Can the word “crooning” be used as an adjective?
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I've looked up some dictionaries online, but they list "croon" as either a verb or a noun. Can "crooning" be used as an adjective?
For example, She sat listening to a soft, crooning song.
word-usage
asked Apr 14 at 5:35
skywardhope
1085
bumped to the homepage by Community♦ 2 days ago
This question has answers that may be good or bad; the system has marked it active so that they can be reviewed.
add a comment |
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I've looked up some dictionaries online, but they list "croon" as either a verb or a noun. Can "crooning" be used as an adjective?
For example, She sat listening to a soft, crooning song.
word-usage
asked Apr 14 at 5:35
skywardhope
1085
bumped to the homepage by Community♦ 2 days ago
This question has answers that may be good or bad; the system has marked it active so that they can be reviewed.
6
(Almost) all ing forms of verbs can be used as an adjective, which is why dictionaries don't bother to mention it with every single verb.
– oerkelens
Apr 14 at 7:05
Yes, as oerkelens said. You might just as easily find your example "She sat listening to a soft, crooning song" or "She sat listening to (someone) crooning a (soft) song…"
– Robbie Goodwin
May 1 at 19:48
@oerkelens was doing to answer yes but could not find a single dictionary to cite such.
– lbf
May 16 at 20:17
1
Singers croon, songs don't croon. To croon is to sing or hum in a low voice and in a sentimental way.
– Lambie
Jul 15 at 20:35
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
favorite
up vote
0
down vote
favorite
I've looked up some dictionaries online, but they list "croon" as either a verb or a noun. Can "crooning" be used as an adjective?
For example, She sat listening to a soft, crooning song.
word-usage
asked Apr 14 at 5:35
skywardhope
1085
I've looked up some dictionaries online, but they list "croon" as either a verb or a noun. Can "crooning" be used as an adjective?
For example, She sat listening to a soft, crooning song.
word-usage
word-usage
asked Apr 14 at 5:35
skywardhope
1085
asked Apr 14 at 5:35
skywardhope
1085
asked Apr 14 at 5:35
skywardhope
1085
asked Apr 14 at 5:35
skywardhope
1085
asked Apr 14 at 5:35
skywardhope
1085
1085
bumped to the homepage by Community♦ 2 days ago
This question has answers that may be good or bad; the system has marked it active so that they can be reviewed.
bumped to the homepage by Community♦ 2 days ago
This question has answers that may be good or bad; the system has marked it active so that they can be reviewed.
6
(Almost) all ing forms of verbs can be used as an adjective, which is why dictionaries don't bother to mention it with every single verb.
– oerkelens
Apr 14 at 7:05
Yes, as oerkelens said. You might just as easily find your example "She sat listening to a soft, crooning song" or "She sat listening to (someone) crooning a (soft) song…"
– Robbie Goodwin
May 1 at 19:48
@oerkelens was doing to answer yes but could not find a single dictionary to cite such.
– lbf
May 16 at 20:17
1
Singers croon, songs don't croon. To croon is to sing or hum in a low voice and in a sentimental way.
– Lambie
Jul 15 at 20:35
add a comment |
6
(Almost) all ing forms of verbs can be used as an adjective, which is why dictionaries don't bother to mention it with every single verb.
– oerkelens
Apr 14 at 7:05
Yes, as oerkelens said. You might just as easily find your example "She sat listening to a soft, crooning song" or "She sat listening to (someone) crooning a (soft) song…"
– Robbie Goodwin
May 1 at 19:48
@oerkelens was doing to answer yes but could not find a single dictionary to cite such.
– lbf
May 16 at 20:17
1
Singers croon, songs don't croon. To croon is to sing or hum in a low voice and in a sentimental way.
– Lambie
Jul 15 at 20:35
6
6
(Almost) all ing forms of verbs can be used as an adjective, which is why dictionaries don't bother to mention it with every single verb.
– oerkelens
Apr 14 at 7:05
(Almost) all ing forms of verbs can be used as an adjective, which is why dictionaries don't bother to mention it with every single verb.
– oerkelens
Apr 14 at 7:05
Yes, as oerkelens said. You might just as easily find your example "She sat listening to a soft, crooning song" or "She sat listening to (someone) crooning a (soft) song…"
– Robbie Goodwin
May 1 at 19:48
Yes, as oerkelens said. You might just as easily find your example "She sat listening to a soft, crooning song" or "She sat listening to (someone) crooning a (soft) song…"
– Robbie Goodwin
May 1 at 19:48
@oerkelens was doing to answer yes but could not find a single dictionary to cite such.
