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Glite Dictionary
verbal noun

verbal noun

6.8
A noun made from a verb that names an action or process
  • noun
  • /ˈvɜrbəl naʊn/
  • Specialized
translation icon : sustantivo verbal
  • The word 'singing' can function as a verbal noun in the sentence 'His singing was beautiful.'

Examples

  • The word 'painting' is a common example of a verbal noun used to describe the activity of creating art.

  • Some verbal nouns are easily confused with participles in English.

  • In grammatical analysis, a verbal noun expresses an action or state but behaves as a noun.

  • The term verbal noun is often used in grammar discussions.

  • I learned about verbal nouns in my linguistics class.

  • In grammatical analysis, a verbal noun expresses an action or state while functioning as a noun.

  • Many students find that verbal nouns like 'running' or 'swimming' often appear in discussions about sports.

Synonyms

deverbal noun
vsverbal noun
  • Specialized
9.3

A word made from a verb by adding an ending

emphasizes the noun as the action or process rather than formation

Surface Forms

verbal noun singular
verbal nouns plural

Morphology

verbal + noun

The meaning 'a noun derived from a verb' is directly and transparently built from 'verbal' (relating to or derived from a verb) + 'noun' (a naming word). This compositional, descriptive label matches patterns in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

The term verbal noun is a noun made from a verb. Imagine the verb 'sing' changing into the verbal and noun form 'singing' so the action becomes a thing you can name, and that's why verbal noun means a noun that names an 'action' or 'process'.