don't have the distinctive properties of adjectives, and hence are best regarded as verbs.
