GRAMMAR I

OTHER SYNTACTIC ROLES OF ADJECTIVES

Besides their attributive and predicative uses, adjectives can serve several other roles
including postposed modifiers, noun phrase heads, clause linkers, free modifiers and
exclamations.

Adjectives as postposed modifiers: a postposed modifier is part of a noun phrase but it

follows the head. They are most common with compound indefinite pronouns as heads such as: no
one, anything or somebody. They also appear in fixed expressions e.g. attorney general, heir
apparent, notary public, Asia Minor. Similarly, when a modifying adjective phrase is very long,
the adjective phrase will generally follow the head noun.

It’s a pity we haven’t got anyone musical here.

Have you done everything possible for her?
There is no one intelligent in this office.
It’s a lounge, not much bigger than the one we’ve got now.
He made sounds totally different from any we had heard before.

Adjectives as noun phrase heads: they can often function as heads of noun phrases, in
this role they can be modified by adverbs. As such, they do not inflect for number or the genitive
case, they can take pre-modifiers and must take a definite determiner. Most commonly they have
personal references and refer to groups of people.

The extremely old need a great deal of attention.

We will nurse your sick and feed your hungry
The young in spirit enjoy life.
The rich will help only the humble poor.
The contrast between the very rich and the very poor is obvious in this country.

Adjectives as linking expressions: in this role they link clauses or sentences to one other
and they can have modifiers. They often express stance (attitude).

Worse he had nothing to say.

Still more important, children who grew up in rich homes had more advantages.

Adjectives as free modifiers: adjectives can syntactically be free modifiers of a noun

phrase. These modify a noun phrase but are not syntactically part of it, it has a peripheral role in
the noun clause. They are most common in fiction and typically occur in sentence-initial position.
They can sometimes occur in end position.

Green, bronze and golden it flowed through reeds and rushes.

Delicate and light-bodied it flew in circles around the light
Golden brown and striped the tiger crouched behind the tree.
He laughed highly amused.

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 Adjectives as exclamations: adjectives have this role specially in conversation and
fictional dialogue: Bloody brilliant! Amazing! Wonderful! Super!

Great! I’ll let you know.

Good, I like that.
Excellent, we’ll give you a call
Sorry! I didn’t see you!
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