Reading the documentation

[Ben Bacarisse]

Chris Angelico <rosuav at gmail.com> writes:

> On Fri, Aug 25, 2017 at 11:25 AM, Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet at bsb.me.uk> wrote:
>> The use as a noun is not covered here, though it is only a small step
>> from other places where membership of a mathematical set has turned the
>> adjective into a noun.  "Rational" and "real" started out as adjectives,
>> but their use as nouns is now widespread.  "The function returns a
>> real".  "The result is a rational".  It's much less common for complex
>> and integral, to the point that it sounds wrong to me.
>
> This is a common thing in English (and many other languages). When you
> find yourself frequently using similar phrases, you abbreviate them:
>
> * real number -> real
> * rational number -> rational
> * complex number -> complex
>
> Thus the adjective acquires a new meaning as a noun. As my mother (and
> grammar teacher) drummed into me: No word is a part of speech unless
> it appears in context.

Yes, we agree on that, but has it become natural(!) yet with complex and
integral?  Not to my ear.  What about yours?

To me, the "adjectiveness" is still so strong that my brain asks "an
integral what?", "a complex what?".  That does not happen in my head
with "a real" or "a rational".

-- 
Ben.