Clayton posted this comment today…
Clayton – 2007-05-12: 17:21:00
Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed that the highest scoring words often do not reflect the part of speech suggested by the definition? Occasionally, this can be somewhat difficult to determine from a given description, but “the sacrifice a mother makes” clearly indicates that this word is meant to be a noun. Just nitpicking.
It is not the first time that this question has been asked. ErWenn posted similar suggestion when he joined in December.
ErWenn – 2006-12-14
I’ve just joined, and so far, every definition has been for a verb, but most of them lend themselves better to nouns. For example, it’s easier to name a disease or condition than it is to give a word that describes succumbing to such a condition. Most of the winning words are nouns, as you can see. I think you should either formally open it up for any part of speech communicating the idea, choose the part of speech for each definition more carefully, or strictly enforce matching the part of speech of the definition.
So far we have not introduced rules relating to the parts of speech. Our goal is to encouage creativity. And we want to give people enough rope so that they can be as creative as they they want.
Generally speaking, I like the variety that looser verb typing allows. And it seems to be working. Some players create verbs. Some create nouns. A few create adjectives. And very few create adverbs… But a lot create articles! And very entertaining articles at that.
The variety also makes for interesting reading on each definition. And it gives each player a little creative leeway where they can explore ideas from a different angles. This is good. The definitions are working as launching-off point for people to create new ideas, have fun with a little word play.
Nevertheless, the parts of speech are important. And if we wanted, we could add it to the game. Perhaps the easiest thing to do would be to create a special verbroom where the parts of speech would formally included, either as a requirement, or for bonus points, or for something…
Please let me know what you think.
Create your own rules!
James
Very well put. I do think that although it is usually very easy to deduce what part of speech is being sought, many will naturally have trouble with it. Being a stickler, I would find it difficult to invent a noun for use as a verb, or vice versa, even if one has more of a chance of winning than the other. This is because I read dictionaries, and I am so used to seeing things classified in such a way. In a nutshell, I expect for the word to match the definition.
For instance, in Thursday’s game, I offered the word “chaostoicize,” in spite of the fact that “chaostoicism” (i) looks and sounds better, and (ii) is far more easily recognized as a portmanteau word. And that’s when I started thinking about this. The overwhelming majority of the words from that day were nouns, while the definition clearly called for the creation of a verb. There were some great words, incidentally, from every day I’ve played. So, really, this isn’t any kind of slight to any of the players.
But I do think that perhaps a few extra points should be awarded to players who concoct a word that more closely fits the definition. Yes, it is a game, but a very nerdy one. I don’t think it would diminish the fun in any way to set out some clear rules for an adherence to detail that is already so common among word lovers. After all, we’re awarding points for pronunciation and etymology. Why should a word’s worthiness of inclusion in a dictionary be any less important? My two cents.
Hey Clayton, It is interesting that you read dictionaries. When I describe Verbotomy to people who don’t know anything about Verbotomy, I say it’s like “Backwards Dictionary”. (Dictionary is the define-a-word game where you pick a random, and hopefully obscure word from the dictionary, and then ask the players to give you, or create a defintion for it. See: http://encyclopedia.tfd.com/Dictionary+game )
We could change the voting a little, and and give each player more votes. That might encouge players to look at more words and consider the parts fo speech… ~ James
Oh yes, have played the dictionary game. We used to have variations on it, too, where one persons] reads a definition and the others try to guess which word it is. I would think that giving the players more votes might result in players voting multiple times for the same word. If you had a limit to how many times somebody could vote for a given word, say once or twice, I think you’d be closer to the goal. Or if you had a ranking system, where you get to pick your three favorite words in order. Anyway, just food for thought.