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While recently teaching my Composition students about punctuation, we somehow got off topic onto the word "fun" and whether "funner" and "funnest" are words. Of course, there's no question; they are words since they follow the rule of one-syllable adjectives and adding "-er" and "-est" to the comparative and superlative forms. For some reason though, half of my students were adamant (and I mean really adamant) about "funner" and "funnest" not being words, even after I showed them the rule and Merriam-Webster's entry for "fun." Now I'm wondering how this poor little adjective came to such a fate? Why has it been singled out as different from other one-syllable adjectives?
By the way, I also saw an ad today that claimed something was "more safe." Again, I don't get it...
Based on conversations I've been dragged into in the past, there's a sizable contingent of people who don't think "fun" is an adjective at all. They insist it's a noun in contexts like "that party was fun!" and on those occasions when it precedes another noun, it's being used attributively.
Yes, I heard that today as well. I was told that "fun" can't be made into "funner" because it's not an adjective, only a noun. I'm not sure how that's even remotely possible (e.g., That was a fun ride.). For the record, those people then told that "more/most fun" was the correct manner to do the comparative/superlative, which of course isn't possible unless it's an adjective. Apparently, one of these people was an editor of some sort. I'm frightened.
Welcome.
Clearly, you feel very strongly about fun. I agree with your observation that fun is transforming from a noun into both a noun and an adjective.
And, I agree with you that most arguments against fun as an adjective fall apart. I don't know of anyone who objects to the predicate use of the word fun. Such use practically demands that fun be understood as an adjective.
There are several ways in which people could look at the adjective use of fun.
Several true adjectives resist forming comparatives or superlatives at all. These are adjectives that are stative, rather than gradated: third, brand-new, second-hand, extinct. So some people might consider fun as an adjective, but still resist comparative and superlative forms.
One set of adjectives can only be used predicatively. Such adjectives can only use more and most to form comparatives and superlatives: e.g. afraid, alone, asleep, alive. I think your people might consider fun as part of this group.
Finally, many nouns can be used adjectivally, as Ron's unhappy people assert. This happens all the time in English. When a noun is used adjectivally, and it is not a true adjective, it does not form comparatives or superlatives.
We took a bus ride. She brought a bag lunch. We ate on a park bench.
But such noun adjectives cannot be used predicatively, so fun, which is often used predicatively, can't be viewed properly in this group. So those who say that fun remains a noun when used adjectivally are likely mistaken.
His birthday party was fun. His party was fun.
NOT *His party was birthday. *The ride we took was bus. *The lunch she brought was bag. *The bench on which we ate was park.
Because of the stigma, I will still be careful in more formal settings. And I would be sure that students know about the stigma. But I am confident that the vanguard will move fun along the road to full adjective status. Perhaps my grandchildren will be able to hear their president use the word funner in his inauguration speech. I have a dream. It is a fun one.
This is very odd. Glenn, you say "...fun is transforming from a noun into both a noun and an adjective". But it's only just now that I realized "fun" can be a noun at all. Mostly I've thought of it as an adjective; and while reading this thread I realized "well, sure, in the sentence 'I'm having fun' it's a noun". Yet the Online Etymology Dictionary seems to think of it, historically at least, as primarily a noun, and so do some of you.
If it's true that "fun" was originally a noun and has only more recently come to be thought of as an adjective, that would probably explain why "funner" sounds wrong to the ear even though we can't come up with a rule against it. "Sooner", "cheaper", "dearer", "hotter", all the other one-syllable adjectives I can think of seem fine to me.
Martha Barnette
Grant Barrett
Grant Barrett
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