– lbf
May 16 at 20:17
@oerkelens was doing to answer yes but could not find a single dictionary to cite such.
– lbf
May 16 at 20:17
1
1
Singers croon, songs don't croon. To croon is to sing or hum in a low voice and in a sentimental way.
– Lambie
Jul 15 at 20:35
Singers croon, songs don't croon. To croon is to sing or hum in a low voice and in a sentimental way.
– Lambie
Jul 15 at 20:35
add a comment |
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
up vote
2
down vote
Yes (and no).
The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) lists examples of crooning as an adjective as far back as 1599:
Be cruining Bulls of heigh and haughtie minde.
Cruining is just an older, alternative spelling of crooning. There were many alternative spellings of words before dictionaries. That example is by Alexander Hugh from Hymnes, or sacred songs.
George Eliot wrote in Adam Bede in 1859
The cocks and hens..made only crooning subdued noises.
The inimitable PG Wodehouse wrote in Blandings Castle (1935)
Everybody knows what Crooning Tenors are... They sit at the piano and gaze into a girl's eyes and sing in a voice that sounds like gas escaping from a pipe about Love and the Moonlight and You.
But of course he is writing facetiously and often used modifiers in ways such as using them before objects when describing the actor/subject: he put the rueful kettle on the stove, such that that which is rueful is the one who put the kettle on, not the kettle (which is an example I made up, but not unlike how Wodehouse used adjectives).
In short, yes you can say
She sat listening to a soft, crooning song.
But, some readers may not think it a very good usage, if they think that it is not really the song that is crooning, but the singer of the song. So it may come across as having the same effect as that of a dangling or other misplaced modifier. If I were writing this sentence I might choose a different way to write it, so that it avoids the use of crooning as modifying song. To many, a song doesn't croon; a singer does.
answered May 16 at 18:58
Knotell
4,74221445
add a comment |
up vote
-2
down vote
Your example is flawed in two ways. Croon; is "soft, low voice or tone" and related to being melodic and musical. So, 'soft, crooning song' says the same thing, three times. It is redundant. "She sat listening to the crooning wind move through the forest." would work though.
answered Apr 16 at 14:33
Norman Edward
3527
Yes, I was wondering if "crooning" could be used that way. Your example clearly means the wind was crooning or singing, so it would grammatically work either way. But I've been seeing some examples in Google Books that use "crooning" as an adjective before a noun like a "song." For example: a slow crooning song. I'm not familiar with this usage, so I asked.
– skywardhope
Apr 16 at 20:15
1
@skywardhope English can be very tough. Some sentences that are expressively correct, are not grammatically correct. "Frank Sinatra was known as a 'crooner'. The slow, low, moody feeling of his tempo and music gave crooning songs a standard bearer. " It works, but is not grammatically correct.
– Norman Edward
Apr 16 at 20:42
6
Redundancy is not ungrammatical.
– MetaEd♦
May 16 at 15:25
This answer is right on. In any case, a person croons, a song does not croon. That's the main point. I do not get these downvotes for the life of me.
– Lambie
Jul 15 at 20:31
There are soft songs and there are loud songs. "Soft song" is in no way redundant. Ditto for crooning. Croon doesn't just mean to sing softly, no matter what the dictionary you got the definition out of says. This dictionary defines it as to sing or talk in a sweet, low voice full of emotion. It's not redundant.
– Peter Shor
2 days ago
add a comment |
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
2
down vote
Yes (and no).
The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) lists examples of crooning as an adjective as far back as 1599:
Be cruining Bulls of heigh and haughtie minde.
Cruining is just an older, alternative spelling of crooning. There were many alternative spellings of words before dictionaries. That example is by Alexander Hugh from Hymnes, or sacred songs.
George Eliot wrote in Adam Bede in 1859
The cocks and hens..made only crooning subdued noises.
The inimitable PG Wodehouse wrote in Blandings Castle (1935)
Everybody knows what Crooning Tenors are... They sit at the piano and gaze into a girl's eyes and sing in a voice that sounds like gas escaping from a pipe about Love and the Moonlight and You.
But of course he is writing facetiously and often used modifiers in ways such as using them before objects when describing the actor/subject: he put the rueful kettle on the stove, such that that which is rueful is the one who put the kettle on, not the kettle (which is an example I made up, but not unlike how Wodehouse used adjectives).
In short, yes you can say
She sat listening to a soft, crooning song.
But, some readers may not think it a very good usage, if they think that it is not really the song that is crooning, but the singer of the song. So it may come across as having the same effect as that of a dangling or other misplaced modifier. If I were writing this sentence I might choose a different way to write it, so that it avoids the use of crooning as modifying song. To many, a song doesn't croon; a singer does.
answered May 16 at 18:58
Knotell
4,74221445
add a comment |
up vote
2
down vote
Yes (and no).
