INTRODUCTION TO WORD CLASSES AND PHRASE CLASSES: THE ADJECTIVE PHRASE

By Dante Gobo

Word class: Adjectives

Single or compound words that modify nouns. They can be used before nouns or after linking verbs

The formation of adjectives

There are several methods to form new adjectives from other word types

Adding a suffix

Many adjecives are formed by adding a suffix to a noun or verb. The most common ones are:
Suffix -y -ly -ful -less -ous -able -ent Example Suffix -ive -al -ical -en -ish -an -ian Example sunny, rainy, windy friendly colourful, beautiful endless, careless continuous, nervous drinkable, honourable different, violent active, effective brutal, fundamental logical, phisical wooden English, Spanish American Argentinian

Participle adjectives

We use adjectives derived from present participes (-ing form) to describe the source or cause of an action or feeling.
e.g.

I dont remember such a boring film like that one.

We use adjectives derived from past participles (-ed form) to describe the one(s) affected by the action or feeling.
e.g.

He got tired after working so many hours at the office.

Compound adjectives

They are combinations that consist of:

An

adjective + a noun or an adverb fast-food restaurant, full-time jobs, highlysensitive issue

participle form + adjective, adverb or noun slow-moving traffic, home-cooked meal, handwritten paper, freshly-made line * Compounds with present participles are often based on active verbs, past participle compunds are often based on passive verb

Nouns used as adjectives

Nouns that refer o subsance, places, seasons and pars of a whole can be used as adjecives
e.g.

summer holiday, cottom clothes, stone wall, gold medal, garden table.
*In

this type of consruction both words are stress, so as to make difference with a compound construction.

Adjectives used as nouns

We can use some adjectives after the as nouns to talk about:

Specific group in society (singular noun, plural form of the verb) e.g. The rich arent happier than the poor. People, teams, governments of a nationality (plural nouns, except to word ending in -ch; -sh; -se; -ss) e.g. The Italians prefer eating their traditional food whereas the English prefer eating exotic food. Abstract ideas (singular form of the verb) e.g. The unknown sometimes scares me.

The position of adjectives

Attributive position

Adjectives are used attributely when they qualify a noun. They usually occur before the noun they describe.
e.g.

gentle man, red apple, short distance, funny laugh

However, there are some exceptions

Expressing

measurement (two metres long) With indefinite pronouns (theres nothing new) Reduced relative clause (its a treatment suitable for us)

Predicative position

Adjectives are used predicatively when they qualify a noun after a linking verb (i.e.) they form part of the predicate.
e.g.

She looks angry; we were happy at that time; Ive never felt so upset before.

Some adjectives formed by the prefix a- (alike, afraid, aware, alone) are always used in a predicative position.
e.g.

She stayed alone all night.

Emphasizing, describing and classifying adjectives

Emphasizing adjectives

They are used to emphasise or intensify your feeling about something (e.g. mere, total, entire, complete, perfect,etc.)
The

house was in a complete mess. She spent the entire day at the shopping.
*This

type of adjective usually occurs in attributive position.

Describing adjectives

They are used to give the quality that a person or thing has. We can use them in both predicative and attributive position.
e.g.

a jealous girl.

the girl is jealous.

If more than one describing adjective appear before a noun, we must put them in a determine position according to their meanings. Opinion-Size-Phiscal quality-Age-ShapeColour
e.g.

Theres a lovely old black chair in her room.

Classifying adjectives

They are used to say that something is of a particular type (e.g. chemical, common, medical, occassional, nuclear, etc.)
e.g.

nuclear power, common mistake, occasional meeting

When we use more than one classifying adjective, we put them in a particular position. Location-Origin-Material-Type-Purpose
e.g.

I have a French leather coat for sale.

*This

type of adjective generally occurs in attribute position

Gradable & non-gradable adjectives

Differences

Gradable adjectives can be used with adverb of degree to say that a thing or person has more or less of a particular quality.
e.g.

clever, long, sad, scared, imaginative, old

Non-gradable adjectives do not usually imagine degrees of a quality, since they have an absolute meaning or they classify something. They can occur with adverbs which emphasise their nature.
e.g.

possible, huge, domestic, excellent, dead, alive

Similarities

Some adjecives have both senses with a clear difference in meaning (false, late, original, empty)
e.g.

common mistake

common interests

Some adjectives have both senses with a similar meaning; when they are gradable they refer to a describing verb, when they are nongradable they refer to a classifying adjective (adult, scientific, private, [nationalities])
e.g.

wild look

wild animal

Comparison of adjectives

Equative form

Equitatives are marked by asas or not so/asas to say that a person, thing or action is equal (or not) to another in some way. We can also use adverbs like just or only before the equative.
e.g.

Im just as old as him. Shes not as/so agressive as her younger siser.

If we put a singular noun in this construction, we use an indefinite article in front of the noun.
e.g.

She was as patient a teacher as anyone

Comparative form

It is used to say that a person, thing or action has more or less of a quality than another. We usually put more or less before long forms and add -er to short forms (there are exceptions as well)
e.g.

Some ideas are less practical than others. that something is increasing or

We can use comparative forms to:

Emphasise

decreasing e.g. Its getting more and more difficult. Say that one development is connected to another

Superlative form

It is used to say that people, things or actions have the most or least of a quality. We put the most or the least before long forms and add est to short ones (there are some exceptions as well).
e.g.

Danny has the most exciting job in the world.

We often use the superlative form with a perfect tense construction to show an experience.
e.g.

It was the funniest film Ive ever seen.

Adjective phrase

Definition

An adjective phrase is a non-clausal structure that may typically function as:

(1)

subject attributive (with linking verbs) e.g. She is interested in poetry. (2) object attribute e.g. Our proposal made him very happy. (3) premodifier of a noun phrase head e.g. Her Italian red car was broken down yesterday

Parts

The adjective phrase is formed by a head, which is typically an adjective, and two other elements that may or may not occur:
A

premodifier, which must be an adverb (e.g. adverbs of degree, too, etc) A postmodifier, which can be a prepositional phrase, a that-clause, to-infinitive clause, enough, etc.

Postmodification
When an adjective comes after a linking verb, it can occur with a number of patterns following it.

Adjective + prep. phrase

Some adjectives usually take a fixed preposition after them. For examples: worried about, interested in, familiar with, afraid of, angry at/about, etc.
e.g.

Im not familiar with this instrument.

Adjective + toinfinitive

For example: careful, crazy, curious, foolish, free, welcome, hard, impossible, easy
e.g.

It was hard to say goodbay.

It-sentence
e.g.

It was funny to see him acting like that. It makes me difficult to leave the town.

In a infinitive construction,the subject of both clauses are the same

e.g.

We are ready to go after him.

Adjective + thatclause

For example: aware, confident, hopeful, afraid, alarmed, pleased, etc.

e.g.

Im confident that we can reach the top five.

In a that-clause, the subject of the clauses can be different

e.g.

I was afraid that the bus was going to crash.

That-clause with should (formal)

e.g.

Im ashamed that you should have done it.

Adjective + -ing form

For example: busy, no good, worth, feel guily/ awful/bad/good/terrible

e.g.

I felt terrible leaving you alone.

Some adjectives can be used with a toinfinitive or or with an ing form, such as crazy, foolish, mad or stupid
e.g.

Hed be stupid to leave/leaving now

In informal speech we can also use the ing form in the it-sentence.
e.g.

Its easy understanding her.