I had to get off the chat early today because there was going to be a presentation on "linguistics when designing test questions." Of course much of it was "same old, same old." Don't use the passive voice, don't be wordy, write clearly, etc. However, one faculty member said that her student came up to her during a test and asked for the definition of a word. You will not guess what the word was: able! They couldn't believe it, nor could I. The word was being used as, "...the nurse was able to..." so there was nothing odd about its use. Also, they swore the the student wasn't joking.

Is that weird or what???

Any different from the jury that wanted a definition of "unanimous"?

I'd say so. Isn't able like a 3rd grade word? These are college students!

Mind you, although it's a word we all use and (most of us) understand, it's not a word that's all that easy to analyse. It's an adjective - but unlike most adjectives it tends not to have a solitary existence.

I recall having a discussion once about the word "must" - which again is common and commonly understood. But what is the infinitve of the verb? There is no verb "to must".

In the end we agree that the infinitive of must is " to be obliged to "

Roll over to check the answer.

I've been roling over for twenty minutes and I'm sore all over but the answer still hasn't come to me.

It was Ataturk's nickname - short for Mustafa. And his illegitimate son was a mustard.

I guess you had to be there.

I think able is a perfectly understandable word to define. The way it was used in the exam was something like, "The patient was able to. Given that, this definition fits nicely: "( postpositive ) having the necessary power, resources, skill, time, opportunity, etc, to do something: able to swim."

You don't think a high school student should know the word "able?"

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Originally posted by Kalleh:
I think able is a perfectly understandable word to define. The way it was used in the exam was something like, "The patient was able to. Given that, this definition fits nicely: "( postpositive ) having the necessary power, resources, skill, time, opportunity, etc, to do something: able to swim."

You don't think a high school student should know the word "able?"

To define or to understand, yes. But I did write, "...Mind you, although it's a word we all use and (most of us) understand, it's not a word that's all that easy to analyse. It's an adjective - but unlike most adjectives it tends not to have a solitary existence..."

And I do agree that any nromally educated child of ten should know how to use the word "able". But knowledge of application is not the same as complete understanding. We all know how to use a computer - but do we understand all of its complexities?

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But knowledge of application is not the same as complete understanding. We all know how to use a computer - but do we understand all of its complexities?

Of course if we looked at all words this way, nobody would be expected to understand the application of any word.

The application of some words is easier to understand than that of others, I reckon.

In this sentence, the first word, "the", has few different meanings and applications. Whereas "reckon" has at least six verbal meanings.

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You don't think a high school student should know the word "able?"

Absolutely they should! I totally agree! Alas, I think High School students should know any number of things they prove themselves ignorant of daily.