How many different parts of speech can the f-word be used as?

Question

In an "interesting" thread of comments we began to look at the word fuck in several different uses. Most of them were interjections and verb uses as would be expected.

But, perhaps dialectally, the word can easily be used as a noun, and even an adjective.

I would like to see how many different parts of speech can the word fuck be used as in its unmodified form. (i.e. no fucking, fucked, etc.). Pluralization of noun or conjugation to fucks is the only acceptable variant.

The answer must provide real-world examples (i.e. no mere cramming of the word into a sentence and claiming it's an adverb!) And, I will even accept different verb types, adjectives, nouns, etc. (e.g. If you can find a grammatical way to use it as a helper verb, my hat is off to you.)

If you wish to get extra credit, then you can answer with some of the variants above, but only after you have made an answer per the above rules.

The winner should have both the most varied and interesting answers!

Just to make it clear, this is a word-game, and as such will be a bit broad or POB.

How many parts of speech do you think there are? You may find a range of opinions in ELU. — bib, Mar 05 '14 at 20:53
@bib I'm not here to decide that. If you can show a distinct use and provide citations, that's worth extra to my mind. — David M, Mar 05 '14 at 20:57
As I mentioned to Joe, it's also problematic for this question that nouns can behave as modifiers, so there's really no way to make an “adjective” from fuck; a noun modifying another noun is a noun adjunct rather than an adjective. You might think that's being fussy about definitions, but then definitions are at the heart of this puzzle. It'll be tough to come up with an answer that actually satisfies linguists and not just popular opinion. — Bradd Szonye, Mar 05 '14 at 21:43
And sorry if it seems that I'm being unnecessarily fussy or pedantic. I think it's an interesting question, just dangerously close to being primarily opinion based. — Bradd Szonye, Mar 05 '14 at 22:05
@BraddSzonye it is tagged word-game. I had the same thought, but figured a word-game had a wider latitude. — David M, Mar 05 '14 at 22:06
@BraddSzonye The no suffix rule is arbitrary. I did it to make the game harder! — David M, Mar 05 '14 at 22:13
Is it just in Australia that we have our own version of the Buffalo sentence? [Fck fcking fcked fcker fcking fckups fck fcking fcked fcking fckup fcking fcker's fck] (http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Fuck_fucking_fucked_fucker_fucking_fuckups_fuck_fucking_fucked_fucking_fuckup_fucking_fucker%27s_fuck) means 'Gosh that very unpleasant drunk man who is frequently scammed by very incompetent people just ruined that incompetent copulating man's act of the horizontal tango'. — long, Mar 05 '14 at 22:30
@BraddSzonye Or how about Like fuck I will! Is that the rare adverbial usage? Or is it a noun phrase? — David M, Mar 05 '14 at 22:39
I'm pretty sure that the answer is every part except articles and conjunctions. Hmm, not sure about prepositions ... — RBarryYoung, Mar 06 '14 at 00:08
@RBarryYoung I got a conjunction, stretching the term a bit, but still. — terdon, Mar 06 '14 at 00:21
I really think that using f*ck on this post is stretching reasonable propriety to its breaking point. The whole post is about fuck and its linguistic versatility, I think we should be allowed to write it. At the very least, it makes absurdly incomprehensible sentences like @long's example a bit easier to parse. — terdon, Mar 06 '14 at 02:37
20 or 30 years ago there was a tongue-in-cheek "scholarly" presentation (audio) played on the local radio station, giving examples of all the ways you could use this word. Of course, the actual word was bleeped out each time. See also Army Creole. — Phil Perry, Mar 06 '14 at 14:16
@PhilPerry it's likely the version linked to by Kristina below. — David M, Mar 06 '14 at 14:20
This page, with all comments expanded, has 117 instances of "fuck" — Cruncher, Mar 06 '14 at 14:55

terdon · Accepted Answer · 2022-04-05T12:50:29.407

21

Noun: "Like fuck you will!."
- Also, since this is contested: Hard as fuck or Yes, thank you, I'd love a fuck.
Pronoun: "I hit fuck-face over there with a baseball bat." (both cheating and plagiarizing @Joe but you said nothing about hyphenated forms)
Adjective: "He's fucked!"
Verb: "I love to fuck while eating duck."
Adverb: "It was fuck hard", yes, apparently it is used by some.
Conjunction: "I went swimming, fuck the cold." (as in, I went swimming despite the cold.)
Preposition: don't think it's possible.
Interjection: "Fuck! I was sure I could find a preposition!"

