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.
Marty McFlyâs shoes say, âIâm a time jumping adventurer with style thatâs literally ahead of my time.â You used to have to borrow a DeLorean time machine from Doc Brown just to get a pair, since theyâre only available to the alternate reality 2015 seen in the movies, but we pulled a few strings.