Is twists a noun?
yes and no. it depends on how you look at it. this can be
answered in a couple of different ways:
1. in the sentence, "the cloth needs you twisting it to release
the water," twisting is referred to as a verb. this is since the
"you" is doing the action of twisting the cloth. in this case the
answer is no
2. if the sentence was twisted (no pun intended) into "the
twisting of the cloth brings out the water," twisting is referred
to as a noun since there is a definite article preceding it. a
person nor the cloth is doing the action of twisting by portraying
it as a noun. in this case the answer is yes
in simpler terms, if twisting is being done, it is a verb, and
if twisting is preceded by an article or nothing is specifically
doing the twisting, it is a noun. however, you cannot infer that
someone is twisting the cloth if it doesn't necessarily say that is
the sentence.