Morse,Lewis, Grammar

[Khandro]

I don't often read the Sun, but today I read an account of the tragic death of the young man, Jay, of whom the inquest found fell to his death off a cliff.

The Sun reported, 'His death was instant' which reminded me (I have that kind of brain) of an episode of Morse, when Lewis said the same thing and Morse retorted,

"Instantaneous! Lewis ..... coffee is 'instant !'

Well it is the Sun.  😄   

[Smowball]

I read that too, and I know what you mean - think I remember that being said in an episode! Instantaneous sounds far more professional.

[barry1010]

At least the Mail got it right

Didn't the PM in Tenerife say the same thing? Injuries consistent with fall, death instantaneous?

[Khandro]

Quite. Instant is of course a noun, Instantaneous an adverb.

It must be 20 years since I saw that episode of Morse, but I still remember the exchange.

Colin Dexter was a very good scriptwriter, we could do with a few more like him today.

[drmorgans]

 

Instant can also be an adjective.

 

[newmodarmy]

Saw a sign yesterday warning of horses on the road. It said 'drive wide and slow'. it sounded wrong to me.

[barry1010]

Morse had several scriptwriters, including Daniel Boyle and Julian Mitchell.  Colin Dexter wrote excellent novels, I don't know if he wrote the scripts for any of the episodes of Morse.

[Khandro]

drmorgans;  //Instant can also be an adjective.//

How ?

[drmorgans]

 

"John took an instant dislike to Peter."

 

[Khandro]

drmorgans; That is really pushing it ! It can be a noun or an adjective though could be used as an adverb 'poetically'.

instant

 (ˈɪnstənt)

n

1. a very brief time; moment

2. a particular moment or point in time: at the same instant.

3. on the instant immediately; without delay

adj

4. immediate; instantaneous

5. (Cookery) (esp of foods) prepared or designed for preparation with very little time and effort: instant coffee.

6. urgent or imperative

7. (postpositive) (when abbreviated in formal correspondence)

a. of the present month: a letter of the 7th instant. Abbreviation: inst Compare proximo, ultimo

b. currently under consideration

adv

a poetic word for instantly

............................

'Instantanious' is the correct usage in that sentence I think.

[drmorgans]

 

Look at 4. "immediate; instantaneous"

 

[Khandro]

drmorgans; Your sentence "John took an instant dislike to Peter." is using 'instant' exactly as Lewis & the Sun have.

'an' (indef. article),  'instant' (noun),  to the verb, 'dislike'. 

[brainiac]

//drmorgans; Your sentence "John took an instant dislike to Peter." is using 'instant' exactly as Lewis & the Sun have.

'an' (indef. article),  'instant' (noun),  to the verb, 'dislike'.//

Khandro - you could not be more wrong.  In the quote above, 'instant' is quite clearly an adjective, describing the noun 'dislike'

'Instant' is given as an adjective in both my Concise Oxford and Chambers dictionaries 

[Khandro]

brainiac; No, in that sentence 'instant' is being used as an abbreviation  for instantly.

John instantly took a dislike to Peter.

[douglas9401]

🙄

[brainiac]

Khandro - you clearly don't know the difference betwen an adjective and an adverb, and I can't be bothered to spell it out for you