Adjectives followed by prepositions

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2016

ADJECTIVES FOLLOWED

BY PREPOSITIONS

AND THEIR

APPROXIMATE TURKISH

EQUIVALENTS

Yüksel Göknel

Y G O K N E L @ O U T L O O K . C O M

ADJECTIVES FOLLOWED BY PREPOSITIONS

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English adjectives followed by prepositions are expressed in Turkish in several different ways. Most English adjec-tives may be turned into verbs in Turkish sentences to express the English adjectives. Therefore, in the example sentences following this page, the Turkish sentences are not literal translations. İn Turkish, some suffixes, postpo-sitions or verbs are used instead of English prepositions. These suffixes are [e, a], [le, la], [den, dan] suffixes and the postpositions are “için”, “e,a karşı” and “den, dan dolayı”. However, some other Turkish sentences may be quite different.

I was shocked by what I heard. (“Shocked” is a passive verb) I was shocked at what I heard. (“Shocked” is an adjective)

“Surprised by” is passive; (“Surprised at” is an adjective.) ”Amazed by” is passive; (“Amazed at” is an adjective.)

Considering these complexities above, I wrote some Turkish sentences below the English ones to give an idea about the English sentences above. Anyone can find some other approximate sentences in Turkish to express the English sentences.

The prepositions coming after adjectives in English are always followed by nominals. These nominals are the objects of the prepositions. The objects of the prepo-sitions may be noun roots, nominal gerunds or noun clauses, such as:

Jack is interested in literature. (Noun root) Jack is interested in reading love stories.(Nominal gerund)

Jack is interested in what I am writing. (Noun clause)


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The brown underlined adjectives above and below are all subject complements.

The English prepositions and their Turkish corresponding suffixes and postpositions are written green. However, in Turkish, some English “adjective + preposition” construc-tion is not used, but a different construction is used ins-tead. These sentences are all written in black letters.

The corresponding Turkish sentences of the English sen-tences above them might have some other example sen-tences. These sentences are not given in the examples. The Turkish example sentences are the ones approximate to the English example sentences.

In the Turkish example sentences, verbs forms of the Eng-lish adjectives are used. In English, there are only a few examples of the adjectives that can turn into verbs.

Note:

Blue underlined and blue words show subjects, subject

pronouns and subject allomorphs.

Black underlines and black words show objects, noun

clauses, and nouns.

Red underlines and red words show verbs.

Green underlines and green words show adverbs, adverb

clauses, prepositions or postpositions.

Purple underlines and purple words show adjectives and

noun modifiers.

However, brown underlines under the adjectives show that

their functions are subject or object complements.


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IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT TURKISH

SIMPLE SENTENCES

There is only one subject in an English simple sentence. This

subject may be a proper noun, a common noun, a pronoun,

a noun phrase, a nominal gerund or a noun clause used in

the beginning of a simple sentence. For instance:

Jack will go to London tomorrow.

“Jack” is the subject, which is a proper noun.

Birds are singing.

“Birds” is the subject, which is a common noun.

You will be responsible.

“You” is the subject, which is a pronoun.

A hungry dog is waiting for something to eat.

“A hungry dog” is the subject, which is a noun phrase.

Smoking is harmful.

“Smoking” is the subject, which is a nominal gerund.

What I will tell you is very important.

“What I will tell you” is the subject, which is a noun clause.

There may be two subjects in a Turkish simple sentence. They

may be either a proper noun, or a common noun, or a pro-

noun, or a noun phrase, or an infitive or a noun compound

used in the beginning of a Turkish sentence, and the other one

is a subject allomorph carrying the same meaning of the first

subject attached to the main verbs used at the end. For ins-

tance:

We will go to Ankara next week.

Biz gelecek hafta Ankara-/y/a git-ecek-iz (“İz” = “we”)


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As it is seen, there is only the “we” subject pronoun in the

English sentence above. However, in the Turkish sentence

below, there are two subjects written in blue. One of them is

the “biz” pronoun used in the beginning of the sentence, and

the other one is the “iz” subject allomorph used at the end.

Such subject allomorphs are always dominant in Turkish

sentences because using subject allomorphs in Turkish sen-

tences is a grammatical necessity, but using subject pro-

nouns is always optional. If someone wants to emphasize the

subject, he can naturally use both the pronoun and the sub-

ject allomorph in a Turkish sentence.

