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ENOUGH confusion

Posted: 24 Oct 2011, 10:41
by chrisc
I'm trying to plan a lesson on enough (and other quantifiers).
but I've hit a wall, as Swan/ Murphey etc don't seem to refer to the contrast:
I don't sleep enough.
I don't get enough sleep.
In which- am i right?- sleep is in the first sentence a verb and in the second a noun?
Probably it's just my basic grammar knowledge, but I can't find any explanation as to the positioning of enough in these sentences...
Big thanks for any help.

Re: ENOUGH confusion

Posted: 27 Oct 2011, 04:54
by josef
Hi chrisc,

Yes, you are right: sleep is in the first sentence a verb and in the second a noun.

Think of the part of speech that "enough" is modifying in your sentences. In the first it's modifying a verb and "enough" is functioning as an adverb. Adverbs generally come after the verb. In the second it's modifying a noun and "enough" is functioning as an adjective (specifically, a determiner). Adjectives generally come before the noun.