Recently I spotted an unusual, if ugly, example of verbing (creating a verb from another part of speech) on the front page of the Independent: "How to social network"
This is interesting because 'network' is already commonly both a noun and a verb; what the Independent has verbed is the entire noun phrase 'social network'. (Compare with 'how to socially network'.)
I suspect the Independent has verbed the noun phrase because of severe space limitations on the cover – otherwise it may have preferred something along the lines of 'guide to social networking' or 'how to use social networks'.
Hmm, I can't find any reference to 'how to social network' on the Independent Online, but here's someone else using the phrase (good article too).
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1 comment:
My favorite example of unusual verbing was a sign on the outside of a convenience store here in Florida. The owners were warning underage customers about trying to buy beer and cigarettes. The sign said, "We I.D." What other language could make a verb out of initials? It's what makes my students think they can say, "Nosotros fiesta durante los fines de semana" in Spanish: just take any word, put a subject pronoun in front of it, and voilà: a verb!
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