What part of speech is "sleeping cat"? - briefly
"Sleeping cat" is a noun phrase acting as a compound noun. It refers to a specific entity, in this case, a cat that is sleeping.
What part of speech is "sleeping cat"? - in detail
The phrase "sleeping cat" is not a single part of speech but rather a noun phrase consisting of two parts: a gerund and a noun. Let's break it down in detail.
Firstly, consider the word "sleeping." This is a present participle or gerund, which functions as both a verb and a noun. As a verb, it indicates ongoing action; as a noun, it refers to the action itself. In this context, "sleeping" serves as an adjective modifying the noun "cat," describing its state of being asleep.
Next, consider the word "cat." This is a noun and the head of the phrase. It denotes a specific object or entity, in this case, a feline animal. The phrase "sleeping cat" thus describes a cat that is currently in the act of sleeping.
In grammatical terms, "sleeping cat" is a compound adjective where the gerund "sleeping" modifies the noun "cat." This entire phrase can then function as an adjective to describe another noun, for example: "The sleeping cat was curled up on the bed." Here, "sleeping cat" describes the state of the cat lying on the bed.
Therefore, while "sleeping cat" is not a single part of speech, it functions as a descriptive phrase that can act as an adjective when used in a sentence to modify another noun.