Conversion
Word Formation Processes
Conversion
Conversion refers to the process of changing or converting the class of a word without changing its form. The word email, for instance, can be used as a verb in Modern English though it was only a noun in the past.Examples:
| Noun to verb: | bottle (The wine was brewed in France but bottled in Hong Kong.) |
| butter (Don't butter the bread for me. I prefer jam.) | |
| Verb to noun: | hit (He scored a hit in his first shot.) |
| cheat (He used some cheats in the computer game to make him win easier.) | |
| must (It is a must for you to visit the Forbidden City if you go to Beijing.) | |
| Adjective to noun: | regular (I am one of the regulars at the pubs in Tsim Sha Tsui.) |
| final (It is obvious that the LA Lakers will enter the NBA Finals.) | |
| crazy (Stop shouting and running around like a crazy.) | |
| Adjective to verb: | empty (Can you empty the bin for me, please?) |
| dirty (Don't sit on the floor. You might dirty your dress.) | |
| dry (Caught in the rain, we were soaked to the skin. We dried ourselves beside the fireplace.) |