The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) lists examples of crooning as an adjective as far back as 1599:
Be cruining Bulls of heigh and haughtie minde.
Cruining is just an older, alternative spelling of crooning. There were many alternative spellings of words before dictionaries. That example is by Alexander Hugh from Hymnes, or sacred songs.
George Eliot wrote in Adam Bede in 1859
The cocks and hens..made only crooning subdued noises.
The inimitable PG Wodehouse wrote in Blandings Castle (1935)
Everybody knows what Crooning Tenors are... They sit at the piano and gaze into a girl's eyes and sing in a voice that sounds like gas escaping from a pipe about Love and the Moonlight and You.
But of course he is writing facetiously and often used modifiers in ways such as using them before objects when describing the actor/subject: he put the rueful kettle on the stove, such that that which is rueful is the one who put the kettle on, not the kettle (which is an example I made up, but not unlike how Wodehouse used adjectives).
In short, yes you can say
She sat listening to a soft, crooning song.
But, some readers may not think it a very good usage, if they think that it is not really the song that is crooning, but the singer of the song. So it may come across as having the same effect as that of a dangling or other misplaced modifier. If I were writing this sentence I might choose a different way to write it, so that it avoids the use of crooning as modifying song. To many, a song doesn't croon; a singer does.
answered May 16 at 18:58
Knotell
4,74221445
add a comment |
up vote
2
down vote
up vote
2
down vote
Yes (and no).
The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) lists examples of crooning as an adjective as far back as 1599:
Be cruining Bulls of heigh and haughtie minde.
Cruining is just an older, alternative spelling of crooning. There were many alternative spellings of words before dictionaries. That example is by Alexander Hugh from Hymnes, or sacred songs.
George Eliot wrote in Adam Bede in 1859
The cocks and hens..made only crooning subdued noises.
The inimitable PG Wodehouse wrote in Blandings Castle (1935)
Everybody knows what Crooning Tenors are... They sit at the piano and gaze into a girl's eyes and sing in a voice that sounds like gas escaping from a pipe about Love and the Moonlight and You.
But of course he is writing facetiously and often used modifiers in ways such as using them before objects when describing the actor/subject: he put the rueful kettle on the stove, such that that which is rueful is the one who put the kettle on, not the kettle (which is an example I made up, but not unlike how Wodehouse used adjectives).
In short, yes you can say
She sat listening to a soft, crooning song.
But, some readers may not think it a very good usage, if they think that it is not really the song that is crooning, but the singer of the song. So it may come across as having the same effect as that of a dangling or other misplaced modifier. If I were writing this sentence I might choose a different way to write it, so that it avoids the use of crooning as modifying song. To many, a song doesn't croon; a singer does.
answered May 16 at 18:58
Knotell
4,74221445
Yes (and no).
The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) lists examples of crooning as an adjective as far back as 1599:
Be cruining Bulls of heigh and haughtie minde.
Cruining is just an older, alternative spelling of crooning. There were many alternative spellings of words before dictionaries. That example is by Alexander Hugh from Hymnes, or sacred songs.
George Eliot wrote in Adam Bede in 1859
The cocks and hens..made only crooning subdued noises.
The inimitable PG Wodehouse wrote in Blandings Castle (1935)
Everybody knows what Crooning Tenors are... They sit at the piano and gaze into a girl's eyes and sing in a voice that sounds like gas escaping from a pipe about Love and the Moonlight and You.
But of course he is writing facetiously and often used modifiers in ways such as using them before objects when describing the actor/subject: he put the rueful kettle on the stove, such that that which is rueful is the one who put the kettle on, not the kettle (which is an example I made up, but not unlike how Wodehouse used adjectives).
In short, yes you can say
She sat listening to a soft, crooning song.
But, some readers may not think it a very good usage, if they think that it is not really the song that is crooning, but the singer of the song. So it may come across as having the same effect as that of a dangling or other misplaced modifier. If I were writing this sentence I might choose a different way to write it, so that it avoids the use of crooning as modifying song. To many, a song doesn't croon; a singer does.
answered May 16 at 18:58
Knotell
4,74221445
edited May 16 at 19:22
answered May 16 at 18:58
Knotell
4,74221445
answered May 16 at 18:58
Knotell
4,74221445
answered May 16 at 18:58
Knotell
4,74221445
4,74221445
add a comment |
add a comment |
up vote
-2
down vote
Your example is flawed in two ways. Croon; is "soft, low voice or tone" and related to being melodic and musical. So, 'soft, crooning song' says the same thing, three times. It is redundant. "She sat listening to the crooning wind move through the forest." would work though.
answered Apr 16 at 14:33
Norman Edward
3527
Yes, I was wondering if "crooning" could be used that way. Your example clearly means the wind was crooning or singing, so it would grammatically work either way. But I've been seeing some examples in Google Books that use "crooning" as an adjective before a noun like a "song." For example: a slow crooning song. I'm not familiar with this usage, so I asked.
