What grammar entity is this: a "product number"? How can a noun become an adjective (if it does at all)?
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Please note that English Language & Usage (EL&U) is a question and answer site for linguists, etymologists, and serious English language enthusiasts. Have you looked up any of the many online resources before asking here? For further information about what's expected in a question on our EL&U site, see [Ask]. For your reference, note that our other site [ell.se] offers a wealth of information that's useful for both native speakers and learners. :-) – Chappo Hasn't Forgotten Oct 30 '18 at 02:31
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Possible duplicate of Is the noun "device" correctly used as a modifier in the phrase "the device box"? – Chappo Hasn't Forgotten Oct 30 '18 at 02:34
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Possible duplicate of "Attributive Noun" vs " Compound Noun" – Scott - Слава Україні Oct 30 '18 at 03:54
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See also What is the specific rule for attributive nouns? – Scott - Слава Україні Oct 30 '18 at 03:54
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This is an open compound noun. "Product" is not an adjective but a noun adjunct to "number", specifying that this is not just a number but one that identifies a product. Some more common examples of this construction are "chicken soup", "train ticket", and "toy soldier".
Alan T.
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1@ivanavdeyev Theoretically (see Wikipedia's exceedingly long headline example), but not every instance is in common usage. I'm not sure if there are particular rules attached beyond what would "sound weird" to a native speaker. – Alan T. Oct 29 '18 at 18:43
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It seems the only way to master it to learn real usage examples (I hope this sequence works!) in the environment of native speakers. For example: the company president or the president of the company? Or both? – ivanavdeyev Oct 29 '18 at 21:06