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Transcript of adjective phrase
GROUP PRESENTATION
Adjective Phrases
GROUP 03
Phạm Thị Thu Trang- structure Trần Thị Thanh-Complementary adjNguyễn Thị Dịu- Noun pre modifier &
CsNguyễn Thị Hà- Postpositive & NP headPhạm Thị Trang- Verbless Adj clause &
ExclamatoryTrần Thị Phương- The head
Adjective phrase
Structure
The head
Syntactic functions
CONTENT
What are Adjectives and the Adjective phrases?
An adjective may be a word or group word with the same meaning
Adjective phrases are defined as phrases in which an adjective functions as the head of the phrase
Examples:1.Susan is clever
2.The doctor is very late
3.My sister is fond of animals
INTRODUCTION
A. STRUCTURE
♦♦♦ Adverb modifier ( or premodification): modifying, describing or qualifying constituents which precede the head
♦♦♦ The head: which is an Adj or participle serving as the focus of the Phrase
♦♦♦ Cadj( post modification): contituent which follows head and completes the meaning implied by the head
THE TABLE SHOW THE STRUCTURE OF ADJECTIVE PHRASE
1) Premodifier Partly very, so, extremely, too =>Form is Adverb and Adverb Phrase
2) Head Happy, excited, sweet, worry, cloudy => Form is Adjective
3) Postmodifier Indeed inspirit for his age tobe true enough to meForm is Adverb, Prepositional Phrase, Infinitive Clause
EXAMPLES OF THE ADJECTIVE PHRASES
Complementation
Infinitive phrase
That clause
_ing clause
_PP clause
ADJECTIVE COMPLEMENT An adjective complement is a
clause or phrase that adds to the meaning of an adjective or modifies it. The adjective complement always follows the adjective it complements and it is a noun clause or a prepositional phrase
1)_ing clause: verb in adj clause shows V_ing Ex1: When summer comes, students are busy
preparing for the exam. Ex2: “Harry Porter” story is worth reading2) _PP clause: verb in adj clause is a prepositional phrase
(pp) Ex1: We were shocked by the news. Ex2:The child was eager for Christmas to arrive.
ADJECTIVE COMPLEMENT
3) to Vinf_ clause: Adj clause has the Verb be + adj + inf complement
Ex1: Retailers seem eager to promote sales. Ex2: I was surprised to see him doing that.
4) That clause: adj + that clause, when you want to comment a fact
Ex1:It seems sad that the blue whale is becoming extinct.
Ex2: It is important that she is punctual.
ADJECTIVE COMPLEMENT
B. SYNTACTIC FUNCTIONS
SYNTACTIC FUNCTIONS
Syntacticfunctions
Complement subject
postpositive
NP head
Verbless adj clause
Exclamatory adj sentence
Noun pre-modifier
Syntactic Function of Adjectives
♦ Noun pre-modifier
• adjectives are placed before nouns
• adjectives are attributive when they premodify nouns
* eg : a new car AdjP NP
* eg :this beautiful girl AdjP NP
Syntactic Function of Adjectives
♦ Subject complement
• S + to be/ linking verbs + adj ( Cs)
Eg: the book is impressive Np Cs
what he said is wrongNp Cs
♦ the function of adjectives are predicative
POSTPOSITIVEPOSTPOSITIVE
1.DEFINITION: An adjective is postpositive when it
comes after the noun it modifies
CASES OF POSTPOSITIVECASES OF POSTPOSITIVE
1.Reduced as relative clause Eg: 1.He is a man greedy of flame 2.A room full of people
2.Indefinite pronouns ending in : _body ; _one; _thing ; _where
Eg : There is nothing special
CASES OF POSTPOSITIVE
3.A few adjective change meaning when they are after noun phrase
ComonComon: elect; proper Eg: the present elect the City of London
proper
4.In some nouns (legal), adjective are compulsory after the noun
Eg: attorney general, body politic, court martial ,heir apparent, notary public, postmaster general
5.A few a-adjectivea-adjective: ablaze; afload; afraid; aghast; alert; alike; alive;
asleep; averse; awake; aware; absent; aplenty Some others :Present; concerned; involved;
galore; Unspoken, immemorial; payable
6.some postposed adjective _able; _ible retain the basic meaning
CASES OF POSTPOSITIVE
7.Noun phrases are indefinite, not specific Eg:A man usually intelligent will sometimes stupid Polices angry do not arrest a thief
If adjective phrases are complements, the whole of an adjective must be after noun phrase
The boys easiest to teach were in my class (right)The easiest to teach boys were in my class (correct)
CASES OF POSTPOSITIVE
8.Superlative construction8.Superlative construction Eg: the smallest quantity imaginable The lowest price possible The best hotel valuable valuable
9.9.Measures: a river two hundred miles long a road fifty feet wide a man eighty-five years old a bulding ten storeys high
CASES OF POSTPOSITIVE
10.Some idioms: The theatre royal The princess royal For time immemorial By all means possible
Note: an adjective modified by enough, too, so the modified adjectives can not be separated from its complement
HEAD OF NOUN PHRASE
Most commonly,such adjective personal reference: Eg: The rich built many house for the poor The rich = rich people The poor = poor people The extremely old need a great deal of attention the extremely old = extremely old people
note:adjectives functioning as noun phrase heads generally require a definite determiner if they are conjoined
HEAD OF NOUN PHRASE
Denoting nationalities Eg: You British and you French ought to be allies
Superlatives Eg: The lastest is that he is going to run for
election
Singular concord
Some adjectives can function as noun-phraseHeads when they have abstract reference
adverbs superlatives
HEAD OF NOUN PHRASE
VERBLESS ADJECTIVE CLAUSE
What is verbless clause?→Verbless clauses are clauses in which the verb
(usually a form of to be) and sometimes other
elements have been omitted or deleted.