If someone wants to learn what the personal subject allo-

morph at the end of a Turkish sentence means, he can read

the English pronoun in the beginning of the English sentence

above in the following example sentences because these two

carry the same meanings.

You can see some phonemes showed between slashes in the Turkish sentences, such as /y/ and /n/. These pho-nemes are called glides that help a vowel to pass to the following vowel smoothly and harmoniously. They are the products of the Turkish sound system. Therefore, they have no meanings.

When two identical vowels following each other happen to be pronounced together, these two vowels generally com-bine and verbalize as single vowels. For instance; “a-a” be-comes “a”, “e-e” becomes “e”, “u-u” becomes “u”, “ü-ü” becomes “ü”, “i-i” becomes “i” and “ı-ı” becomes “ı”.

The single underlined consonants, such as “k”, detach from their syllables and attach to the vowels following them.


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EXAMPLE SENTENCES

I am accustomed to getting up early. Erken kalkma/y/a alışkın-ım. (ım = I)

Subject allomorphs in Turkish change following the vowel harmony rules of the Turkish language. In order to learn everything about Turkish subject allomorphs, please consult my book titled “ENGLISH TURKISH GRAMMAR FUNCTIONAL AND TRANSFORMATIONAL” on the internet.

They were accused of stealing a car. Bir araba çalmak-la suçlan-dı-lar. (lar = they)

I am not acquainted with your friends. Arkadaşlarınız-la tanışmış değil-im

My sister is allergic to cats. Kız kardeşim kediler-e karşı allerjik-tir.

The tourists were amazed at the historic buildings. Turistler tarihi yapılar-a şaşırmış-tı-lar.

I was angry about my brother’s questions. Kardeşimin soruları yüzünden öfkeli/y/-di-im.

My mother is anxious about my sister’s health. Annem kız kardeşimin sağlığı için kaygılı.

Jack was angry with his sister. Jack kız kardeşi-/n/e kızgın-dı.

Jane was angry about the high prices. Jane yüksek fiyatlar-dan dolayı kızgın-dı.


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Jane was angry about what Jack said. Jane, Jack’in söylediği şey-den dolayı öfkeli/y/-di

Mary is afraid of being alone. Mary yalnız kalmak-tan korkar.

I am bad at mathematics. Matematik-te kötü- /y/üm.

Are you not bored with her nonsense questions? Onun saçma sapan soruların-dan bıkmış değil mi-sin?

Mary is brilliant at mathematics. Mary matematik-te mükemmel-dir.

I am busy with my homework. Ev ödevim-le meşgul-üm.

They are capable of overcoming all difficulties. Tüm zorlukları yenmek-te yetenekli-dir-ler

You must be careful with your homework. Ev ödevin hususunda dikkatli ol-malı-sın.

You must be certain about your decisions. Verdiğin kararlar-dan emin ol-malı-sın.

You must be conscious of what you are saying. Söylediklerinin bilinci/n/-de ol-malı-sın.

You must be content with what you have. Sahip oldukların-la tatmin ol-malı-sın.

I was crazy about what I heard. İşittiklerim yüzünden deli ol-du -um.


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The bus was crowded with students going to school. Otobüs okula giden öğrenciler-le doluy-du.

I am curious about what they are thinking about us. Hakkımızda ne düşündüklerini merak ed-i.yor-um.

I am dissatisfied with what he explained. Açıkladığı şey-den tatmin ol-ma-dı-ım

I was disappointed with my examination results. Sınav sonuçlarım-dan dolayı hayal kırıklığı-/n/a uğra-dı-ım.

I am doubtful about his honesty. Onun dürüstlüğün-den şüpheli-/y/im.

English is different from Turkish. İngilizce Türkçe-den farklı-dır.

Jack was disappointed with what they gave him. Onların verdiği şey Jack’i hayal kırıklığı-/n/a uğrat-tı.

Everybody is eager for learning a second language. Herkes ikinci bir dil öğrenmek için istekli-dir.

Jane is enthusiastic about being a doctor. Jane doktor olmak için çok istekli.

You are excellent at making fun of me. Benimle gırgır geçmek hususu/n/-da mükemmel-sin.

The students were excited about the summer holiday. Öğrenciler yaz tatili hususunda heyecanlı/y/-dı-lar.

