Stan Carey created a quiz for Macmillan Dictionary that “presents 10 words used as both nouns and verbs, and asks which came first. After answering, you’ll learn a little about the history of each usage.” I got to it from his post about it, where you will find more details; I got 7/10 (“Excellent. Well done!”), and would have gotten at least one more right except that (probably under the influence of the recent Slavic quiz) I assumed it was way tricksier than it turned out to be. Don’t make the same mistake; just put down what you think is right, and may you speed well!
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[…] The quiz is featured at 3 Quarks Daily and Language Hat. Comments on both sites report people’s results and highlights. (Result and highlight are […]
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Failed on wish and result. The latter is less excusable as in French they’re résulter and résultat.
I think I missed the latter as well. I forgot to mention in the post that Stan calls the quiz tricky and says: “I know this because I got a couple wrong even though I wrote it. “
I missed “result” too, and “highlight” as well. The quiz highlights how old many usages perceived to be neologisms really are — the “recency phenomenon.”
Too much verbiage and nounage in this post
7/10 for me. Missed “highlight” (which should have been obvious in retrospect), and I forgot what else.
I was accidentally spoilered by minus273 on “result”, though; not sure which I would have chosen otherwise.
[EDIT: oh, and the obligatory quote: “Verbing weirds language.” Forgot where it’s from, unfortunately.]
@January First-of-May: Calvin and Hobbes. Unless someone else thought of it first.
9/10, also got “result” wrong.
9/10. Got result wrong.
Me too, Hans and Bathrobe.
9/10, which is “perfect”. Got “result” wrong.
I missed “contact” (because of overthinking) and “wish”. For words derived from French or Latin, the stress often seems to be a good hint about the original usage.
8/10, but due more to luck than skill. I don’t remember which the two were, but the site doesn’t allow one to go back, or to list the results.
9/10. I also messed up on “result.”
10/10. I had some doubts about “result” (even Latin is of limited help here) but guessed correctly.
7/10 = Excellent, 9/10 = Perfect, so 10/10 must be “Out of this world”!
8/10: “Outstanding. Well done!” Got knock & supply wrong. On several others, like wish, German cognates help, in this case the vowels of Wunsch vs. wünschen.
8/10. Apparently I “sped well”. 🙂
I chose that expression with you in mind!
This pathetic monoglot got a pathetic 4/10. Very, very hard to tell from inside English alone.
8/10. Chalk up another person who missed on ‘result’.
9.5. I vacillated on ‘result’, then clicked on the wrong button because the devil made me do it.
Clearly the “result” button is bewitched.
Missed “wish” and “result.”
I missed “result” and one other that I have now forgotten.
10/10. I guess being a native German speaker, starting Latin in fifth grade and Enlish in 6th grade came in handy for once.
Yay, 7/10. I’m lucky! It surely isn’t skill, most words are so old that I wouldn’t know. I missed result, knock and one more. Maybe supply.