Extra brownie points (abandoning all pretense at seriousness):

Auxiliary verb:
- progressive aspect : He fucking sleeping dude!
- epistemic modality : Wikipedia's example of How dare you! could be expressed in a single Fuck!.

edited Apr 05 '22 at 12:50

answered Mar 05 '14 at 21:58

terdon

21,559

3

That's not a conjunction, just an interjection. – Janus Bahs Jacquet Mar 05 '14 at 22:14
Hyphenated is OK. It preserves the form well enough. – David M Mar 05 '14 at 22:40
@JanusBahsJacquet fair enough. Will you let me get away with this one? – terdon Mar 05 '14 at 23:36
I'm asking from a genuine place of ignorance: isn't like fuck you will an adverbial use of a noun? Isn't like fuck modifying will? – David M Mar 05 '14 at 23:40
@DavidM not too sure myself. I'd consider it a noun in the same way as hell in like hell you will. I don't see why it's modifying the verb but mine is a place of considerable ignorance as well so I am open to corrections. – terdon Mar 05 '14 at 23:43
@terdon Hell and fuck are definitely nouns, but I think that they are part of a phrase that modifies the way you will. I did find this. – David M Mar 05 '14 at 23:47
@DavidM I added a couple of examples that should be clearer. – terdon Mar 05 '14 at 23:50
I've found "It was fucking hard" to be more common than "It was fuck hard". (And as a construction, it's used quite frequently with a variety of verbs; "You'd better fucking run!" "I'll fucking tell you when I can come up with something else." etc.) – LessPop_MoreFizz Mar 05 '14 at 23:56
@LessPop_MoreFizz I would never use it was fuck hard either, it sounds clumsy and non-native to my ear, that's why I linked to examples. I was not expecting to find any but some do seem to come from native speakers (though I cringe at the thought). – terdon Mar 05 '14 at 23:58
I would have said "fucking baseball bat." – Michael Hampton Mar 06 '14 at 00:18
@MichaelHampton no, fucking has been forbidden by the OP. – terdon Mar 06 '14 at 00:19
1

You know, the word pace can be a preposition when used in sentences like “Nor, pace Mr. Smith, was I for one moment defending immorality in the journalist.” It originated as the ablative singular of Latin pax meaning peace, as in pāce tuā. But I feel like fuck could move into that sort of slot pretty slickly. It would make a nice antonym to the preposition pace. – tchrist Mar 06 '14 at 02:33
@tchrist huh, hadn't come across that usage, thanks. So in that context it means with all due respect, not sure how well "Nor, fuck Mr. Smith" would scan. Sounds too much like a continuation of "I will not marry Mr. Jones...". – terdon Mar 06 '14 at 02:36
Yes, that’s right: the OED says “Used chiefly as a courteous or ironical apology for a contradiction or difference of opinion.” So the fuck Mr Smith would be the opposite of “with all due respect”. Like I have no respect for those bozos. Which is kinda what it means anyway, fuck the authorities, and people will say what they will. – tchrist Mar 06 '14 at 03:33
@tchrist I'd argue that it is still a verb. How is it different from Well I'm going, and fuck the headmaster? – terdon Mar 06 '14 at 03:44
1

You forgot "modal particle". As in: "Just fucking do it." – Tim Seguine Mar 06 '14 at 19:47
1

You, sir, are an artist! I declare you the winner! Please pick up your prize at the SE offices. – David M Mar 07 '14 at 13:34
2

@TimSeguine true, but I did not want to give Nike free advertising. – terdon Mar 07 '14 at 15:58
Sorry to piss on the parade, but I have to call you on a couple. That's not a conjunction and that's not a pronoun. Or if they are then every interjection I can think of could act like a conjunction. Likewise many nouns like a pronoun. Also, your adjective is not modifying a noun, it's a verbal past participle. Also... you can't think of 'fuck' used by itself as the plain primary verb from where this all came? We've all been entertained thoroughly; I humbly submit this in the interest of science. – Mitch Oct 19 '16 at 19:11
1

@JanusBahsJacquet that's absolutely horrible. It actually made me laugh out loud. – terdon Oct 20 '16 at 08:33
@Mitch Piss away! As I'm sure you know, this answer is very much tongue in cheek. Not sure I agree with your objections, mind you, but that is likely down to my own ignorance. I will object to the discrediting of my adjective though. It's modifying a noun, just like fast is in he's fast. It is a past participle but I submit that it's doing the job of an adjective there. Consider the difference between he has been fucked and he is fucked. It's as much an adjective as finished. – terdon Oct 20 '16 at 08:37
it would be an adjective if you could say 'the fucked man'. That doesn't work for me (though it may for you). 2) we're talking about 'fuck' not 'fucked'. You definitely can't say 'the fuck man'