You are experienced in solving problems. Problem çözmek-te (hususunda) tecrübeli-sin.


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We are exposed to too much carbon dioxide gas in heavy traffic. Yoğun trafikte fazla karbon dioksit gazı-/n/a maruz kalır-ız.

She is envious of her husband. Kocasını kıskanıyor.

A woman should be faithful to his husband. Bir kadın kocası-/n/a sadık ol-malı-dır.

I am familiar with that family. O aileyle yakın-dan tanış-ı.yor-um.

That boy is famous for his laziness. O çocuk tembelliği-/y/le ünlü-dür.

We are friendly with them. Onlar-la dost-uz.

She is fond of playing tennis. Tenis oynama-/y/a düşkün-dür.

I am furious about his treating me like that. Bana böyle davranması-/n/a öfkeli-yim. (Öfkeleniyorum)

The school garden was full of students. Okul bahçesi öğrenciler-le dolu/y/-du.

The man was guilty of bribery. Adam rüşvet-ten suçlu/y/-du.

He is gentle with his friends. Dostları-/n/a karşı nazik-tir.

My son is good at solving problems. Oğlum sorun çözmek-te iyi-dir.


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I am grateful to you for helping me. Bana yardım ettiğin için sana minnettar-ım.

She is very happy about her daughter’s success. Kızının başarısı/n/-dan dolayı çok mutlu.

The boys were hopeful about the success of their team. Çocuklar takımlarının başarısı/n/-dan ümitli/y/di-ler.

Your bag is identical with mine. Senin çantan benimki/y/-le aynı.

Your composition is inferior to mine. Senin kompozisyonun benimki/n/-den kalitesiz.

Some students are indifferent to what the teacher is teaching. Bazı öğrenciler öğretmenin öğrettikleri-/n/e karşı kayıtsız.

I am not interested in politics. Politika/y/-la ilgili değil-im.

He is incapable of correcting his mistakes himself. O kendi hatalarını düzeltmek-te yeteneksiz-dir.

She is jealous of her husband. Kocasını kıskan-ı.yor.

Jack is always kind to Mary. Jack Mari’-/y/e karşı hep nazik-tir.

George is married to a Japanese girl. George bir Japon kız-la evli.

You should be polite to old people. Yaşlılar-a karşı nazik ol-malı-sın.


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Jack was late for the lesson. Jack ders-e geç kal-dı.

A mother should be patient with her children. Bir anne çocukları-/n/a karşı sabırlı ol-malı-dır.

I am pessimistic about the examination results. Sınav sonuçları için kötümser-im.

You must be proud of your son’s success. Oğlunun başarısı/n/dan dolayı gururlu ol-malı-sın.

You must be puzzled about the examination results. Sınav sonuçları/n/-dan şaşırmış ol-malı-sın.

They say that I am not qualified for the job. İş için nitelikli ol-madığımı söyle-ü.yor-lar.

You should be ready for the next football match. Bir sonraki futbol maçı için hazır ol-malı-sınız.

We are responsible for what we do. Yaptığımız her şey için sorumlu-/y/uz.

We must be satisfied with what we have. Sahip olduklarımız-la tatmin ol-malı-/y/ız.

Are you serious about what you are saying? Söyledikleri/n/-de ciddi mi-sin?

What you say is similar to what I say. Senin dediğin benimki/y/-le aynı.

I became shocked by what I heard. İşittiklerim-den şoke ol-du-um.


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Jack is short of money nowadays. Jack bu günlerde para sıkıntısı içinde.

I am sorry for being late. Geç kaldığım için üzgün-üm.

They said that I was suitable for the job. İş için uygun olduğumu söyle-di-ler.

I was surprised at what I saw. Gördüğüm beni hayret-e düşür-dü.

I am tired of your nonsense answers. Anlamsız cevapları/n/-dan bıkkın-ım.

We were unaware of what they were thinking. Onların ne düşündükleri/n/-den habersiz-di-ik.

You were wrong about what you did. Yaptığın şey-de hatalı/y/-dı-ın.

Everybody was worried about the present situation. Herkes şimdiki durum-dan kaygılı/y/-dı.

Are you not aware of the high prices? Yüksek fiyatlar-dan habersiz mi-sin?

Are you not ashamed of lying? Yalan söylemek-ten utanmıyor mu-sun?

Education

Adjectives followed by prepositions