Apedia

Drunken Shouted Drunks Men Describe Noun Rarely Person

Idx 0909
Keyword drunken
Type of Sentence
Error Sentence One of the two drunken men shouted at me.
Correct Sentence One of the two drunks shouted at me.
Cloze Error Sentence One of the two [[drunken men]] shouted at me.
Cloze Sentence One of the two [[drunks]] shouted at me.
Cloze Answer drunks
Choices drunken men | drunks
Explanation

Drunken is rarely used to describe a person. It usually describes an action or event: 'drunken driving', 'drunken laughter', 'a drunken brawl', 'a drunken orgy'. The exception is 'drunken drivers' (usually drunk drivers in AmE). Drunken always comes before a noun.

To describe a person, use drunk (NOT drunken ): 'I think he wanted to get us all drunk.' 'One of the students was always getting drunk.' Drunk is not used before a noun.

When you mean 'a person who is drunk', use a drunk: 'A couple of drunks were causing a disturbance.'

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