SENTENCE WORD

Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language | 1998 | 700+ words | Copyright

SENTENCE WORD. An occasional term in WORD-FORMATION for a SENTENCE which serves as a WORD or part of a word, such as never say die, attributively in ‘a never-say-die attitude’, suffixed in never-Say-die-ism, or as an often allegorical name: Captain Never-Say-Die, She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed. The attributive use is the commonest. In writing and print, the constituents are often linked by hyphens: an aren't-I-just-the-cutest-thing smile; her I-don't-understand-you-look. However, they may also come between quotation marks (a Toyota ‘Drop Everything’ Sales Event), be capitalized (the I Did It My Way approach), or mix hyphens and capitals (the great Support-Your-Local-Hostage binge). Sentence words often begin with verbs in the imperative mood: a Rent-a-Car contract; a get-up-and-go Britain in place of a sit-back-and-wait-for-it culture. Compare PHRASE WORD.

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TOM McARTHUR. "SENTENCE WORD." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

TOM McARTHUR. "SENTENCE WORD." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O29-SENTENCEWORD.html

TOM McARTHUR. "SENTENCE WORD." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O29-SENTENCEWORD.html

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