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Netflix Binging vs Microsoft Binging (Gerunds vs. Adjectives)

Confused about the difference between gerunds and adjectives that end in '-ing'? I asked Bing for help and was surprised to learn that gerunds are verbs that function as nouns, and adjectives are words that describe nouns. Bing also gave me the term for two words that are spelled identically but have different meanings based on context - homograph - and provided examples. We discussed how to differentiate between the words bing and binge.

Discovering the Difference Between Gerunds and Adjectives with Bing

By Michael Levin

Friday, March 17, 2023

All roads lead to Bing. Microsoft’s seeing to it. So “binging” is going to be hijacked from Netflix binge-watching to Binging for chatting with Bing. Just you watch.

I want to Bing but I don’t want to Binge. When we add the…

Here are the lyrics to the Schoolhouse Rock video “Unpack Your Adjectives” ¹:

Got home from camping last spring.
Saw people, places and things.
We barely had arrived,
Friends asked us to describe
The people, places and every last thing.
So we unpacked our adjectives.

I unpacked "frustrating" first.
Reached in and found the word "worst".
Then I picked "soggy" and "soupy"
And "sticky" and "sweaty" and "sappy".
Next I picked "furry" and "fuzzy"
And "crusty" and "cruddy" and "muzzy".
Then I was ready to tell them my tale,
'Cause I'd unpacked my adjectives.

Adjectives are words you use to really describe things,
Handy words to carry around.
Days are sunny or they're rainy,
Boys are dumb or else they're brainy.
Adjectives can show you which way,
And how much,
And when.
Tell me, can you handle
Descriptive words, my friend?

Let's see, uh, "big" is big,
But "enormous" is bigger,
And "gigantic" is simply ginormous.
And a "square" is just a plain old square,
But a "cheery" square's a square that's rare.

Everywhere you go, you'll find
That adjectives are one of a kind.
Like "a, two, three, four"
"Come on, baby, say you love me more"
"Five, six, seven"
"Come on and give me your answer, heaven"
"Eight, nine, ten"
"Come on and let's sing it again.

I hope this helps!

Source: Conversation with Bing, 3/17/2023

(1) Unpack Your Adjectives | Disney Wiki | Fandom. https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Unpack_Your_Adjectives Accessed 3/17/2023.
(2) VARIOUS ARTISTS - UNPACK YOUR ADJECTIVES LYRICS - SongLyrics.com. https://www.songlyrics.com/various-artists/unpack-your-adjectives-lyrics/ Accessed 3/17/2023.
(3) Schoolhouse Rock - Grammar Rock. http://www.schoolhouserock.tv/Grammar.html Accessed 3/17/2023.
(4) Schoolhouse Rock – Unpack Your Adjectives Lyrics - Genius. https://genius.com/Schoolhouse-rock-unpack-your-adjectives-lyrics Accessed 3/17/2023.
(5) Schoolhouse Rock - Unpack Your Adjectives Lyrics | Lyrics.com. https://www.lyrics.com/lyric-lf/246011/Schoolhouse+Rock/Unpack+Your+Adjectives Accessed 3/17/2023.
(6) SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK - UNPACK YOUR ADJECTIVES LYRICS - SongLyrics.com. https://www.songlyrics.com/schoolhouse-rock/unpack-your-adjectives-lyrics/ Accessed 3/17/2023.

Thanks, Schoolhouse Rocks! I thought all ing-words were adjectives.

Hey Bing: Write a description of the use “ing” at the end of words, and how it sometimes ends up a noun and sometimes ends up an adjective. Describe how Schoolhouse Rock may have made you think they’re all actually Adjectives but in reality a lot are Gerunds.

Words that end in “-ing” can be used as gerunds or adjectives. Gerunds are verbs that end in “-ing” and function as nouns. Adjectives are words that describe nouns. In the Schoolhouse Rock video “Unpack Your Adjectives”, the songwriters used some words that end in “-ing” as adjectives, but they also used some words that end in “-ing” as gerunds. For example, the word “frustrating” is an adjective that describes a noun, while the word “unpacking” is a gerund that functions as a noun . I hope this helps!

It does. Thanks, Bing!

I want to Bing but I don’t want to Binge. When we add the ing and turn either word into a gerund or an adjective, they become identical…

Hey Bing: What’s the word for 2 words that are spelled identical but have different meanings based on context? Give examples.

The word for two words that are spelled identically but have different meanings based on context is “homograph”. Here are some examples of homographs ¹³:

I hope this helps!

Source: Conversation with Bing, 3/17/2023

(1) Homographs: 14 Words that Are Spelled the Same but Have Different Meanings. https://www.lingualbox.com/blog/homographs-14-words-that-are-spelled-the-same-but-have-different-meanings Accessed 3/17/2023.
(2) 20 words that are spelled the same but have different meanings - Insider. https://www.insider.com/words-spelled-same-different-meanings-2019-1 Accessed 3/17/2023.
(3) 9 English Words with Multiple Meanings (& Examples). https://preply.com/en/blog/words-with-multiple-meanings/ Accessed 3/17/2023.
(4) Homographs: 14 Words that Are Spelled the Same but Have Different Meanings. https://www.lingualbox.com/blog/homographs-14-words-that-are-spelled-the-same-but-have-different-meanings Accessed 3/17/2023.
(5) Homograph - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms | Vocabulary.com. https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/homograph Accessed 3/17/2023.
I want to Bing but I don't want to Binge. When we add the...

I want to Bing but I don’t want to Binge. When we add the ing and turn either word into a gerund or an adjective, they become identical words, aka homographs. How do I solve that language problem? What can I use to separate the concept of binging on Netflix from Binging on Microsoft so that a general audience will understand without it needing to be spelled out. It should be immediately obvious because it’s the cleverness of the comparison that makes it so potentially impactful.

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