2.

3 ADJECTIVES AND THE ADJECTIVE PHRASE

ADJECTIVES

Adjectives typically denote some quality or property attributed to the noun.

They constitute and open word-class mainly used to premodify nouns within the
noun phrase (the pretty girl) or as complements of linking verbs (the girl is
pretty).

Main features of adjectives

 Most can be predicative and attributive.

 Most can be premodified by degree adverbs.
 Most can take comparative and superlative forms
 Many adjectives can be identified on the basis of typical
derivational suffixes (-able (-ible), -ful, -less, -ic (-ical), -ish, -y,
-ive).

SYNTACTIC CLASSIFICATION OF ADJECTIVES

According to their position and function, adjectives can be classified

into attributive and predicative. Most adjectives can be both attributive
and predicative and these are known as central adjectives.

Attributive position/function
Attributive adjectives are constituents of the NP and they are placed before the
head-noun
these old houses

The pre-noun position is called ‘attributive’ because the adjective attributes a

quality or characteristic to the noun.

Some adjectives can only be used in attributive position and these are noun as
peripheral adjectives.

Attributive only:

 Adjectives related to adverbs:

a hard worker (who works hard)
a heavy smoker (who smokes heavily)

 Adjectives that are like intensifying or limiting adverbs:

 mere, utter, chief, main, principal, only

 Adjectives that are related to nouns

criminal law (concerning law)
medical school (for students of medicine)
solar energy (from the sun)

 Some adjectives that express position in space

the inner circle
outer space
the upper storeys

The second major position/function for adjectives is the predicative one.

Predicative position/function

Predicative adjectives are a constituent of the sentence and they function as:

(a) Subject complement (sC) after the verb ‘to be’ or other linking verbs:
The door is green.
Your plan is foolish.
My tea is hot.

(b) Object complement (oC) after a direct object:

We painted the door green.
I consider your plan foolish.
I prefer my tea hot.

Some adjectives can only be used in predicative position (peripheral)

Predicative only:

 a-adjectives:
afraid, alone, alive, asleep, awake

Many of these adjectives included in the ‘a-series’ have got their attributive
counterpart:
frightened, lonely/solitary, living, sleeping, wakeful

 some health adjectives:

ill, poorly, well, unwell
 adjectives and ed-participles with usually obligatory complementation:
He is bound to lose his money – he always does.
You’ll be liable for a fine for parking
there. I am loath to make any comment.

Some adjectives can be used both attributively and predicatively in one

meaning, but are restricted to attributive use in another meaning:

Attributive and predicative:

an old book that book is old
a true story that story is true
a perfect solution that solution is perfect
the right approach that approach is right

Attributive only:
an old friend *that friend is old
a true hero
a perfect fool
the right man

In some cases there is a semantic difference between the attributive and

the predicative use. Compare:
the present King the King is present
his late wife his wife is late

SEMANTIC CLASSIFICATION OF ADJECTIVES

From a semantic point of view adjectives are classified into gradable and
non- gradable. Most adjectives are gradable; that is to say, they can be
modified by adverbs which convey the degree of intensity of the adjective:
quite / very / extremely old

Some adjectives cannot be graded. Ungradable adjectives include:

 technical adjectives:
atomic, electrical, chemical, linguistic

 nationality adjectives in their primary sense; that is, when thay refer
to provenance not when they refer to behaviour:
 (nationality) John is English

(behaviour) Pedro is very English

Lola is more English than the English

 adjectives with an absolute meaning:

extra, equal, average, absolute, total

Gradability includes comparison.

COMPARISON

Gradable adjectives can be compared in one of three ways. The quality they
express can be related to a higher degree, to the same degree, or to a lower degree.

Comparison to a higher degree is shown by adding the infletions –er/-est (the

inflectional form of comparison), or by using the premodifiers more/most
(the periphrastic form):
Mary is taller. Jean is the tallest
This is more interesting than that.
This is the most interesting book I’ve ever read.

Comparison to the same degree is shown by the use of as (sometimes so) … as:
This is as big as that. This is not so big.

Comparison to a lower degree is shown by the use of the premodifiers less/least:

This is less heavy than yours.
This is the least heavy.

ORDER OF ADJECTIVES WITHIN THE NOUN PHRASE

In theory there is no limit to the number of adjectives that may appear in the NP,
but there is a fixed order that must always be observed. The order of adjectives
in premodification is to a large extent determined by their semantic properties.
Determiner
1. Epithet (subjective opinion)
2. Size / Shape / Age / Participial adjectives (tiring, frightened, retired)
3. Colour
4. Origin
5. Substance / Material
6. Gerund indicating purpose or –ic / -al adjectives and nouns with the
meaning ‘relating to’ or ‘connected with’ (writing desk, medical
school, danger signal).
Head

Examples:
a beautiful small old Greek glass ornament
a mysterious big brown paper parcel

In attributive position the conjunction ‘and’ is not commonly used, but it

must appear if two or more adjectives of the same kind are used. This is
particularly common with colour adjectives (black and white).

In predicative position adjectives need not appear in a particular order. We use

commas to separate them and the last two are usually joined by ‘and’.

THE ADJECTIVE PHRASE

It is a phrase with an adjective as head. Compared with NPs they tend to have a
rather simple structure. Very often they consist of the head alone and it is
unusual for them to have more than one premodifier and one postmodifier. The
fact that very often they consist of only the head is the reason why we very often
refer to adjectives as a shorter way of referring to AdjPs.

STRUCTURE

Head: Adjective

Modification:
Premodification: typically degree adverbs (rather, too, very, quite)
Postmodification: adverbs enough and indeed. Intensifier indeed
very often correlates with premodifier very:
I was very pleased indeed to hear from you.
Complementation:
 prepositional phrases
Why are you afraid of those people?
Peter is very different from his brother.

Some adjectives always take the same preposition (fond of); other can
take several preposition according to meaning (good at / for / to / with).

 to-infinitive clauses
It is hard to believe.
She is quick to take offence.
He is bound to forget.

 that-clauses
I’m s ur e (that) he ’ll un de r s tand .
We were delighted (that) you won the prize.

FUNCTIONS

As a constituent of the sentence, the AdjP functions as complement (C).

We distinguish two different types of complement:
(a) subject complement (sC) This coffee is hot.
(b) object complement (oC) James likes his coffee
hot.
As a constituent of the phrase, the AdjP functions as premodifier in NPs.

NOMINAL ADJECTIVES

Some adjectives can serve as the head of a NP. These adjectives are called
nominal adjectives.

Main features

 They usually require a definite determiner, commonly the definite article.

 Unlike nouns, they do not inflect for number or for genitive case.
 Some allow premodification or postmodification (the physically or
mentally challenged, the young in spirit, the extremely old)
We distinguish two types of nominal adjectives:

(a) Nominal adjectives that have plural reference. They denote classes,
categories or kinds of people. They have generic reference and they
always take plural verb concord:
the dead the living the rich the poor
the elderly the unemployed the blind

(b) Nominal adjectives that have singular reference. They refer to

abstractions and they always take singular verb concord:
the unknown the unreal the best
the extremely ridiculous the opposite