"fucking" is defiantly an adjective, describing what kind of great "it" is. i think "just" is the adverb, modifying "is" and you can re-write it more clearly as "It just is fucking great"

What I don't get is not why people say it, but why people don't, afterall it's what we don't say that creates taboo. Why write F*cking, when you clearly mean fucking. I mean, taking the "u" out doesnt really make a difference... obviously, eeeeeveryone can tell eeeeexactly what you are saying, but like someone hiding behind some transparent shield, you take the "u" off to be on the safe side and not, for god sake, be though of as swearing...

now why do ppl do it (the censorship)? that is the intersting question... if you dont want to upset a swearing-sensitive nature, or give bad examples to younger generations putting a little asterix wont really do it...

as for the adjective vs adverb argument, silly and uninteresting really, clearly an excuse for someone who really badly wanted to swear in public, but couldnt think of a better excuse, at least do it properly man! ;)

What's an example of laughing or f**king used as an adjective?

By the way, a gerund is a noun made from a verb plus ing. F**king is a fun activity.

I can't believe people are taking offense to the mere hilarity of breaking down the semantics of an incorrectly over-used adjective, adverb, or gerund. It is a grossly degrading word, and Mr. Baumeister has made aware that the pop culture's use of such "a richly meaningful word to denote something as pedestrian as 'very' is to squander a cultural resource." So funny, so genius!

Useful or not this little tidbit made me laugh

This reminded me of an audio clip someone sent to me several years ago that I have forwarded to many people. I see that it's on YouTube now (though I think I like it better as audio only, without the misspellings). It's still funny, no matter how long it's been around.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCcCzj_yRtk

I've heard "it's OK - it's all been unfucked up now", as well as "he's totally unfuckable".

I'm also fascinated by why "fuck" is unacceptable. We can say horrific things to and about others and ourselves, yet a simple four letter word is considered beyond the pale. The real question is why our culture despises bodies and sex so much that names for natural body parts and functions are considered obscene and used in a denigrating and/or aggressive way.

"Fucking" does not need a "-ly" marker just in the way that other comparative adverbs like "more, most, least, and less" require none. Maybe it ain't an adverb even, it's a simple gerund and thus does not fit into the "dustbin of word categories".

Just in case you want to stick with the old adverb theories and categories anyway..

This blog was very funny but I don't think f*cking is a substitute for "very" it is at the very least a substitute for "extremely." I also think it is the widespread misuse of the word that actually lends the word it's power. Something can be really awsome or f*cking awsome. The latter has a bit more oomph. It laughs in the face of grammatical correctness and seems to say "I feel so strongly about something I can't be tied down to some stupid "f*cking rules." :)

A recent film that has drawn considerable controversy is "Young People F**king." I've seen it and it is pretty tame, content-wise. As far as I can tell, the *only* reason it has drawn criticisms is because of the F-word in the title. How anal are these Christian conservatives?! See my film review of it: http://goodsexnetwork.com/wordpress2/2008/07/06/ypf/

Interesting, cute, funny but there don't seem to be any women having a consensual f*^# in your universe.

Is it ironic that someone making an argument, based on linguistic purity, for a new adverbial form of a very common (pun!) word would confuse gerunds and present participles? If the difference between adjectives and adverbs is so important, why not the difference between nouns and adjectives?

I'm afraid Mr. Baumeister just failed at funny... and grammar.

Fuck -
a) noun, a synonym for sex (i.e She likes a good fuck)
b) verb, to fuck, the action of having sex (Mary and James like to fuck in the park)
c) an exclamation of extreme displeasure (i.e "You are fired." "FUCK!")
Past tense: fucked (i.e. We fucked the other day)

Fucking -
a) adjective, denoting a great amount of or ridiculous degree of (i.e. That's a fucking ton of garbage; This is just fucking ridiculous!)
b) adverb, denoting a great degree or intensity of action (i.e. When that dog came after me, I just fucking ran; I've got to fucking study for this next test)

Fucked -
a) Past tense of fuck
b) The state of being in a situation that cannot be resolved favorably (i.e Mary saw James kissing Sally. James is fucked.)

Fucker -
Derogatory term used to denote someone who engages in actions that result in unfavorable consequences for others (i.e. That fucker just keyed my car!)

Conjugation of to fuck, in past tense:
I fucked
You fucked
He/She/It fucked
We fucked
They fucked

present tense:
I am fucking
You are fucking
He/She/It is fucking
We are fucking
They are fucking

future tense:
I will fuck
You will fuck
He/She/It will fuck
We will fuck
The will fuck

And here's the obligatory George Carlin link (NSFW language): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_Nrp7cj_tM

Rest in fucking peace, man.