unpredictable

[anacrucis]

It occurs to me that "unpredictable" is an adjective that is attributed to the subject, but actually describes a state that is owned not by the subject but by the one doing the describing - namely an inability to predict the behavior of the subject

Comments

[aunticrist]

Death is unpredictable.

In the end it comes down to what is being attributed the adjective. :)

[anacrucis]

I don't follow.

[aunticrist]

In your example, the person A was saying that cats are unpredictable, when really meaning that they (person A) could not predict a cat's behavior, thereby attributing an adjective to something that in and of itself was not in fact unpredictable. I was just citing something that was in fact unpredictable in nature and pointing out that ultimately it depends on what the adjective, in this case "upredictable" is being applied to.

[anacrucis]

I still don't follow. What do you mean death is unpredictable "by it's nature." You are person A. You are arguing to me that cats are unpredictable by their nature. Discuss.