Owen—Hybrid Parts of Speech. 
241 
The motives that determine which particular element of 
lateral thought shall be used as also an element of central 
thought, need not to be examined. Granted, however, that a 
particular structure of thought has been, for whatsoever rea¬ 
son, effected, the use of the linguistic symbols adequate to that 
structure is inevitable. If, for instance, in the structure of 
my thought, the idea of thoroughness takes position as adjunc¬ 
tive to first term, I may express it by the adjective “thorough,” 
as in “Thorough universities make their students learn;” but 
I cannot use the adverb “thoroughly.” If on the other hand 
the said idea be last term, or again if it be adjunct of the 
mid-term, I must use a substantive or an adverb, as the case 
may be, as in the expressions “Universities teach thoroughness” 
and “Universities teach thoroughly.” In short, the use of a 
particular part of speech is corollary to particular structure 
of thought. 
The like is true of words which figure as two parts of speech 
at once. If, for instance, in the structure of thought an idea 
appears as last term in a central fellowship, and mid-term in 
a lateral, it must be expressed by a verbal noun, as in “I saw 
an express train strike: a freight.” I cannot use the verbal 
adjective “striking” (the ordinary use of “striking” here would 
not be substantive, but adjective) or the verbal adverb “strik¬ 
ingly,” without exhibiting a structure of thought which was 
not in my mind. On the other hand, the idea which operates 
as lateral mid-term and as central adjunct must be expressed 
by a verbal adjective or verbal adverb, according as its adjunc¬ 
tive service rank as adjectival or adverbial. 
It appears accordingly that the use of a particular kind of 
verbal hybrid (verbal noun, verbal adjective or verbal adverb) 
is corollary to the structure of thought to be expressed, and 
that any rule to guide the speaker would again be merely a 
part of a larger rule, distinctly proper, but hardly necessary, 
namely: “Say what you think, as you think it.” 
Thus far accordingly choice of verbal form (regarding both 
the content and the structure of thought) is the merest corol¬ 
lary to choice of thought itself. 
