I think you can have both. You could start out not knowing what you can do to any noun and through attempting verbs->noun you can build a library of options. On

I think you can have both. You could start out not knowing what you can do to any noun and through attempting verbs->noun you can build a library of options. Once you know you can apply a verb to a noun that "unlocks" the noun->verb menu. That would retain the "discovery" aspect of the game while also providing the convenience. You could even spin it into a game mechanic with "confusion" (randomizing your noun->verb options) and "amnesia" (erasing your noun->verb options).