Topic 3.4 Adjectival Phrase

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    Lengua Inglesa II2009-2010Topic 3: Grammatical Units

    Subtopic 4: The Adjectival Phrase

    Tom Morton

    IV-bis [email protected]

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    3.4 The Adjectival Phrase

    Adjectives can be premodified by either: Grading (slightly, somewhat, very, extremely, overly ):

    A slightly bent wire, an extremely overweight dog Comparison (more, most, less, least )

    the least bent wire, the most overweight dog

    Not all adjectives can be graded or compared: Comparable : more beautiful, the most red Noncomparable (ungradable):

    NATIONALITIES: French, Spanish , etc.MISC.: dead, alive, broken , etc.

    Comparison can also be done morphologically:the bigger/biggest

    3. Adjective Premodification

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    3.4 The Adjectival Phrase

    Say which of the adjectives as used in the following phrasescan be graded

    (1) shallow water;(2) the closing date;(3) a daily newspaper;

    (4) a small size;(5) the probable outcome;(6) the main reason;(7) a fast driver;(8) the political consequences.

    (From Downing and Lock 2 nd edition)

    Exercise 2: Gradability

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    3.4 The Adjectival Phrase

    Comparing with Adjective Phrases:

    3. Adjective Premodification: Comparison

    Morphological Premodifier

    Absolute superiority the easiest the most difficult

    Comparative sup. easier more difficult

    Equality as easy/difficult

    Comparative inf. less easy/difficultAbsolute inferiority the least easy/difficult

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    3.4 The Adjectival Phrase3. Adjective Premodification: Comparison

    Number of syllables Form Examples1 syllable adj +er small smaller

    big bigger

    2 syllables:- ending in y

    - others

    adj y +er

    more adj

    early earlier

    social more social

    3 or more syllables more adj difficult more difficult

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    3.4 The Adjectival Phrase

    Say which of the following adjectives should be inected (-er, -est) for grading and which take more/most):

    riskyrealvariedbluetypicalmistakenfriendlyuser-friendlysmalltightgenerousbitter

    (From Downing and Lock 2 nd edition)

    Exercise 3: Morphology or Syntax?

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    Inflected or analytic?

    Inflected

    risky

    bluefriendlysmall

    tightbitter* (bitterest)

    Analytic

    real

    variedtypicalmistaken

    user-friendlygenerousbitter (more bitter)

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    3.4 The Adjectival Phrase

    Provide the comparative and superlative forms for thefollowing:

    Exercise 4: Comparative/Superlative

    Absolute Comparative Superlative

    big

    brave

    free

    early

    goodbad

    far / /

    old / /

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    good

    good at grammar

    very good

    very good indeed

    very good indeed at grammar

    Michael is

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    ADJECTIVAL GROUP

    m h m c

    h good

    hc good atgrammarmh very good

    mhm very good indeed

    mhmc very good indeed atgrammar

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    3.4 The Adjectival Phrase

    Adjectives that take complementation:I was afraid that he was not comingHe was conscious that he was late (aware, certain)She was fond of chocolate. (obligatory)

    These represent mental states The complentation represents the object of the mentation Note the correspondence:

    He was afraid that He feared that ... She was conscious that He knew that ... She was fond of She liked

    4. Adjectival Post-modification

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    Complement the adjectives

    1. Jasmine and Nick are keen to take up golf .2. I am sorry .. 3. My girlfriend is insistent .. 4. You are right . 5. We are convinced .. 6. The manager is confident 7. You must be crazy

    8. I am happy 9. Im glad .. 10. His new book is likely .

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    3.4 The Adjectival Phrase

    Comparative postmodification : Another form ofpostmodification makes the attribute relative tosome other case:

    She was quicker than MaryThis music is livelier than the other.He is more eloquent than me.I am less talented at this than you.

    Sufficiency (enough) :It is hot enough now

    4. Adjectival Post-modification (ii)

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    3.4 The Adjectival Phrase

    Adjectives can be classified in terms of theslots they can fill:

    Epithet vs. Complement Most adjectives can be both Epithet and

    Complementthe beautiful girl / the girl is beautiful

    Some can be Epithet only (with the intended sense):an old friend, a complete fool

    Some can be Complement only: Health adjs.: ill, well, faint, unwell (vs. the sick man)

    2. Classes of adjectives

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    Syntactic functions of AdjPs/AdjGs

    (pre-) modifier ina NG

    heavy rain,an old friend

    (post-) modifierin a NG

    somethingcheap , the

    personresponsible

    head of a NG the French , theyoung , the mostexpensive

    complement ofa prepostion

    at last , for good ,in short

    modifier in an AdjG

    bright red, paleblue, red hot

    AdjGs in groups:Subjectcompliment

    The actingwas brilliant

    Objectcompliment

    I consider thatoffensive

    AdjGs in clauses

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    It was always a surprise to me that I was good at games. It was an evengreater surprise that I was exceptionally good at two of them: one calledfives, the other, squash-racquets. Fives, which many of you will know nothingabout, was taken seriously at Repton and we had a dozen massive glass-roofed fives courts kept always in perfect condition. We played the game ofEton-fives, which is always played by four people, two on each side, andbasically it consists of hitting a small, hard, white, leather-covered ball withyour gloved hands, The Americans have something like it which they callhandball, but Eton-fives is far more complicated because the court has allmanner of ledges and buttresses built into it which help to make it a subtleand crafty game.

    Fives is possibly the fastest ball-game on earth, far faster than squash, andthe little ball ricochets around the court at such a speed that sometimes youcan hardly see it. You need a swift eye, strong wrists and a very quick pair ofhands to play fives well, and it was a game I took to right from the beginning.You may find it hard to believe, but I became so good at it that I won both the

    junior and the senior school fives in the same year when I was fifteen.

    AdjG as Cs in clause AdjG as m in NG AdjG as Co in clause