1. Boger

    Boger Senior Member

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    "roused" as an adjective

    Discussion in 'Word Mechanics' started by Boger, Feb 16, 2016.

    Is it possible? Is it good? It it acceptable?
     
  2. BayView

    BayView Huh. Interesting. Contributor

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    It doesn't seem right to me... do you have an example of how you'd use it?
     
  3. Boger

    Boger Senior Member

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    roused person
     
  4. BayView

    BayView Huh. Interesting. Contributor

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    Maybe a full sentence?

    Like... he tried to get all of them out of bed, but only the roused person actually stood up?

    I don't know. I can see what's meant, but it doesn't read naturally to me.
     
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  5. Boger

    Boger Senior Member

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    Yeah, I tried to find the word nearest to what I would use in my own language. Somebody that was woken up. A roused person. In the context it is about somebody taking a tramp off the train who is still half drunk. I guess there is no word that implies that explicitly he is waken up by a person.

    Google translate gives me "aroused". I don't know about aroused bums.
     
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  6. Wreybies

    Wreybies Thrice Retired Supporter Contributor

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    Machine translations like that are the reason I still have gainful employment as a translator. ;) Same root, very different meaning.
     
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  7. Catrin Lewis

    Catrin Lewis Contributor Contributor Contest Winner 2023 Community Volunteer

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    I think the only way you could get away with "roused" as an adjective in the sense you mean, @Boger, is to put an accent on the back end of it, rouséd, to make it two syllables, and use it in an epic poem.

    Something like,

    The rouséd warrior clasps his sword;
    The stirring drum his blood awakes:
    "To arms!" he cries, and . . .

    Well, you get the picture. You might be able to make it work there, though it would be archaic. In ordinary English, no.

    Now, you can say the guard or whoever rousted the bum out of his hideyhole in the freight car, and pitched him, still half-drunk and not entirely awake, off the train. But you wouldn't say "the rousted tramp."
     
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  8. jannert

    jannert Retired Mod Supporter Contributor

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    Maybe take the simpler approach? He tried to rouse them all out of bed, but only one person actually stood up?
     
    Last edited: Feb 25, 2016
  9. Boger

    Boger Senior Member

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    Another case solved by Catrin Lews
     
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  10. Sack-a-Doo!

    Sack-a-Doo! Contributor Contributor

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    How about 'groggy?'

    And if that's not right, check thesaurus.com

    http://www.thesaurus.com/browse/groggy?s=t
     
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  11. Dameldut

    Dameldut New Member

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    The bum was roused from his slumber at the back of the train.
    "Sir, I'm sorry but you cannot be on this train right now." the conductor explained.
    He picked up the bum by his arm.
    "Heh, leave me alone!" the bum yelled, yanking his arm away from the conductor.
    ---
    Long story short, that's how I would write it. You could make it more violent if you wished.
     
  12. Boger

    Boger Senior Member

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    Good idea. It's a horror but in this part the MC hasn't really come out of his shell yet. This is when he is introduced at the beginning as somewhat paranoid, in a healthy way. But thinking about having him pull out some kind of cleaver to paint the walls of the train, and other passenger's clothes red, because someone doesn't obey his word, would be fun. However, would completely become another story: he would be a villain in this case and I have other plans.
     

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