I was adding entries to the Simple English Wiktionary (good practice for English teachers and students alike), and part was the next word on my list. As I put in example sentences, it occurred to me that part was acting very much like a determinative[1]. Consider these examples:
1. It's part table and part desk.
2. Part of the money is gone.
3. I gave them $10 in part payment.
However, it doesn’t work in:
4. *Part money is missing.
5. *Part the money is missing.
which is the normal place for a determinative to work. So what do you think? Obviously, part is a noun, but is it also a determinative?
[1] The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language uses determinative for a word class, and determiner for the role in phrase structure.
2 comments:
Just by way of idle observation, "half" works fine for 1,2,3,5, but not 4.
It seems like some of those might have been shortened from "partly" or "partial."
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