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Stranger
Str. And the vocal sign applied to those who perform the actions in question we call a noun.
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Theaetetus
Theaet. Exactly.
Stranger
Str. Hence discourse is never composed of nouns alone spoken in succession, nor of verbs spoken without nouns.
Theaetetus
Theaet. I do not understand that.
Stranger
Str. I see; you evidently had something else in mind when you assented just now; for what I wished to say was just this, that verbs and nouns do not make discourse if spoken successively in this way.
Theaetetus
Theaet. In what way?
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Stranger
Str. For instance, walks, runs, sleeps and the other verbs which denote actions, even if you utter all there are of them in succession, do not make discourse for all that.
Theaetetus
Theaet. No, of course not.
Stranger
Str. And again, when lion, stag, horse, and all other names of those who perform these actions are uttered, such a succession of words does not yet make discourse; for in neither case do the words uttered indicate action or inaction or existence of anything that exists or does not exist, until the verbs are mingled with the nouns; then the words fit, and their first combination is a sentence, about the first and shortest form of discourse.
Theaetetus
Theaet. What do you mean by that?
Stranger
Str. When one says a man learns, you agree that this is the least and first of sentences, do you not?
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