Lecture 11 Adjectives and Adjective Phrase

1. Lecture 11Adjectives and Adjective Phrase • Objectives: • 1. Classification of adjectives • 2. Function of the adjectives • 3. Position of the adjectives • 4. Gradable and non-gradable adjectives • 5. Phrases with comparative degree • Adverbial of degree in comparison

2. 1. Classification of adjectives Classification of adjectives 1) In terms of word-formation: One-word and compound adj.-s 2) In terms of syntactic function: central and peripheral adj.-s 3) Semantically meaning: dynamic and stative adj-s 4) Morphologically meaning: gradable and non-gradable adj.-s 5)Compound adjectives.

3. 1) One-word and compound adjectives . A one-word adjective may consist of only one free morpheme, such as big, small, good, bad, cold, etc.; it may also consist of a free morpheme as root plus a prefix or a suffix or both, such as unkind, useless, unlikely, voiceless, unbelievable, etc.

4. 1) One-word and compound adjectives • Compound adjectives are formed in different ways. They may be "adjective + adjective", e.g. bitter-sweet, deaf-mute • Adjective/adverb + -ing participle, e.g. • good-looking, hard-working, etc

5. 1) One-word and compound adjectives • adjective/adverb + -ed participle, e.g. • well-meant • noun + adjective, e.g. • duty-free, grass-green

6. 2) Central and peripheral adjectives • (1) Most adjectives can be used both as modifier in a noun phrase and as subject/object complement. These adjectives are called central adjectives. In the following three examples green is a central adjective, functioning as modifier of nouns, subject complement and object complement respectively

7. 2) Central and peripheral adjectives • --Green apples are sour. (modifier in a noun phrase) • --Those apples are green. (subject complement) -- They have painted the door green. (object complement)

8. 2) Central and peripheral adjectives • (2) peripheral adjectives • Peripheral adjectives refer to the few which can not satisfy both requirements. Some peripheral adjectives can only act as pre-modifier, e.g • chief, main, principal, utter, sheer, etc

9. 2) Central and peripheral adjectives • other peripheral adjectives can only act as complement afloat, afraid, asleep, alone, alive, etc.

10. 3) Dynamic and stative adjectives • (1) Stative adjectives • such as tall, short, big, small, beautiful, pretty, describe the static characteristics of animate or inanimate objects, and most adjectives are static adjectives

11. 3) Dynamic and stative adjectives • (2) Dynamic adjectives • such as ambitious, careful, generous, helpful, patient, witty, polite, describe the dynamic properties of people or things.Dynamic adjectives are different in use from stative adjectives.

12. 3) Dynamic and stative adjectives • Dynamic adjectives can go with progressive aspect of the verb be, while stative adjectives cannot, e.g. She is being tall/ beautiful/ pretty. She is being helpful/careful/polite/patient

13. 2. Function of the adjectives 1) Adjectives can act as object-complements and adverbials. e.g. I painted the door green. (Object- complement) I found the film instructive. (Object- complement) a) Very hungry, they began to search for food. (Adverbial)

14. 2. Function of the adjectives --Afraid of the dark, the child pulled the quilt over his head. (Adverbial) --Unable to find words to express themselves, they silently grasped our hands. -- The manager approached us full of apologies. (Adverbial)

15. 2. Function of the adjectives (2) Besides modifiers, object complements and adverbials, adjectives can also be used as subject –complements • afraid; alike (相似的); alive; alone; ashamed; asleep; awake(醒着的); aware; content; fond; glad; sorry; sure; well.

16. 2. Function of the adjectives • Sure, sorry, glad, fond, alive, etc. alone sometimes can be used as modifier. e.g. They didn’t have sure money supply. He is in a sorry state of mind. Glad news delights everyone. 。

17. 2. Function of the adjectives • His fonddream of going abroad can never come true. 他的出国美梦永远也实现不了。 [a fond mother/ a fond look (loving and kind; be fond of )] • He is the only single alive in our village. Man alone can speak.

18. 3. Position of the adjectives 1) As post modifiers (1) When modifying the indefinite pronouns, they act as post modifier (when the head word is some, any no-compound) eg: something important; nothing wrong. -- He remembered everything strange clearly.

19. 3. Position of the adjectives 2) When the adj-s ending in –ible/-able modify the nouns with superlative adj-s as post modifier e.g. --This is the tallest tower imaginable. --She is the most beautiful girl imaginable. --They tried every means imaginable.

20. 3. Position of the adjectives 3) Possible can be put after or before the noun; when present, absent, alone, alive, else, there, here as modifier should be post modifier. e.g. --He gave some money to all the people present. --Those absent from class yesterday please stand up.