Eg1: John believes the prisoner innocent.
~ John believes the prisoner to be innocent.
Eg2: Nice to see you ~ It’s nice to see you.
VERBLESS ADJECTIVE CLAUSE
I) An adjective ( alone or as head of an adjective phrase) can function as verbless clause. The clause is mobile, though it usually precedes or follows the subject of the superordinate clause.
Eg3:( By then) nervous, the man opened the letter.
Verbless Clause Superordinate Clause The man, (by then) nervous, opened the
letter. The man opened the letter, (by then)
nervous.
VERBLESS ADJECTIVE CLAUSE II) THE IMPLIED SUBJECT OF THE ADJECTIVE CLAUSE
To be usually the subject of the sentence. Eg 4. I see the boy, who is blind. ≈ The boy whom I see is blind. But we do not have: I see the boy,
blind. Can be other than the subject of the sentence if
the clause contains additional clause constituents. Eg 5. She glanced with disgust at the car,
quiet (now) in her daughter‘s lap.
VERBLESS ADJECTIVE CLAUSE II) THE IMPLIED SUBJECT OF THE ADJECTIVE CLAUSE
Can be the whole of the superordinate clause.
Eg 6. Stranger, it was she who initiated divorce proceedings.
≈ That it was she who initiated divorce
proceedings is strange.
We can use a corresponding adverb to replace the adjective in this case, as with strangely for strange. Strangely , it was she who initiated divorce
proceedings. The adjective refers to the subject without explicit
reference to the action, and unless otherwise stated, the characterization is only temporary in its application.
Nervous, the man opened the letter. ( connected with the action)
Always nervous, the man opened the letter. ( not connected with the action, the man’s nervousness becomes a permanent characteristic)
CONTIGENT ADJECTIVE CLAUSE
1. WHAT IS CONTINGENT ADJECTIVE CLAUSE?
A contingent adjective clause expresses the circumstance or condition under which what is said in the superordinate clause applies. A subordinator is often present but can be omitted.
Eg 7: Enthusiastic, they make good students (=When enthusiastic,…)
Eg 8: When ripe, these apples are sweet.
subordinator
subordinator
2. THE IMPLIED SUBJECT OF THE CONTIGENT ADJECTIVE CLAUSE IS NORMALLY THE SUBJECT OF THE SUPERORDINATE CLAUSE, BUT IT CAN ALSO BE THE OBJECT.
E.g 9: We can drink it hot E.g 10: You must eat it when fresh3. THE IMPLIED SUBJECT CAN BE THE WHOLE OF
THE SUPERORDINATE CLAUSE. E.g 11: If ( it is) possible, the dog should be
washed every day.
CONTIGENT ADJECTIVE CLAUSE
EXCLAMATORY ADJECTIVE SENTENCE
An adjective as head of an adjective phrase or as its sole realization can be an exclamation:
E.g 12: How good of you! E.g 13: How wonderful! E.g 14: Excellent! E.g 15: Good!
C. THE HEAD
Syntactic classification of adjs
CENTRAL
central = both attributive and predicative
eg: a (1)lazy student→ the student is (2)lazy attributive
predicative the (1)blue sea → the sea is (2)blue attributive predicative note: (1) attributive position (2) predicative position
ATTRIBUTIVE ONLY Adjectives which are restricted to attributive
position do not characterize the referent of the noun directly
eg. A small businessman → a businessman whose business is
small → not a businessman is small Note: words with strongly emotive value: poor man, my dear lady, wretched lady…
ATTRIBUTIVE ONLY
Characterize the referent of the noun directly
Eg: Distant hills a complete chapter a heavy bag a social survey an old man
Do not characterize the referent of the noun directly
Distant relatives a complete idiot a heavy smoker A social animal an old friend
Inherent adjs Non-inherent adjs
ATTRIBUTIVE ONLY
INTENSIFYING ADJECTIVES
Emphasizers: have a general heightening effect on the noun and convey speaker’s attitude toward the referent eg. Utter despair, pure bliss, a real hero, a certain winner…Amplifiers: denote the upper extreme of the scale are central(inherent) eg. A complete victory →the victory was complete are attributive only(non-inherent) eg. A complete idiot (not the idiot is complete) Notes: mere, sheer, utter (always attributive only)
LIMITER ADJECTIVES
Particularize the reference of the noun eg. the main topic, the only person, the
precise reason, etc…. Note: a certain person a limiter → a particular person a certain winner an intensifier→ a sure winner
RELATED TO ADVERBIALS
adjs that are attributive only can be related to adverbials.
eg. my former friend ~ formerly my friend adjs premodify agentive nouns have a
relationship to the verb base eg. a hard worker ~ a worker who works hard. the implied process can be associated with an
inanimate object. eg. a fast car ~ a car that one can drive fast
DENOMINAL ADJECTIVES
are derived from nouns and attributive only eg. A mathematical puzzle (a puzzle based on
mathematics ) a criminal law (a law concerning crime) Note: a criminal law ~ a law seems criminal → a central adjective denominal # nominal adjs eg. The French are noted for their wines. The French people are noted for their
wines.
PREDICATIVE ONLY Eg. Children were asleep. (not asleep children) S V Cs Adjectives which are restricted to predicative
position refer to condition rather than to characterize
Some group of adjs must take complementation: afraid(that, of, about); fond(of); conscious(that, of) etc…
Eg. Jean is keen on maths. S V Cs
PREDICATIVE ONLYSome of the common predicative only
adjectives in English are: ablaze alive
unaware abreast alone afire aloof afraid ashamed aghast asleep aglow awake alert aware alike fond
Thank you for your attention!