Why is “brick” in “a brick house” a noun, whereas “plastic” in “a plastic bucket” is an adjective

adjectivesnounsparts-of-speech

Taking these classifications from Oxford's Lexico:

Best Answer

This may have been addressed here before, but the overall answer is 'there is no consensus as to when certain words should be considered attributive nouns, and when they should be considered to have converted fully to adjectives', obviously in these instances used prenominally. 'Steel bridge' is a famous case in issue.

Nordquist at ThoughtCo discusses this issue:

  • "Webster's New International Dictionary . . . does not call every noun capable of attributive use an adjective but some like cash, land, mind etc. are labeled 'n(oun) often attrib(utive).'

However, the distinction between words that are 'n often attrib' and words that are 'adj' is not precise, as the editors themselves claim . . .. Moreover, even one author may provide different explanations for similar cases. Gove (1964:165), for example, considers the word zero in zero modification an adjective in the light of its attributive and predicative uses, despite the fact that it neither inflects for degree nor admits adverbial modification. However, surprisingly enough, for macaroni salad, apparently similar to the zero modification example, he argues that there appears to be a 'strong feeling' against macaroni as an adjective."

The usual tests for adjectives include gradability and intensifiability, but just as 'steel' in 'steel bridge' fails this

  • *a steeler bridge
  • *a very steel bridge

so does the obvious classifying adjective 'nuclear'

  • *a more nuclear reactor
  • *a very nuclear explosion.

For particular classifications, only asking say the compilers why they chose contrasting POSs for apparently identical usages will begin to resolve the question.

But checking in the usual respectable dictionaries (in particular AHD, Collins, RHK Webster's, Lexico, M-W, CD, Longmans, Macmillan) for POS assignment of 'plastic', all concur that full conversion to the adjective has now occurred, even for the basic 'made of plastic' ('plastic spoon') sense.

But for 'brick', Merriam-Webster has 'noun, often attributive', Collins calls the usage 'noun as modifier', and Lexico and Macmillan also list 'a brick wall' under [noun]. CD is, I'd say, unclear (though gives 'red-brick houses' under [noun]). AHD and Longman seem not to address the issue, but do not list adjective usages. However RHK Webster's classifies 'brick' in the senses 'made of, constructed with, or resembling bricks' [adjective].

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