The flexibility of the English vocabulary system makes a word formed by conversion capable of further derivation, so that it enters into combinations not only with functional but also with derivational affixes characteristic of a verbal stem, and becomes distributionally equivalent to it. For example, view ‘to watch television’ gives viewable, viewer, viewing.
Conversion may be combined with other word-building processes, such as composition.
1. Set expressions functioning like nouns:
N+N: maiden name ‘the surname of a woman before she was married’; brains trust ‘a committee of experts’ or ‘a number of reputedly well informed persons chosen to answer questions of general interest without preparation’, family jewels ‘shameful secrets of the CIA’ (Am. slang).
N’s+N: cat’s paw ‘one who is used for the convenience of a cleverer and stronger person’ (the expression comes from a fable in which a monkey wanting to eat some chestnuts that were on a hot stove, but not wishing to burn himself while getting them, seised a cat and holding its paw in his own used it to knock the chestnuts to the ground); Hob-son’s choice, a set expression used when there is no choice at all, when a person has to take what is offered or nothing (Thomas Hobson, a 17th century London stableman, made every person hiring horses take the next in order).
Ns'+N: ladies’ man ‘one who makes special effort to charm or please women’.
N+prp+N: the arm of the law; skeleton in the cupboard.
N+A: knight errant (the phrase is today applied to any chivalrous man ready to help and protect oppressed and helpless people).
N+and+N: lord and master ‘husband’; all the world and his
wife (a more complicated form); rank and file ‘the ordinary working members of an organisation’ (the origin of this expression is military life, it denotes common soldiers); ways and means ‘methods of overcoming difficulties’.
A+N: green room ‘the general reception room of a theatre’ (it is said that formerly such rooms had their walls coloured green to relieve the strain on the actors’ eyes after the stage lights); high tea ‘an evening meal which combines meat or some similar extra dish with the usual tea’; forty winks ‘a short nap’.
N+subordinate clause: ships that pass in the night ‘chance acquaintances’.
2. Set expressions functioning like verbs: V+N: take advantage
V+and+V: pick and choose V+(one’s)+N+(prp): snap ones fingers at V+one+N: give one the bird ‘to fire sb’
V+subordinate clause: see how the land lies ‘to discover the state of affairs’.
3. Set expressions functioning like adjectives: A+and+A: high and mighty
(as)+A+as+N: as old as the hills, as mad as a hatter Set expressions are often used as predicatives but not attributively. In the latter function they are replaced by compounds.
4. Set expressions functioning like adverbs:
A big group containing many different types of units, some of them with a high frequency index, neutral in style and devoid of expressiveness, others expressive.
N+N: tooth and nail
prp+N: by heart, of course, against the grain
adv+prp+N: once in a blue moon
prp+N+or+N: by hook or by crook
cj+clause: before one can say Jack Robinson
5. Set expressions functioning like prepositions: prp+N+prp: in consequence of
It should be noted that the type is often but not always characterised by the absence of article. Сf: by reason of : : on the ground of.
6. Set expressions functioning like interjections:
These are often structured as imperative sentences: Bless (one’s) soul! God bless me! Hang it (all)!
The list of types gives a clear notion of the contradictory nature of set expressions: structured like phrases they function like words.
Much attention is devoted to different types of variation: synonymic, pronominal, etc.
We shall distinguish set expressions that are nominal phrases: the wot of the trouble’, verbal phrases: put one’s best foot forward; adjectival phrases: as good as gold; red as a cherry; adverbial phrases: from head to foot; prepositional phrases: in the course of; conjunctional phrases: as long as, on the other hand; interjectional phrases: Well, I never! A stereotyped sentence also introduced into speech as a ready-made formula may be illustrated by Never say die! ‘never give up hope’, take your time ‘do not hurry’.
