A reader from Coimbatore has sent in this query: “Is it possible for a verb to function as an adjective? Please explain it with some examples.” An adjective is a word that describes (modifies) a noun.

Read each of the sentences below and indicate whether the highlighted -ing or -ed word is functioning as a verb (or part of a verb phrase) or as an adjective (participle). Indicate your choice by ...

Psychologists, who breathe statistics as a salamander breathes fire, love to count things. They count and classify words to determine what books children should read, what children’s classics should ...