Transcript ADJECTIVES - Državni univerzitet u Novom Pazaru

ADJECTIVES
Lecture 6
An adjective:
• an open class of words
• describes words
• qualifies a noun or noun phrase, giving
more information about the object signified
• new adjectives formed via derivation
Examples:
• The truck-shaped balloon floated over the treetops.
• Mrs. Morrison papered her kitchen walls
with hideous wall paper.
• The small boat foundered on the wine dark sea.
• The coal mines are dark and dank.
• Many stores have already begun to
play irritating Christmas music.
• A battered music box sat on the mahogany sideboard.
• The back room was filled with large, yellow rain boots.
Adjectives can be used in two ways:
1 attributively - modify nominal expression
• part of the noun phrase
• preceeding the head noun
Example:
happy is an attributive adjective in "happy people".
• usually precede the nouns
Examples:
Henry is an honest, hardworking boy.
I saw three happy kids.
It is a bad attitude.
He had this really nice hat.
Mr. Brown has just bought a new, powerful and expensive car.
• some adjectives follow the noun
The person responsible will be punished.
We went to a meeting attended by the Attorney General.
2 predicatively
• linked via copula or other linking
mechanism to the noun or pronoun they
modify;
Examples:
Richard is tired.
The dog is hungry.
It would be easier, quicker and cheaper.
I am afraid that is impossible.
The fans became restless.
Position in a sentence
Many adjectives can be put
1 before the noun
The hot sun beat down on us all day.
The high prices surprised him.
2 following a linking verb
The sun was hot.
The price seemed high.
3 Some adjectives can be used only before a noun
main, only, indoor, former, chief, elder, eldest, principal, upper
Examples:
Be careful crossing the main road.
The only problem is I’ve got no money.
Chess is an indoor game.
The former footballer now trains young players.
4 Some adjectives used only predicatively:
• ‘a’ adjectives – afloat, afraid, alight, alike, alive,
alone, ashamed, asleep, awake, aware
• also adjectives content, exempt, free, unable
5 Used before and after a noun, but with a different
meaning
I was asked form my present address. (=my address now)
All the people present (=who were there) approved of the decision.
The party was excellent and I’d like to thank all the people
concerned. (=involved)
Cars drive too fast past the school and concerned (=worried)
teachers have complained to the police.
The order of adjectives in a series
In English:
little brown house
red Italian sports car
*brown little house
*Italian red sports car
The order:
I Determiners — articles and other limiters.
II Observation — postdeterminers and limiter adjectives (e.g., a real
hero, a perfect idiot) and adjectives subject to subjective
measure (e.g., beautiful, interesting)
III Size and Shape — adjectives subject to objective measure (e.g.,
wealthy, large, round)
IV Age — adjectives denoting age (e.g., young, old, new, ancient)
V Color — adjectives denoting color (e.g., red, black, pale)
VI Origin — denominal adjectives denoting source of noun (e.g.,
French, American, Canadian)
VII Material — denominal adjectives denoting what something is made
of (e.g., woollen, metallic, wooden)
VIII Qualifier — final limiter, often regarded as part of the noun (e.g.,
rocking chair, hunting cabin, passenger car, book cover)
The order of adjectives in a series
Determiner observation size shape age color │ origin material qualifier noun
a
beatiful
an
expensive
four
gorgeous
old
antique
long-stemmed red
her
short
our
big
one
nice
Italian
touring car
silver
silk
roses
black
old
little old white
mirror
hair
English
brick
sheep-dog
house
• usually two or three (at the most) adjectives together
• when adjectives belong to the same class (called
coordinated adjectives) - a comma between them
Example: the inexpensive, comfortable shoes.
The rule: if you could have inserted a conjunction —
and or but — between the two adjectives, use a comma
When you have three coordinated adjectives, separate
them all with commas, but don't insert a comma between
the last adjective and the noun
Example:
…a popular, respected and good looking student.
