linguisticsgirl.com: ... In my mind, grammatical *form**(what a word looks like) is clearly separate from grammatical function (what a word does). From ODO: 2.1. Any of the ways in which a word may be spelled, pronounced, or inflected 4.2. [count noun] A set order of words; a formula:
When Michael J. Fox played 'Johnny B. Goode' as Marty McFly in 'Back to the Future' in 1985, he was just aping Chuck Berry's classic fretwork for the camera. (Along with some Jimi Hendrix, Eddie Van Halen and Pete Townsend guitar moves thrown in for good measure.) Today, Fox can really play the song.
Toyota teases Back to the Future Tacoma. Toyota is teasing what could be a special edition Tacoma or a one-off custom commemorating the Back to the Future films. Marty McFly, the trilogyâs hero played by Michael J. Fox, may have done his time traveling in a DeLorean, but his dream car was a 1985 Toyota SR5 4WD. Itâs waiting for him in the garage when he returns from changing the past to the âgoodâ timeline.