Category: Nouns
The caller established the category after confirming that he had indeed called the library. Every other phone call begins with a question like "This the liberry?" People, apparently are highly suspicious of what they read in the phone book. They are also reluctant to believe us when we identify the library immediately upon answering the phone.
Guy on the phone: Is a train a place or a thing?
Me: Well, you know, that is a matter of perspective. I guess you can describe someone as being located "on a train." In this case, the train does indeed qualify as a location, but I would generally be inclined to conceive of a train as a thing.
Guy on the phone: OK ok then what about the Sun
Me: Similar situation. I mean the Sun is a thing.. a very large thing...
Guy: Right because it's a planet.
Me: Actually it's a star.
Guy: Right, it's like the star of the planets.
Me: Close enough... and I suppose one could go to the Sun although I don't think that would be very.... Are we supposed to be identifying the nouns in sentences or..?
Guy: Well they want to know if these nouns are like people or places or animals or whatever.
I told him to use his own judgement but that he seemed to be doing fine. Meanwhile, Daisy is listening to me but doesn't realize I'm on the phone and assumes that I'm just having another conversation with the invisible gnomes. She was wrong, of course. They didn't show up at all today.
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