– skywardhope
Apr 16 at 20:15
1
@skywardhope English can be very tough. Some sentences that are expressively correct, are not grammatically correct. "Frank Sinatra was known as a 'crooner'. The slow, low, moody feeling of his tempo and music gave crooning songs a standard bearer. " It works, but is not grammatically correct.
– Norman Edward
Apr 16 at 20:42
6
Redundancy is not ungrammatical.
– MetaEd♦
May 16 at 15:25
This answer is right on. In any case, a person croons, a song does not croon. That's the main point. I do not get these downvotes for the life of me.
– Lambie
Jul 15 at 20:31
There are soft songs and there are loud songs. "Soft song" is in no way redundant. Ditto for crooning. Croon doesn't just mean to sing softly, no matter what the dictionary you got the definition out of says. This dictionary defines it as to sing or talk in a sweet, low voice full of emotion. It's not redundant.
– Peter Shor
2 days ago
add a comment |
up vote
-2
down vote
Your example is flawed in two ways. Croon; is "soft, low voice or tone" and related to being melodic and musical. So, 'soft, crooning song' says the same thing, three times. It is redundant. "She sat listening to the crooning wind move through the forest." would work though.
answered Apr 16 at 14:33
Norman Edward
3527
Yes, I was wondering if "crooning" could be used that way. Your example clearly means the wind was crooning or singing, so it would grammatically work either way. But I've been seeing some examples in Google Books that use "crooning" as an adjective before a noun like a "song." For example: a slow crooning song. I'm not familiar with this usage, so I asked.
– skywardhope
Apr 16 at 20:15
1
@skywardhope English can be very tough. Some sentences that are expressively correct, are not grammatically correct. "Frank Sinatra was known as a 'crooner'. The slow, low, moody feeling of his tempo and music gave crooning songs a standard bearer. " It works, but is not grammatically correct.
– Norman Edward
Apr 16 at 20:42
6
Redundancy is not ungrammatical.
– MetaEd♦
May 16 at 15:25
This answer is right on. In any case, a person croons, a song does not croon. That's the main point. I do not get these downvotes for the life of me.
– Lambie
Jul 15 at 20:31
There are soft songs and there are loud songs. "Soft song" is in no way redundant. Ditto for crooning. Croon doesn't just mean to sing softly, no matter what the dictionary you got the definition out of says. This dictionary defines it as to sing or talk in a sweet, low voice full of emotion. It's not redundant.
– Peter Shor
2 days ago
add a comment |
up vote
-2
down vote
up vote
-2
down vote
Your example is flawed in two ways. Croon; is "soft, low voice or tone" and related to being melodic and musical. So, 'soft, crooning song' says the same thing, three times. It is redundant. "She sat listening to the crooning wind move through the forest." would work though.
answered Apr 16 at 14:33
Norman Edward
3527
Your example is flawed in two ways. Croon; is "soft, low voice or tone" and related to being melodic and musical. So, 'soft, crooning song' says the same thing, three times. It is redundant. "She sat listening to the crooning wind move through the forest." would work though.
answered Apr 16 at 14:33
Norman Edward
3527
answered Apr 16 at 14:33
Norman Edward
3527
answered Apr 16 at 14:33
Norman Edward
3527
answered Apr 16 at 14:33
Norman Edward
3527
3527
Yes, I was wondering if "crooning" could be used that way. Your example clearly means the wind was crooning or singing, so it would grammatically work either way. But I've been seeing some examples in Google Books that use "crooning" as an adjective before a noun like a "song." For example: a slow crooning song. I'm not familiar with this usage, so I asked.
– skywardhope
Apr 16 at 20:15
1
@skywardhope English can be very tough. Some sentences that are expressively correct, are not grammatically correct. "Frank Sinatra was known as a 'crooner'. The slow, low, moody feeling of his tempo and music gave crooning songs a standard bearer. " It works, but is not grammatically correct.
– Norman Edward
Apr 16 at 20:42
6
Redundancy is not ungrammatical.
– MetaEd♦
May 16 at 15:25
This answer is right on. In any case, a person croons, a song does not croon. That's the main point. I do not get these downvotes for the life of me.
