Here's a breakdown of the patterns observed in the concordance lines for "hell-bent," organized into the requested sections:
1. Overall Tone and Sentiment
The overall tone associated with "hell-bent" is negative. It suggests an obsessive, often destructive, determination, and implies a disregard for consequences or opposing viewpoints. The sentiment is generally critical or disapproving.
2. Semantic Prosody
The semantic prosody of "hell-bent" is overwhelmingly negative. It frequently appears in contexts involving conflict, destruction, stubbornness, and negative outcomes. The phrase rarely, if ever, appears in a positive or neutral context.
3. Types of Actors Described
The actors described as "hell-bent" are diverse, ranging from individuals (e.g., politicians, fictional characters, ordinary people) to groups (e.g., political parties, governments, organizations). This suggests the phrase is applicable across various levels of agency.
4. Verbs Associated
Common verbs associated with "hell-bent" include "on" + gerunds (e.g., "hell-bent on destroying," "hell-bent on making"), as well as verbs of motion or action suggesting intense effort (e.g., "going," "rushing"). This reinforces the sense of forceful pursuit of a goal.
5. Types of Goals Pursued
The goals pursued by those described as "hell-bent" are varied, but often involve achieving power, exacting revenge, imposing a particular ideology, or engaging in self-destructive behavior. The goals are frequently controversial or harmful.
6. Collocations
Common collocations include "hell-bent on + gerund," as mentioned above. Other frequent words appearing near "hell-bent" include adverbs intensifying the determination (e.g., "so hell-bent"), and nouns describing negative consequences (e.g., "destruction," "revenge").
7. Geographic/Demographic Associations
There is no strong geographic or demographic association with the use of "hell-bent." The examples come from a variety of sources and contexts, suggesting the phrase is widely understood and used.
8. Register/Formality
"Hell-bent" appears to be relatively informal. While it can appear in news articles or analytical pieces, it often carries a slightly colloquial or expressive tone.
9. Syntactic Patterns
The most common syntactic pattern is "X is/are hell-bent on Y," where X is the actor and Y is the goal. The phrase typically functions as a predicate adjective modifying the subject (the actor).
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