Question

Word usage - Find a correct match of the grammatical function with the usage of the word still

Answer 1

Step 1 — Understand the word 'still':
The word still in English is versatile and can function as a noun, adjective, verb, and adverb depending on the context.

Step 2 — Check each usage:
1. Noun: “He wanted some stills for a magazine.” → Here, stills means still photographs (single images, not moving). Correct as a noun.

2. Adjective: “Still waters run deep.” → Here, still describes the waters as calm, not moving. Correct as an adjective.

3. Verb: “The good news makes me still my fears.” → Here, still means to quieten or make calm. Correct as a verb.

4. Adverb: “Will you still love me when I am old and gray.” → Here, still means ‘continuing to’ or ‘even then.’ Correct as an adverb.

Step 3 — Conclude:
All four usages given (Noun, Adjective, Verb, Adverb) are grammatically correct and meaningful.

Answer: The correct match is All of the above (1, 2, 3, and 4).

Answer 2

An alternate way to confirm all four uses is to run each example through a simple grammatical test rather than only reading the meaning.

1. Test for noun: "He wanted some stills for a magazine" - the word takes a plural "-s" and follows the article "some," a behaviour only a noun shows, so this use passes as a noun.
2. Test for adjective: "Still waters run deep" - the word sits directly before the noun "waters" and answers the question "what kind of waters," a clear adjective test.
3. Test for verb: "The good news makes me still my fears" - the word takes a direct object, "fears," which only a verb can do, confirming the verb use.
4. Test for adverb: "Will you still love me when I am old and gray" - the word sits next to the verb "love" and answers "to what extent or how long," exactly what an adverb does.

Running each sentence through its matching grammatical test confirms that all four part-of-speech uses are valid.

Hence, the correct answer is All of the above.