21. 3. Position of the adjectives 2) Pre-modifying and post-modifying adjectives (1) When two or more pre-modifying adjectives co-occur on the same level, they are usually coordinated in the normal order of shorter members preceding the longer. e.g. She is a tall, strong and beautifulgirl. He is a learned, virtuous and much-loved teacher.

22. 3. Position of the adjectives (2) Put the adj. which has the close relation with the noun at the nearest place of the noun. e.g. -- She bought a long green cotton army overcoat. --He likes hislong red sick shirt very much.

24. 3. Position of the adjectives e.g. all these big and red Japanese apples the first important academic meeting the first two fine Chinese students • that fine old and tall red dilapidated brick house

25. 4. Gradable and non-gradable adjectives 不规则的形容词和副词的比较级和最高级

26. 4) Gradable and non-gradable adjectives • (1) Gradable adjectives Most adjectives are gradable adjectives. The gradability can be manifested through the forms of comparison, e.g. • short shorter shortest • beautiful more beautiful so beautiful

27. 4) Gradable and non-gradable adjectives The gradability can also be manifested through modification by intensifiers, e.g. • very short, so beautiful, extremely kind • All dynamic and most stative adjectives are gradable adjectives

28. 4) Gradable and non-gradable adjectives • Some other adjectives, such as perfect, excellent, extreme, married, dead, etc. are also non-gradable because their lexical meaning have already denoted a high or extreme degree

29. 4) Gradable and non-gradable adjectives • 2) Non-gradable adjectives • The few non-gradable adjectives include some denominal adjective that denote classification or provenance, e.g

30. 4. Gradable and non-gradable adjectives • 1) Similarity comparison : one is the same ……as the other. e.g.: She is as beautiful as her mother is. She has as many books as he has. • 2) Inferiority comparison : one of the two is not the same……as e.g.: She is not so/as healthy as other girls.

31. 4. Gradable and non-gradable adjectives • 3) Superlative degree: comparison made among more than three things e.g.: This is the best poem I’ve ever read. (scope of comparison) He is the cleverest student in our class.

32. 5. Phrases with comparative degree • 2. Phrases with more than 1) more than不止于；不只是 • no more…… than….仅仅； 和……一样不 • not more……than….. : 至多，不超过；一方不及（另一方）

33. 5. Phrases with comparative degree e.g.: He is no more than a manager. • Tom is not more diligent than you. （Tom is not as diligent as you） • Tom is no more diligent than you.

34. 5. Phrases with comparative degree • I have not more than ten yuan in my pocket. • I have no more than ten yuan in my pocket. 4) no less than: not a smaller amount of sth than多达； 不少于 • e.g.: He has no less than 500 books

35. 5. Phrases with comparative degree • He won no less than 500 yuan in the lottery. • Our soldiers fought with no daring than skill. She is no less active than she used to be. (She is as active as she used to be )

36. 5. Phrases with comparative degree 5) no less……than……和…..一样 e.g.: He is no less busy than I. 他和我一样忙。 6) none other than 正是 e.g.: The person was none other than you. 那人正是你。

37. 5. Phrases with comparative degree 7) more…… than……：to a greater extent, in a greater degree更多地; 更大地; 与其说……倒不如说…… ; 主要指同一人的不同方面作比较 （There is a comparison made for the same person in his different aspects）

38. 5. Phrases with comparative degree • He is more an elder brother than a teacher to me. • 与其说他是老师，不如说他是兄长。 • He is more diligent than clever. 与其说他诚实，不如说他机智。 • He is more kind than honest. • This house is more modern than any other house.

39. 5. Phrases with comparative degree • She is more beautiful than any girl in the school. (×) • She is more beautiful than any other girl in the school. (√) • She is more beautiful than other girls in the school. (√)

40. 5. Phrases with comparative degree • I’m taller than any other boyin your class. (×) • I’m taller than any boy in your class. (√) • I’m taller than any other boy in my class. (√)

41. 6. Adverbial of degree in comparison • 1) by far; much; far; a great deal; still; even; yet, etc +comparative degree e.g.： His English is by far better than hers. • Health is much more important than wealth. • She is far more beautiful than her brother. • I’m two years older than he.

42. 6. Adverbial of degree in comparison • Good fame is a great deal more valuable than money. • He is still/much/even/yet cleverer than his elder brother. • I’m a little taller than he. • They earn a lot more money than we.

43. 6. Adverbial of degree in comparison • 2) Multiplication： e.g.: I’ve read twice as many books this as I did last year. 今年读的书是去年的两倍/多一倍） The grain output this year is twice higher than last year.

44. 6. Adverbial of degree in comparison • This year’s output increases 75 percent higher than that of last year. • 今年的产量比去年的增长了75％。