Adjectives

Question 1

ISSUE 1

Answer 1

Form

Question 2

Attributive function

Answer 2

Precedes an NP

Question 3

Precative function

Answer 3

Occurs at predicate

Question 4

Postnominal

Answer 4

Ellipsis of a relative clause

Immediately follows the NP

Question 5

Adjectives and homomorphs

Examples

Answer 5

Fast

They went home fast.
The was known for his fast sprint.

Question 6

Two other characteristics of adjectives

Answer 6

1. Modified by an intensifier very

1. Takes comparative and superlative forms

Question 7

Exclusively in attributive position

Answer 7

1. The determined reference (restrictive): the very/particular man
2. Importance: their main/prime/ principal) faults
3. Recognized by law or custom: the lawful/legal/true heir
4. Denominal: a medical doctor, an atomic physicist, a reserve officer
5. Time reference: the future king, the former chairperson, the present monarch
6. Geographical reference: a Southern gentleman, the urban crisis, a rural mail carrier
7. Intensifying or emphasizing: a total stranger, a mere child, sheer fraud, utter nonsense
8. Showing the uniqueness: the sole survivorm the only nominee,a single individual

Question 8

Only precative

Answer 8

1. Beginning with an a- prefix: asleep, alert
2. Health adjectives: ill, poorly, well, faint, unwell
3. Adjectives which can take complementation: able, afraid, answerable, averse, aware

Question 9

ISSUE 2

Answer 9

MEANING

Question 10

What’s the meaning difference?

1. That person is responsible.
2. That responsible person

Answer 10

1. Trustworthy or to blame

2. Trustworthy

Question 11

The relationship of adjectives and modified NP

1. When the adj is attributive
2. When the adj is precative

Answer 11

1. More permanant or characteristic

2. Temporary states or specific events

Question 12

Potential ambiguity of precative adjectives

Answer 12

The house is pink.

The pink house

The house is pink in the sunset

Question 13

Why most health adj are used precatively?

Answer 13

Attributive position tends to reject the temporary and occasionalw

Question 14

Compare the following compound attributive adj

Your play-writing friend
*The leg-breaking man

Answer 14

The friend habitually writes plays

But the man does not break a leg as a customary action

Question 15

Xxxxxxxx

Compare Drunk and drunken

Answer 15

Drunken is used only as attributive adj: the drunken tiger
Drunk is used as precative: he got drunk

Q. Does drunken has more permanent or customary meaning than drunk?

Question 16

Three way ambiguity of the English phrase: an old friend

Answer 16

1. A friend who is old
2. A friend whom I have had for a long time
3. A former friend ( not my friend any more)

Question 17

ISSUE3

Answer 17

Adjectives and participle

Question 18

When is the verbal force of the participle explicit?

Answer 18

1. When an D.O. is present

2. When a by-agent phrase with a personal agent is present

Question 19

How to differentiate the particle from the participial adjective?

Answer 19

The presence of very together with an explicit indicator of verbal force would produce an unacceptable sentence.

*His views were very alarmaing his audience.

Question 20

When -ed or -ing form is adjective..

Answer 20

1. When they cooccur with a by-phrase containing a nonpersonal NP:
   I’m very disturbed by your attitude.

2. When it is compounded with another element:
It is (very) heart-breaking.

Cf. -ing, -ed participles can be attributive: a married couple, a crying baby

Question 21

Different participle forms for verbal and adjectival use

Answer 21

You have drunken too much - drunk(en) driving/ driver
Have you shaved? - a clean-shaven young man
This shirt has shrunk - a shrunken shirt