Mitch

Oct 20 '16 at 11:52

@Mitch awww! Dammit! I hadn't noticed that fucked was against the rules. And I've been basking in the glow of my answer for almost two years now! Fair point about the fucked man. It doesn't work for me either, I'll need to think about that. – terdon Oct 20 '16 at 12:07

@Mitch I agree with you about the conjunction. But I have to disagree about the participle: a participle can be said to be both adjective and verb at once, which I think is the only sensible way to classify it. The fact that it is not used attributively in this case doesn't mean it isn't an adjective: attributive use is only one aspect of adjectives. Cf. able, which cannot be used before a noun in its most frequent sense, but which is normally classified as an adjective. – Cerberus - Reinstate Monica Oct 20 '16 at 13:51

score 10 · Answer 2 · edited Mar 06 '14 at 08:43

Here you go, the f-word used in all parts of speech, with a classical music background (this is a classic): http://youtu.be/7LZSUYoNPMs

The transcript in its entirety (sorry for all the f-bombs!):

One of the most interesting words in the English language today is the word ‘fuck’. It is a magical word. Just by its sound it can describe, pain, pleasure, hate and love. In language it falls into many grammatical categories. It can be used as a verb both transitive: “John fucked Mary” and intransitive: “Mary was fucked by John” and as a noun: “Mary is a fine Fuck”. It can be used as an adjective: “Mary is fucking beautiful”. As you can see, there are not many words with the versatility of fuck. Besides the sexual meaning there are also the following uses. Ignorance: Fucked if I know. Trouble: I guess I am fucked now! Fraud: I got fucked at the used car lot. Aggression: Fuck you! Displeasure: What the fuck is going on here? Difficulty: I can’t understand this fucking job! Incompetence: He is a fuck-off! Suspicion: What the fuck are you doing? Enjoyment: I had a fucking good time! Request: Get the fuck out of here! Hostility: I’m going to knock your fucking head off! Greeting: How the fuck are you? Apathy: Who gives a fuck. Innovation: Get a bigger fucking hammer. Surprise: Fuck! You scared the shit out of me. Anxiety: Today is really fucked. [HiveFunnies] Source: LYBIO.net And it is very healthy too! If every morning you do it as a transcendental meditation just when you get up first thing repeat the mantra: ‘Fuck you’ : five time. It clears your throat too!

Very funny! But DISQUALIFIED! Too many variants! I'm looking for the unmodified f-word here!!!! — David M, Mar 05 '14 at 20:57
You have to admit, @DavidM, that variety is the spice of life and that most uses of the f-word in its unmodified form, short of "Fck you!", "What the fck?", "He wants to fck", "She is a good fck", are cram-jobs, if you'll pardon the expression. :-) — Kristina Lopez, Mar 05 '14 at 21:01

score 7 · Answer 3 · edited Jun 21 '15 at 19:28

7

Noun: "Fuck you, you fuck."
Pronoun: "I hit fuck over there with a baseball bat."
Adjective: "And they leave a fuck stain on my couch."
Verb: "They fuck all the time."
Adverb: "She fuck(ing) screams so loud, I got a noise complaint."
Conjunction: "I take Viagra, fuck I last all night."
Preposition: "Come fuck me later."
Interjection: "Fuck! I stubbed my toe."

edited Jun 21 '15 at 19:28

clickbait

230

answered Mar 05 '14 at 21:08

Joe

175

2

Not buying the adverb Joe. You know that should be "f*cking". :-) – Kristina Lopez Mar 05 '14 at 21:14
Nice one with the pronoun, but that's not really a preposition (it's an infinitive verb), and the conjunction doesn't scan for me. – Bradd Szonye Mar 05 '14 at 21:16
Also, that adjective smells more like a noun adjunct to me. – Bradd Szonye Mar 05 '14 at 21:17
2

@KristinaLopez, I'm obviously trying to shoehorn it in, but I disagree; I think it qualifies the verb quite nicely. Using "f'ing screams" is more just a filler. As I'm sure we all know, a fuck scream is very different than a normal scream. – Joe Mar 05 '14 at 21:22
@BraddSzonye I think the preposition is close enough to "Come over later" for the example, but granted, it's a stretch. As to the adjective, "fuckstain" or "fuck-stain" would be a noun, but being literal, it does qualify the nature of the stain, thus I'm sticking with adjective. – Joe Mar 05 '14 at 21:25
5

ok, I'm withdrawing my comment... "fck scream" could work, but I'd be inclined to insert a hyphen. ("She fck-screams so loud, I got a noise complaint.") :-) – Kristina Lopez Mar 05 '14 at 21:25
@KristinaLopez, fair enough on the withdrawal (rim-shot waiting to happen...) and possible hyphenation (I'd likely do that as well, but that's no fun for this exercise). – Joe Mar 05 '14 at 21:27
Nouns can modify other nouns; that's what a noun adjunct is. It's also problematic for David's question in general, because using fuck as a modifier doesn't really make it an adjective. – Bradd Szonye Mar 05 '14 at 21:38
1