Degrees of adjectives
• adjectives can be compared
This car is big.
That it is bigger than another.
It is the biggest car of all.
comparable adjectives (also known as "gradable"
adjectives)
- the suffixes -er and -est (for shorter adjectives)
- the words more and most (for longer
adjectives and adjectives from French, Latin,
Greek and other languages use more and most)
Irregular adjectives
good
bad
little
much
far
better
worse
less
more
further
best
worst
least
most
furthest
Formation of adjectives
New adjectives formed with derivational affixes
and compounding
1 Participal adjectives
• both –ing and –ed participle form can be used
as a participle adjective
Examples:
-ing: promising, amazing, boring, exciting, increasing
-ed: surprised, determine, ashamed, bored, complicated
2 Derived adjectives
• derived by an adjectival suffix
• common derivational suffixes:
-al – central, final, general, annual, equal, legal, professional, total
-ent – ancient, apparent, current, decent, dependent, excellent,
recent, silent
-ive – active, attractive, conservative, effective, expensive, massive,
negative, passive
-ous – anxious, conscious, serious, various, dangerous, nervous,
obvious, previous
-ate – appropriate, private, separate, accurate, adequate,
immediate, intimate, moderate
-ful – awful, cheerful, doubtful, grateful, helpful, painful, powerfu
-less – endless, helpless, homeless, useless.
Adjectival compounds
• a compact and integrated expression of
information
• have many shapes
1 adjective + adjective (greyish-blue)
2 adjective + noun (full-time)
3 noun + adjective (buterfly-blue)
4 adjective + adverb (overly-protective)
Infolve also participal forms:
open-minded, psychologically-disturbed, classroombased
Adjectival Opposites
The opposite (the negative aspect) formed in a number of ways.
1. to find an adjective to mean the
opposite – an antonym
• Example: beautiful vs. ugly,
tall vs. short
2. to forma an adjective is with a number of prefixes
• fortunate vs. unfortunate
• prudent vs. imprudent
• considerate vs. inconsiderate
• honorable vs. dishonorable
• alcoholic vs. nonalcoholic
• filed vs. misfiled
- the rules for the selection of a prefix are complex and
too shifty to be trusted
→ consult a dictionary
Adjectives functioning as nouns
1 may function as nouns
- always preceded by the definite article
- if they refer to people they are plural in meaning and take a plural
verb
Examples:
Nurses are required to look after the sick and the wounded,
the old and the infirm.
Fortune favours the brave.
2 also for the names of some nations:
the English, the Irish, the French, the Dutch
sometimes necessary to add -s:
the Germans, the Italians, the Americans, the Indians
3 ocassionally, used as a noun + definite + V (n Sg)
-in these cases it names abstract quality
The good in him outweighs the bad.
He though that the aim of philosophu was to discover
the good, the beatiful and the true.
Adjectives and adverbs with the same form
• in some cases both the adjective and
adverb have the same form
• have important characteristics in common
1 gradability,
2 have comparative and superlative forms.
An important distinguishing feature adverbs do not modify nouns, either
attributively or predicatively:
Adjective
David is a happy child.
David is happy.
Adverb
*David is a happily child.
*David is happily.
Examples:
That is very fast train. It goes very fast.
He is a hard worker. He works hard.
He has gone to the Far East. We didn't walk very far.
It is a straight road. It runs straight for miles.
He spoke in a low voice. He spoke low but clearly.
I saw a dead bird in the garden. The man was dead drunk.
Do you have enough time? He didn't try hard enough.
He went on a long journey. I won't be long.
I’ll catch the early train. I awoke early this morning.
Possesive adjectives
• used with nouns to show possession or
ownership
my, your, his, her, its, our, their
• used directly in front of a noun - no article
Example: our parents
in a list of things belonging to the same person use one possessive adjective
his brother and sister
my mother and father
our tables, chairs, and silverware