Something to ponder-why do we call them buildings when they are already built?

[debm55]

[Enter stage left]

1. Why do we drive on "parkways" & park on "driveways"?

[debm55]

3. Another thought to ponder.Wonderful. Maybe someone will answer?

[whatistheformat]

6. Because they are the "way to" those activities?

Suddenly thought of British exit signs- "way out" instead of exit. Noun vs verb.

[padfun]

2. I guess we could call them "buildeds"

(Or builts)

[debm55]

4. Builts sounds better.

[Doc_Technical]

12. Gallagher, the comedian

said that he lived in a "crumbling"

[LakeArenal]

5. Why do we drive on a Parkway and park on a driveway?

[bucolic_frolic]

7. Just sloppy grammar where a verb became a noun

[wnylib]

8. Not really sloppy grammar. It is part of

standard English grammar that a verb can become an adjective or a noun by using its past or present participle. Verbs with "ing" endings are present participles. When used as a noun, they are called a gerund.

https://chompchomp.com/terms/participle.htm#:~:text=Participles%20as%20Nouns,you%20call%20it%20a%20gerund.

[bucolic_frolic]

9. I'm sure they considered that as the English language developed in the 1500s .nt

[wnylib]

10. I'm not understanding your post.

The English language was developing before the 1500s. It goes back to the invasions of the Angles and Saxons in the 5th to 7th centuries. It began as a mix of Germanic tribes with differing dialects merging into a cultural identity and common language forms.

Today it's called Old English and few people today can understand it without some training in it. But there are a few words that modern people can recognize, although very few.

Old English evolved into Middle English which was spoken around the time of Chaucer in the 1300s. Large parts of his Canterbury Tales can be understood by modern people, though it helps to have footnotes to clarify objects and occupations that no longer exist.

Modern English was evolving in the 1500s and became more standardized by the popularity of Shakespeare's works, but since we do not speak Elizabethan English today, the language has continued to evolve.

Grammatical uses have been evolving since the time of Old English right up to today. Some modern grammatical customs or usages go back earlier than the start of "modern" English in the 1500s.

English is part of the Indo-European language family that most European languages (but not all) belong to. The practice of using participles as adjectives and nouns exists in some other IE languages, too, e.g. Spanish.

I don't think anyone decided at a specific time to start using participles to expand the use and meaning of verbs. It just became convenient somewhere along the way of the continually evolving language until it was so commonplace that it became standard usage.

(Language development and linguistic families are hobbies of mine.)

[debm55]

11. We have buildings in my town. Why do we call them buildings when they are done being built. I ask

for directions for the doctor's office. I am told to go the the third building in the hospital complex. Should't the word structure be used as no building of anything is going on. It's done, it's finished.

[wnylib]

13. Because, as I pointed out, it is no longer a verb indicating

something going on. It is a participle of a verb. The words "a" or "the" transform a verb participle into a noun. Such humble words as "a" and "the" have magical properties like that In English.

I know you are only making a joke out of the multiple possible uses of a verb form, but I am playing it straight with a grammatical explanation that removes the mystery.

In English grammatical structure, a word ending in "ing" can only be a verb if it has a "helping" verb with it, which I am sure you learned in grade school. In this sentence, "I am building a house," building is a verb, indicating ongoing activity because of the auxiliary (helping) verb, "am."

But when "building" has an article in front if it ("a" or
"the" ), then "Voila!" It no longer indicates action. It is a lazy noun that does nothing but sit there.

If "building" is in front if a noun, it becomes an adjective, as in a "building project." Now it just describes the noun, "project "

English depends on word order and context for meaning.

But you learned all this in grade school and maybe had it reinforced in high school.

Your child does something wrong and you give him or her "a scolding." Scolding is a noun in that usage. Your dog rolls in a mud puddle outdoors and you give him a good "washing." Another verb transformed into a noun by the magic of an article.

English is very flexible.

Today's grammar lesson has ended.