Ads 468x60px

Pages

Proper names transferred to common use - Noun-Parts Of Speech-ESL/Learn English Grammar

Next Lessons | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |



14. Proper nouns are used as common in either of two ways:--

(1) _The origin of a thing is used for the thing itself_: that is, the

name of the inventor may be applied to the thing invented, as a

_davy_, meaning the miner's lamp invented by Sir Humphry Davy; the

_guillotine_, from the name of Dr. Guillotin, who was its inventor. Or

the name of the country or city from which an article is derived is

used for the article: as _china_, from China; _arras_, from a town in

France; _port_ (wine), from Oporto, in Portugal; _levant_ and

_morocco_ (leather).


Some of this class have become worn by use so that at present we can

scarcely discover the derivation from the form of the word; for

example, the word _port_, above. Others of similar character are

_calico_, from Calicut; _damask_, from Damascus; _currants_, from

Corinth; etc.


(2) _The name of a person or place noted for certain qualities is

transferred to any person or place possessing those qualities_;

thus,--


Hercules and Samson were noted for their strength, and we call a

very strong man _a Hercules_ or _a Samson_. Sodom was famous for

wickedness, and a similar place is called _a Sodom_ of sin.



_A Daniel_ come to judgment!--SHAKESPEARE.


If it prove a mind of uncommon activity and power, _a Locke_, _a

Lavoisier_, _a Hutton_, _a Bentham_, _a Fourier_, it imposes its

classification on other men, and lo! a new system.--EMERSON.





Next Lessons | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |

0 comments:


Hello Friends ! Please send your requests,comments,suggestions to improve this blog. Learn English Grammar & Usage; Are U Anxious To Know The Science & Tech News; Where Are You ? Know The Changes; Health:News N Tips
Word of the Day

miry discuss

Definition:(adjective) (Of soil) soft and watery.
Synonyms:boggy, marshy, mucky, muddy, quaggy, sloppy, sloughy, soggy, squashy, swampy, waterlogged
Usage:Right across the lower part of the bog lay a miry path.
Article of the Day

The Father of the Yellow School Bus

In 1939, American educator Frank Cyr organized the first national standards conference for school transportation. One of the most memorable accomplishments of the conference was the selection of a highly visible, standardized color for school buses that would allow them to be easily identified by other motorists. The hue became known as "National School Bus Chrome," and Cyr was hailed as the "Father of the Yellow School Bus." According to Cyr, what was the main priority of conference attendees? More... Discuss

This Day in History

Adams-Onís Treaty: Spain Sells Florida to the US (1819)

In the early 1800s, tensions between the US and Spain were increasing over border disputes in North America. With Spanish power in the New World declining, it was widely believed that Spain would lose land to the US. The Adams-Onís Treaty settled the dispute by attempting to draw clearer borders, roughly granting Florida and Louisiana to the US while giving everything west of Louisiana to Spain. The US did not pay Spain directly for the new land. Instead, it compensated Spain in what way? More... Discuss
Today's Birthday

Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell (1857)

Powell was a British army officer and founder of the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides, later the Girl Scouts. He was a hero of the South African War and author of Aids to Scouting, a military textbook. Upon learning that his book was being used to train boys in woodcraft, he wrote Scouting for Boys and established the Boy Scout movement in 1908. In 1910, with his sister and wife, he founded the Girl Guides. What disguise did Powell use while gathering information in war? More... Discuss

In the News

Quote of the Day
I have often thought what a melancholy world this would be without children, and what an inhuman world without the aged.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
(1772-1834)
Discuss

Spelling Bee
difficulty level:
score: -
adj. Devoid of scruples; oblivious to or contemptuous of what is right or honorable
 
spell the word:
Match Up
Select word:










Match each word in the left column with its synonym on the right. When finished, click Answer to see the results. Good luck!