to me, they seem the same, but surely there’s a subtle nuance.

like, for example, i’ve heard: “i thought he died.” and “i thought he was dead” and they seem like synonyms.

  • ℕ𝕖𝕞𝕠@slrpnk.net
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    4 days ago

    “Dead” is an adjective, modifying the antecedent of “he”, not an adverb modifying “is”.

    Contrast “he is well”, where “well” modifies “is” as an adverb vs. “he is good” where “good” is an adjective modifying “he”. There’s no grammatic signifier which is which beyond the modifying word itself, so you need to see whether it’s in adverb form or adjective form.

    • hddsx@lemmy.ca
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      4 days ago

      As a native speaker and someone who was once fond of langauge, I hate you.

      I read your comment a million times and disagreed. I consulted a dictionary for the definition of the noun form of “good”, and relectantly agreed. “Dead”, “Well”, and “Good” are descriptors and not states of being. They are therefore adjectives not nouns.

      In the out of context and incomplete quote of Tigger, “Double Guh R”. GRRRRRR GRRRRRRR