– Lambie
Jul 15 at 20:31
There are soft songs and there are loud songs. "Soft song" is in no way redundant. Ditto for crooning. Croon doesn't just mean to sing softly, no matter what the dictionary you got the definition out of says. This dictionary defines it as to sing or talk in a sweet, low voice full of emotion. It's not redundant.
– Peter Shor
2 days ago
add a comment |
Yes, I was wondering if "crooning" could be used that way. Your example clearly means the wind was crooning or singing, so it would grammatically work either way. But I've been seeing some examples in Google Books that use "crooning" as an adjective before a noun like a "song." For example: a slow crooning song. I'm not familiar with this usage, so I asked.
– skywardhope
Apr 16 at 20:15
1
@skywardhope English can be very tough. Some sentences that are expressively correct, are not grammatically correct. "Frank Sinatra was known as a 'crooner'. The slow, low, moody feeling of his tempo and music gave crooning songs a standard bearer. " It works, but is not grammatically correct.
– Norman Edward
Apr 16 at 20:42
6
Redundancy is not ungrammatical.
– MetaEd♦
May 16 at 15:25
This answer is right on. In any case, a person croons, a song does not croon. That's the main point. I do not get these downvotes for the life of me.
– Lambie
Jul 15 at 20:31
There are soft songs and there are loud songs. "Soft song" is in no way redundant. Ditto for crooning. Croon doesn't just mean to sing softly, no matter what the dictionary you got the definition out of says. This dictionary defines it as to sing or talk in a sweet, low voice full of emotion. It's not redundant.
– Peter Shor
2 days ago
Yes, I was wondering if "crooning" could be used that way. Your example clearly means the wind was crooning or singing, so it would grammatically work either way. But I've been seeing some examples in Google Books that use "crooning" as an adjective before a noun like a "song." For example: a slow crooning song. I'm not familiar with this usage, so I asked.
– skywardhope
Apr 16 at 20:15
Yes, I was wondering if "crooning" could be used that way. Your example clearly means the wind was crooning or singing, so it would grammatically work either way. But I've been seeing some examples in Google Books that use "crooning" as an adjective before a noun like a "song." For example: a slow crooning song. I'm not familiar with this usage, so I asked.
– skywardhope
Apr 16 at 20:15
1
1
@skywardhope English can be very tough. Some sentences that are expressively correct, are not grammatically correct. "Frank Sinatra was known as a 'crooner'. The slow, low, moody feeling of his tempo and music gave crooning songs a standard bearer. " It works, but is not grammatically correct.
– Norman Edward
Apr 16 at 20:42
@skywardhope English can be very tough. Some sentences that are expressively correct, are not grammatically correct. "Frank Sinatra was known as a 'crooner'. The slow, low, moody feeling of his tempo and music gave crooning songs a standard bearer. " It works, but is not grammatically correct.
– Norman Edward
Apr 16 at 20:42
6
6
Redundancy is not ungrammatical.
– MetaEd♦
May 16 at 15:25
Redundancy is not ungrammatical.
– MetaEd♦
May 16 at 15:25
This answer is right on. In any case, a person croons, a song does not croon. That's the main point. I do not get these downvotes for the life of me.
– Lambie
Jul 15 at 20:31
This answer is right on. In any case, a person croons, a song does not croon. That's the main point. I do not get these downvotes for the life of me.
– Lambie
Jul 15 at 20:31
There are soft songs and there are loud songs. "Soft song" is in no way redundant. Ditto for crooning. Croon doesn't just mean to sing softly, no matter what the dictionary you got the definition out of says. This dictionary defines it as to sing or talk in a sweet, low voice full of emotion. It's not redundant.
– Peter Shor
2 days ago
There are soft songs and there are loud songs. "Soft song" is in no way redundant. Ditto for crooning. Croon doesn't just mean to sing softly, no matter what the dictionary you got the definition out of says. This dictionary defines it as to sing or talk in a sweet, low voice full of emotion. It's not redundant.
– Peter Shor
2 days ago
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6
(Almost) all ing forms of verbs can be used as an adjective, which is why dictionaries don't bother to mention it with every single verb.
– oerkelens
Apr 14 at 7:05
Yes, as oerkelens said. You might just as easily find your example "She sat listening to a soft, crooning song" or "She sat listening to (someone) crooning a (soft) song…"
– Robbie Goodwin
May 1 at 19:48
@oerkelens was doing to answer yes but could not find a single dictionary to cite such.
– lbf
May 16 at 20:17
1
Singers croon, songs don't croon. To croon is to sing or hum in a low voice and in a sentimental way.
– Lambie
Jul 15 at 20:35