A rope. that you jump over.

mike d: so I figured we could warm up by jump roping.
jesse: I’ve always wondered if it was jump roping, or jumping rope.
mike d: Jumping rope sounds better. but what if you pluralize it… jumping ropes? or… jumps… (much confusion)… roping?
jesse: bye mike. ::hangs up::

8 thoughts on “A rope. that you jump over.

  • 9/20/2004 at 12:12 pm
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    The bigger question is why would you need to “pluralize” the verb.
    It just doesn’t make sense.

    Mike was jumping rope.
    Mike and Jesse were jumping rope.

    I was jumping rope.
    We were jumping rope.

    I think I know what’s on MikeD’s Christmas list this year…
    Little Book of Verbs

    Reply
  • 9/21/2004 at 7:57 am
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    jesse and mike were playing double dutch, jumping ropes.

    Reply
  • 4/25/2006 at 4:04 pm
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    When used as a noun, you can look at “jump rope” two ways:
    1) It is a compound noun or
    2) “Rope” is a noun with the modifier “jump.”

    Either way, “jump” is not a verb. It’s
    either part of the noun or an adjective.

    In my opinion, when you use a jump rope, you
    are jump roping.

    Consider a dune buggy. When you use it,
    are you dune buggying? …or duning buggy?

    Reply
  • 4/26/2006 at 11:12 am
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    Dude, this post is almost two years old….

    Ok, sure, ‘jump’ is not a verb in the pair “jump rope”, but it *is* a verb.

    What action are you doing when jumping rope/jump roping? You are jumping. You are not roping. Hailing from a state where rodeos are commonplace, roping is an entirely different verb, used in such events as ‘calf roping’, ‘team roping’, and ‘steer roping.’

    In these actions, you are physically putting a rope around a calf or steer. If it were “jump roping”, you’d be tying up a jump? That doesn’t make any sense, George.

    Also, check out the Wikipedia article about jump ropes. It uses both ‘jumping rope’ and ‘rope jumping’ in the same article. Get it straight, Wikipedia!

    Reply
  • 4/26/2006 at 1:07 pm
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    George! thanks for the comment!

    Despite the few years of mulling time, I’m still a little confused with this topic. I think George makes an excellent comment, and I like the dune buggy reference. Does anyone know an English teacher who could set the story straight once and for all?

    Reply
  • 4/26/2006 at 4:00 pm
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    Because jump rope is a compound noun
    (which can be used as a verb), you cannot
    separate the two word parts. As you pointed
    out, “roping” certainly has an entirely
    different meaning than any form of the
    word “jump rope.”

    Jump in not a verb in “jump rope.”
    Just because “jump” has a form that is a
    verb, you are somehow assuming
    it is a verb here.

    How about a “jump jet?” If you are traveling
    around in one, are you “jumping jet?”
    I don’t think so.

    How about “jet skis?” If you are using them,
    are you “jetting skis?”

    Reply
  • 4/26/2006 at 6:35 pm
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    The phrase “jumps roping” is hilarious and I will endeavour to use it next time I will be… er… jumps roping.

    Reply

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