The Adjective: Classification, Usage, Modification of/by adjectives, Degrees of Comparison

Question 1

Classification

Answer 1

1. Proper Adjectives (included within the scope of the proper name): A Portuguese sailor; the English language
2. Descriptive Adjectives (ind. a quality): A beautiful girl; a brave boy
3. Quantitative Adjectives ( quantity or degree) (much, little, no, some, any, enough, sufficient, half, etc.): Much happiness; little friendship
4. Numeral Adjectives – definite ( cardinals, ordinals and multiplicative) and indefinite (all, some, enough, no, mnay, few): Three questions (definite); Some/ many questions (indefinite)
5. Demonstrative Adjectives: definite (this, that, such, the same, these, those) and indefinite (a, an, one, a certain, such, some, another, any, other): That lady (definite) ; A certain lady (indefinite)
6. Distributive Adjectives (shows that the persons or things denoted by the noun are taken singly or in separate lots): each, every, neither, either.

According to MEANING:
1. Qualitative Adj. (include qualities of size, shape, colour) Have degrees of comparison. Are gradable, Have corresponding adverbs (adj+ly): Beautiful, nice, hard, etc.

2. Relative Adj.: Relative adjectives: Are not gradable; Do not have degrees of comparison. Also include adj. derived from nouns and adjectivized nouns: Wollen pullover, a summer day.

Question 2

Usage of Adjectives

Answer 2

ATTRIBUTIVELY (precedă subst. sau înloc. subst. pe care-l modifică) (qualify a noun, directly, by premodification, e.g a noble character):

1. Words with strong emotional value: My dear lady; you poor man
2. Emphasizers (have a hightening effect): pure fabrication, a mere repetition
3. Amplifiers (they scale upwards from an assumed form): a complete victory, the absolute limit
4. Downtoners (lowering effect): A slight effect, a feeble joke.
5. Restrictive adjectives (restrict the reference of the noun): A certain person, the same student
6. Some adjectives related to adverbials (they change meaning when used predicatively after the link vb ”to be”): He is an old friend of mine /// My friend is very old (Preducative use)
7. Some denominal adjectives (= adj derived from nouns): A criminal lawyer (specializing in criminal law), A woolen dress (a dress made from wool)

Adjectives used PREDICATIVELY (qualify the noun indirectly, though the verb before them, e.g His character is noble):

1. Adj. referring to health: He is ill/unwell / He feels faint.
2. Adj. that take complementation (followed by Prepositional Phrase): He is aware of… / He is fond of…
3. Adj. which take the prefix ”a-” (fcț. sintactică NP, exprimă o stare): You are afraid of… / He is ashamed of…

Question 3

“Modification of/by adjectives”

Answer 3

Adjectives may be: premodified or postmodified.

PREMODIFICATION of Adjectives:
- the Adverb may premodify the adjective: that was a very funny film / he is quite right
- Intensifying adverbs: so large, pretty good, quite wrong, amazingly calm.

• ”Kind of”, ”sort of” - used as downtowners premodifying various parts of speech among which also adj: He is kind of clever.

-Viewpoint Adverbs: politically expedient, technically possible, economically weak.

• Other Averbs: openly hostile, easily justificable, readily available.

! Adj may premodify adj when the premodifies adj functions as a noun: The rich will help only the humble poor / He speaks excellent English.

POSTMODIFICATION
1. The adverb ”Enough”: His salary was not high enough / … good enough.

2. PPhr. (in….) (when adj act as nouns): The young in spirit enjoy life. The Irish in America retain links with ireland.

adjectives with obligatory prepositions:
about: certain, sorry, happy, worried, anxious (also for), crazy, careful, annoyed

at: amazed, excited, slow, irritated, quick, vexed, disgusted, clever, offended, bad, good

by: affected, disgusted, impressed

for: beneficial, convenient, essential, anxious, hungry, sorry, mad

from: opposite, different, immune

in: fortunate, mistaken, experienced, proeficient, lucky, interested

of: afraid, sure, fond, envious, proud, capable, conscious, innocent, ignorant, ashamed, jealous

on: dependent, keen, sweet, set

to: able, addicted, attentive, close, adequate, agreeable, cruel, hostile

with: busy, comfortable, charmed, excited, furious, comparable, impatient, tired, occupied.

3. Relative Clause (who…) : The old who resist change
4. Finite Clauses with ”that” (that…): I am sure that we will be late.
   - adj. used in that-clauses with a personal subj.: afraid, certain, glad, proud, amused, pleased, angry, confident, sad, disturbed, aware, conscious
   - with IT subj: It is true that she never came.

PREMODIFICATION BY ADJECTIVES:
-Nouns: I visited his delightful cottage.
- qualify 2 or more nouns: We have here only clever girls and boys
- adj repeated to stress the idea: Our University has new libraries and new laboratories.
- adj when used as nouns will be premodified by adj: The rich will help the humble poor.

PREMODIFICATION BY MORE THAN ONE ADJ (ORDER OF ADJ.)
- adj used antonymous: They sell new AND old cars
- adj complete each other: a red AND white ball
- we want to stress which adj: a long AND boring lecture.

POSTMODIFICATION BY ADJ.
-Noun: The house ablaze is next door to mine.
-Pronouns (especially indefinite ending in -body, -one, -thing, -where): Anyone intelligent can do it.

Question 4

Degrees of Comparison

Answer 4

Pozitiv, comparativ,superlativ.

Positive (adj. is not compared to any other): kind, beautiful, etc
Comparative (adj. is compared with another) (egality, superiority, inferiority): Less kind than, kinder than, as kind as.
Superlative (însușirea unui obiect atinge gradul cel mai înalt) (relativ și absolut):
relativ (gradul cel mai înalt, se adaugă -est (adj sintetic) sau most (analitic)).
absolut (grad înalt, dar fără a compara): very, too, highly, extremely (adverbe)

Comparația sintetică (-est).
Comparația analitică (more&most):

• The Comparative of Equality: as hot as an oven, as cool as a cucumber, as busy as a bee, as sweet as honey.