alt text

[freemont]

noun e.g.: I have ham and cheese in my sandwiches on alternate lunches.

Nah. noun e.g.: "Juror number seven had an aneurysm, so they used an
alternate."

 

[Harlan Messinger]

Nah. noun e.g.: "Juror number seven had an aneurysm, so they used an
alternate."

But that's the usage where non-US speakers would understand it to mean
that juror number seven and his alternate take turns occupying the jury
box, not that one is a permanent replacement (alternative) for the other.

 

[Allodoxaphobia]

Indeed. Outside the US, alternate means, as a verb "to switch between
alternatives" and as an adjective it roughly means "every second" (by
"second", I mean the ordinal of two, not the unit of time).

verb e.g.: I like to alternate between ham sandwiches and cheese
sandwiches for lunch.

noun e.g.: I have ham and cheese in my sandwiches on alternate lunches.

*That* is an adjective.

 

[Jonathan N. Little]

*That* is an adjective.

Correct, noun e.g.: If John cannot make it then Sam will be the alternate.

 

[Harlan Messinger]

Correct, noun e.g.: If John cannot make it then Sam will be the alternate.

That's the US sense, i.e., the usage that means "alternative", "instead
of", "replacement for". There is no sense of "alternating" or "taking
turns" in this example, as in the other examples.

 

[Jonathan N. Little]

Jonathan N. Little wrote:

That's the US sense, i.e., the usage that means "alternative", "instead
of", "replacement for". There is no sense of "alternating" or "taking
turns" in this example, as in the other examples.

I thought the different cases of the word not the meaning where being
discussed.

Anyway, with respect to "alt" as the attribute of the "img" element, is
it not more applicable as the noun form "alternate" when the image is
not available rather than to "alternate" to switch between the image and
the text?

 

[dorayme]

I thought the different cases of the word not the meaning where being
discussed.

It was first raised as a point about meaning. Then it got into fancier
linguistic territory where you are presently entangled judging by the
below.

 

[Allodoxaphobia]

Correct, noun e.g.: If John cannot make it then Sam will be the alternate.

I believe that is still an adjective.

"Sam will be the alternate juror."
"Sam will be the alternate." --
where, "juror" is the _implied_ object of the sentence and
"alternate" is the modifier.

Jonesy

 

[Jonathan N. Little]

I believe that is still an adjective.

"Sam will be the alternate juror."
"Sam will be the alternate." --
where, "juror" is the _implied_ object of the sentence and
"alternate" is the modifier.

Yes it could be, but also one can be an alternate (noun) Dictionaries
list that it can indeed be a noun:

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/alternate
alternate - Definitions from Dictionary.com