John Dos Passos

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An American writer who described life in the United States, known for the U.S.A. trilogy

proper noun
/dʒɒn doʊs ˈpæsəs/

: John Dos Passos

John Dos Passos wrote many influential novels during the 20th century.

Examples

Many critics consider John Dos Passos one of the major novelists of the early twentieth century.
The narrative techniques used by John Dos Passos have inspired generations of writers.
In college, I wrote my thesis about John Dos Passos and the influence of his political views on his work.
The works of John Dos Passos are essential for understanding American literature.
Many critics consider John Dos Passos one of the major novelists of the early twentieth century.
In college, I wrote my thesis about John Dos Passos and the influence of his political views on his work.
The narrative techniques used by John Dos Passos have inspired generations of writers.

Surface Forms

John Dos Passos main

Morphology

John + Dos + Passos

This is a proper name referring to a specific individual (an American novelist), and that referential/biographical information cannot be inferred from the literal constituents 'John', 'Dos', and 'Passos'. Proper nouns are non-compositional: even if a learner knows the separate words, they would not be able to derive that this name denotes a particular author or his works without prior exposure.

Etymology

John Dos Passos can look like the phrase 'two steps' because dos and passos resemble the words for 'two' and 'steps' in Spanish/Portuguese, so imagine him walking across the country to see many lives. He was an American novelist best known for the 'U.S.A.' trilogy that shows life across the United States, and that walking picture helps you remember his books about American life.