But since noun adjuncts function as adjectives, ipso facto, doesn't that conform to the rules of the game? – Joe Mar 05 '14 at 21:42
8

Your preposition is actually a proposition, not the same thing! – terdon Mar 05 '14 at 21:51
5

That preposition is more than just a stretch—it's nonsensical. It would, if it made sense, make for a great possible fuckquences (like sequences, but fucktual): “The fuck you fucking fuck, fuck?” (In real English: “What the fuck are you fucking with, you fuck?”) – Janus Bahs Jacquet Mar 05 '14 at 22:18

score 2 · Answer 4 · answered Oct 19 '16 at 18:42

2

An important contribution to research on fuck is the classic article by Quang, English sentences without overt grammatical subject.

answered Oct 19 '16 at 18:42

Greg Lee

17,406

score 0 · Answer 5 · edited Mar 06 '14 at 13:16

Here is another video where the versatility of the word Fuck is explained.

Transcript

Osho used this sketch on the word fuck first in a talk in 1980 and repeated it again in this later talk. We have seen the original of this sketch being attributed to Jack Wagner, George Carlin and Monty Python - no one seems to be sure.

"When Friedrich Nietzsche declared, "God is dead," he himself became utterly helpless no consolation, no hope, no meaning. He had to go through a long process of insanity.

Nietzsche seems to me to be the most important figure that has dominated the world in this century. Without any argument his statement has infiltrated into every mind. But he was not aware of the implications. I have no problem if God is dead. There is no need to mourn his death.

The problem is that if God is dead, then you lose the most important word in your language and you will need a substitute. God was one end, one extreme, and when one extreme disappears from your mental vision, the necessary and inevitable is that you will fall to the other extreme.

And that's what has happened, Milarepa. Instead of God, `fuck' has become the most important word in our language. Even if Friedrich Nietzsche comes back, he will be surprised and he will try to resurrect somehow the dead God, because this is stupid. But you will need a whole report on it, a whole research.

One of the most interesting words in the English language today is the word `fuck'. It is a magical word. Just by its sound it can describe pain, pleasure, hate and love. In language it falls into many grammatical categories. It can be used as a verb, both transitive, "John fucked Mary," and intransitive, "Mary was fucked by John", and as a noun, "Mary is a fine fuck." It can be used as an adjective, "Mary is fucking beautiful." As you can see, there are not many words with the versatility of fuck. Besides the sexual meaning, there are also the following uses:

• Ignorance: Fucked if I know.
• Trouble: I guess I am fucked now!
• Fraud: I got fucked at the used car lot.
• Aggression: Fuck you!
• Displeasure: What the fuck is going on here?
• Difficulty: I can't understand this fucking job.
• Incompetence: He is a fuck-off.
• Suspicion: What the fuck are you doing?
• Enjoyment: I had a fucking good time.
• Request: Get the fuck out of here.
• Hostility: I'm going to knock your fucking head off.
• Greeting: How the fuck are you?
• Apathy: Who gives a fuck?
• Innovation: Get a bigger fucking hammer.
• Surprise: Fuck! You scared the shit out of me!
• Anxiety: Today is really fucked.

And it is very healthy if every morning you do it as a transcendental meditation just when you get up, first thing, repeat the mantra "fuck you" five times; it clears your throat too!

Funny, but I was looking for description of the actual parts of speech, not the mere usage. — David M, Mar 06 '14 at 03:39
This not only doesn't answer the question, it's also the exact same transcript, bar the irrelevant background on Osho and Nietzsche as @Kristina's answer above. — terdon, Mar 06 '14 at 13:38

score 0 · Answer 6 · answered Mar 07 '14 at 13:32

A friend on our sister site Arqade @MBraedley suggested this gem, but he didn't post it as I had hoped:

Use of the F-word in Canada.

Though many of the references are over my head as being too Canada specific, this is a brilliant piece of artistry!

How many different parts of speech can the f-word be used as?

6 Answers6

Extra brownie points (abandoning all pretense at seriousness):

Linked