6 adjectives

8/10/2019 6 Adjectives

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ADJECTIVESLecture 6



An adjective :

• an open class of words

• describes words• qualifies a noun or noun p rase! "i#in"$ore infor$ation about t e ob%ect si"nifie

• new ad%ecti#es for$ed #ia deri#ation



E&a$ples:

• 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:

' attributively ( $odif) no$inal e&pression• part of t e noun p rase• preceedin" t e ead noun

E&a$ple:happy is an attributi#e ad%ecti#e in * app) people*+

• usuall) precede t e nounsE&a$ples:

Henry is an honest, hardworking boy.I saw three happy kids.It is a bad attitude.

He had this really nice hat.Mr. rown has !ust bought a new, powerful and expensive car.• so$e ad%ecti#es follow t e noun

The person responsible will be punished."e went to a meeting attended by the Attorney General.



2 predicatively • lin,ed #ia copula or ot er lin,in"

$ec anis$ to t e noun or pronoun t e)$odif)-E&a$ples:

#ichard 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

.an) ad%ecti#es can be put' before t e noun

The hot sun beat down on us all day.The high prices surprised him.

/ followin" a lin,in" #erbThe sun was hot .The price seemed high .

0 So$e ad%ecti#es can be used onl) before a nounmain, only, indoor, former, chief, elder, eldest, principal, upper

E&a$ples:

1e careful crossin" t emain road+The only problem is I$ve got no money.%hess is an indoor game.The former footballer now trains young players.



2 So$e ad%ecti#es used onl) predicati#el):• 3a4 ad%ecti#es 5afloat, afraid, alight, alike, alive,alone, ashamed, asleep, awake, aware

• also ad%ecti#escontent, exempt, free, unable

7sed before and after a noun! but wit a differen$eanin"I was asked form my present address + 89$) address now

All the people present 89w o were t ereapproved of the decision.The party was excellent and I$d like to thank all the peopleconcerned. &'involved(%ars drive too fast past the school and concerned &'worried(teachers have complained to the police.



The order of adjectives in a series

In En"lis :

little brown house )brown little housered Italian sports car )Italian red sports car



The order of adjectives in a series

Deter$iner obser#ation si<e s ape a"e color = ori"in $aterial qualifier noun

a beatiful old Italian tourin" car

an e&pensi#e antique sil#er $irror

four "or"eous lon"(ste$$ed red sil, roses

er s ort blac, air

our bi" old En"lis s eep(do"

one nice little old w ite bric, ouse



• usuall) two or t ree 8at t e $ost ad%ecti#es to"et er• w en ad%ecti#es belon" to t e sa$e class 8called

coordinated ad%ecti#es ( a co$$a between t e$E&a$ple:the inexpensive, comfortable shoes +

T e rule: if )ou could a#e inserted a con%unction; and orbut ; between t e two ad%ecti#es! use aco$$a> en )ou a#e t ree coordinated ad%ecti#es! separatet e$ all wit co$$as! but don?t insert a co$$a betweent e last ad%ecti#e and t e noun

E&a$ple:+a popular, respected and good looking student.



Irre"ular adjectives

"ood better best

bad worse worstlittle less least$uc $ore $ostfar furt er furt est



@or$ation of ad%ecti#es

Bew ad%ecti#es for$ed wit deri#ational affi&esand co$poundin"

& Participal adjectives• bot -ing and -ed participle for$ can be used

as a participle ad%ecti#e

E&a$ples:ing promising, ama/ing, boring, exciting, increasing ed surprised, determine, ashamed, bored, complicated



2 Derived adjectives

• deri#ed b) an ad%ecti#al suffi&• co$$on deri#ational suffi&es:

(al 5central, final, general, annual, e0ual, legal, professional, total

(ent 5ancient, apparent, current, decent, dependent, excellent,recent, silent (i#e 5active, attractive, conservative, effective, expensive, massive,negative, passive(ous 5anxious, conscious, serious, various, dangerous, nervous,obvious, previous

(ate - appropriate, private, separate, accurate, ade0uate,immediate, intimate, moderate(ful 5awful, cheerful, doubtful, grateful, helpful, painful, powerfu(less 5endless, helpless, homeless, useless.



Adjectival compounds

• a co$pact and inte"rated e&pression ofinfor$ation

• a#e $an) s apes' ad%ecti#e ad%ecti#e 8greyish blue/ ad%ecti#e noun 8full time0 noun ad%ecti#e 8buterfly blue2 ad%ecti#e ad#erb 8overly protective

Infol#e also participal for$s:open minded, psychologically disturbed, classroombased



Adjectival Opposites

T e opposite 8t e ne"ati#e aspect (for$ed in a nu$ber of wa)s+

'+to find an adjective to mean the

opposite ' an antonym• E&a$ple:beautiful #s+ugly !

tall #s+short



/+ to for$a an ad%ecti#e is wit a nu$ber of prefi&es• fortunate #s+unfortunate • prudent #s+imprudent • considerate #s+inconsiderate

• honorable #s+dishonorable • alcoholic #s+nonalcoholic • filed #s+misfiled

( t e rules for t e selection of a prefi& are co$ple& andtoo s ift) to be trusted consult a dictionar)



Adjectives functionin" as nouns

' $a) function as nouns( alwa)s preceded b) t e definite article( if t e) refer to people t e) are plural in $eanin" and ta,e a plural#erb

E&a$ples:1urses are re0uired to look after the sick and the wounded ,

the old and the infirm .*ortune favours the brave ./ also for t e na$es of so$e nations:

the 2nglish, the Irish, the *rench, the 3utchso$eti$es necessar) to add s:

the 4ermans, the Italians, the Americans, the Indians

0 ocassionall)! used as a noun definite V 8n S" (in t ese cases it na$es abstract qualit)

he 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 so$e cases bot t e ad%ecti#e andad#erb a#e t e sa$e for$

•a#e i$portant c aracteristics in co$$on' "radabilit)!

/ a#e co$parati#e and superlati#e for$s+

An i$portant distin"uis in" feature (ad#erbs do not $odif) nouns! eit erattributi#el) or predicati#el):



Adjective Adverb

Da#id is ahappy c ild+ Da#id is ahappily c ild+Da#id ishappy. Da#id ishappily.



E&a$ples:

That is very fast train. It goes very fast .He is a hard worker. He works hard .

He has gone to the !ar 2ast. "e didn5t 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.

3o you have enough time6 He didn5t try hard enough .He went on a long !ourney. I won5t be long .I$ll catch the early train. I awoke early this morning.



Possesive adjectives

• used wit nouns to s ow possession orowners ip

my, your, his, her, its, our, their

• used directl) in front of a noun ( no article2xample our parents

in a list of t in"s belon"in" to t e sa$e person (use one possessi#e ad%ecti#ehis brother and sister my mother and father our tables, chairs, and silverware

6 adjectives

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