When do you get two adjectives for the price of a noun?

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When does a noun and an adjective make two adjectives?

Dear All,

 

In an earlier posting I called 'gentle dictator' two adjectives and I

was immediately given a lesson in english grammar using UPPER CASE by

my Jyotishini Elder Sister Wendy! (more experienced in Jyotish and

elder in years too perhaps) ;-)

 

However, all that aside (language changes drastically as anyone over

30 years old must know! " Gay " has a very different connotation today

than it had in my childhood!

 

Why did I call gentle dictator two adjectives (and as soon as I wrote

that knew that it will confuse someone!)?

 

Because in this term there is no noun! There is not gentle dictator!

However, at times individuals have been called " gentle dictators "

beacause they were micromanagers. They were not really dictators (as

in Hitler, Pinochet, etc). They were ordinary people, perhaps even

teachers who had this dictatorial flair and not in the usual

destructive, harmful sense.

 

If there indeed is a PERSON who is a Dictator (of a country I

suppose?) and is also gentle, then by all means the

adjective " gentle " is describing a noun, 'dictator'

 

All grammar aside, please look around! Do you actually know of any

such person? NO! On the other hand, you see many many individuals

(nouns!) who appear gentle (adjective 1) and yet are controlling and

dictatorial (adjective 2)! Hence the 2 adjectives that describe a

noun! The noun could be you, me, the headmistress of your school,

pretty much anyone, I suppose!

 

I will not press my luck and work through the other dual adjective:

false teacher :-)

 

Makes sense, folks?

 

Namastay!

 

Rohiniranjan