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GROUP PRESENTATION Adjective Phrases

adjective phrase

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GROUP PRESENTATION

Adjective Phrases

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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

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Adjective phrase

Structure

The head

Syntactic functions

CONTENT

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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

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A. STRUCTURE

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♦♦♦ 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

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THE TABLE SHOW THE STRUCTURE OF ADJECTIVE PHRASE

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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

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Complementation

Infinitive phrase

That clause

_ing clause

_PP clause

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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

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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

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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

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B. SYNTACTIC FUNCTIONS

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SYNTACTIC FUNCTIONS

Syntacticfunctions

Complement subject

postpositive

NP head

Verbless adj clause

Exclamatory adj sentence

Noun pre-modifier

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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

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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

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POSTPOSITIVEPOSTPOSITIVE

1.DEFINITION: An adjective is postpositive when it

comes after the noun it modifies

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Singular concord

Some adjectives can function as noun-phraseHeads when they have abstract reference

adverbs superlatives

HEAD OF NOUN PHRASE

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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)

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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

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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

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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!

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C. THE HEAD

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Syntactic classification of adjs

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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

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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…

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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

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ATTRIBUTIVE ONLY

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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)

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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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

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Thank you for your attention!