Lecture 4

English 3318: Studies in English Grammar

Form-class Words Adjectives and Adverbs

Dr. Svetlana Nuernberg

Objectives

Differentiate between

attributive predicative adjectives

Differentiate between subclasses f adverbs Give supp rting criteria f

f rm !m rph l g"# functi n !sentence p siti n#

t justif" the assignment f a w rd t a given f rm class

Adjectives

$n terms f f rm% adjectives are n t as easil" identifiable in is lati n as n uns r verbs. &e need either meaning r c nte't r clues

(djective )rame Sentence: *he ++++n un is ver" +++

nl" adjectives will fit in the b th sl ts the f rm f the w rd can als pr vide clues

(djective Derivati nal Suffi'es

(djective $nflecti nal (ffi'es

Adjective Derivational Suffixes

*he m st reliable derivati nal suffi' identif"ing a w rd as an adjective is

, us - g rge us% fam us% c urage us% c ntagi us merr"% funn" beautiful% w nderful terrific% ascetic f rtunate% temperate , childish% reddish , fragmentar"% c mplimentar" , punitive% active , variable% amenable

*here are s me ther adjective f rming suffi'es

(s clues t adjectives% these suffi'es are n t as reliable as , us%

the" ccasi nall" sh w up n ther f rm classes t handful !n un#. panic !n un% verb#% punish !verb#

Adjective Inflectional Suffixes

*he inflecti nal suffi'es that pattern with adjectives are , er% the sign f r c mparative f rm , est% the superlative f rm / sitive 0 mparative Superlative big bigger biggest " ung " unger " ungest smart smarter smartest

Comparative and Superlative Degree

*he ,er f rm is used in the c mparis n f tw n uns - thats wh" it is called the c mparative degree:

/at is " unger than /h"llis /h"llis is the better student f the tw

*he c mparative degree with than can als be f ll wed b" a clause rather than a n un phrase

/at is " unger than $ suspected

*he ,est f rm% the superlative degree% is used when singling ut ne f m re than tw n uns

* m was the ldest pers n in the r m 1f the three candidates% Sarah is the best campaigner

Additional Cases

) r man" adjectives the c mparative and superlative degrees are n t f rmed with ,er and ,est% but with more and most% which we can thin2 f as alternative f rms r all m rphs

adjectives with m re than 3 s"llables are patterns with more and most ," r ,l" !prettiest% friendlier% l velier# ,le !n bler% n blest# , w !narr wer% narr west# ,er !tenderest#

E'cepti ns are: tw s"llable adjectives ending in

S me adjectives have n c mparative and superlative f rm: f rmer% main% principal

Adjectives or Adverbs

4 re and m st are n t e'clusive f r adjectives

,l" adverbs% th se derived fr m adjectives% have c mparative and superlative versi ns: m re 5uic2l"% m st fre5uentl"

Small gr up f w rds that have c mparative and superlative f rms can serve as adjectives r adverbs - inflecti nal test is n t ver" reliable

earl" earlier earliest hard harder hardest

fast faster fastest l ng l nger l ngest

late later latest l w l wer l west

high higher highest deep deeper deepest

Exceptions

Near (nearer, nearest) - can serve n t nl" as adjective and adverb% but als as a prep siti n% the nl" prep siti n that ta2es inflecti n

1ur seats were near the fift","ard line

E'cepti ns t regular c mparative and superlative f rms

g d better best

bad w rse w rst

far farther farthest

far further furthest

(djectives can als be c mpared in a negative sense with as, less, and least

*his picnic is n t as enj "able as $ th ught it w uld be *his picnic is less enj "able than $ th ught it w uld be *his is the least enj "able picnic $6ve ever attended

Rules of !umb
Tests for Adjectives
Formal Proof
1. 7as adjective,ma2ing m rpheme 3a. *a2es c mparative r superlative m rpheme happ"% l vable% f lish s fter% s ftest

Functional Proof
3b. 0an be made c mparative r superlative b" using m re r m st 3. 0an be 5ualified 8. 0an fit b th sl ts in the frame sentence m re sensitive% m st sensitive rather s ft *he +++n un seems ver" +++

Exercise "
1. 0reate a c mparative and superlative f rms f r the adjectives listed
friendl"% helpful% wise% awful% rich% mell w% e'pensive% valid% pure% able

3. *est each f the w rds bel w with the test f r adjectives given ab ve. &hich w rds are adjectives9 7 w man" f the criteria are valid f r each adjective9
alluring% eating% s2inn"% pale% diet% tall% c ntr lled% hungr" E'ample: selfish !adjective - 8 criteria# (pplicable: has adjective,ma2ing m rpheme :,ish;% can be made c mparative<superlative with more, most% can be 5ualified - ver" selfish% fits the frame

Subclasses of Adjectives

*he adjective test frame *he ++n un is ver"++++

is useful in identif"ing adjectives is useful in helping distinguish subclasses f adjectives:

th se that are limited t the pren un sl ts th se that are limited t the c mplement sl ts

4 st adjectives can fill three sl ts in the sentence patterns:

predicative adjectives

as subject c mplement !as in the test frame# as bject c mplement as m difiers in the n un phrase !as in the test frame#

attributive adjectives

Attributive Onl# Adjectives

( small number f f adjectives will n t fill the c mplement sl t , attributive nl" adjectives:

main% principal% f rmer% mere% p tential% at mic% late !meaning =dead># and technical adjectives: sulfuric% h"dr chl ric these d n t serve as either subject r bject c mplements in the verb phrase% n r d the" ta2e 5ualifiers:

7e is the f rmer president 4" reas n is main She is a mere child

?*he president is f rmer ?4" main reas n is ver" main ?*he child is mere

*here are a few ther adjectives that rarel" appear in an attributive p siti n in reference t animate n uns:

f nd% read"% ill% well

=ill men> but rarel" ?=ill pers n> , we will use sic2 instead

$redicative Onl# Adjectives

4an" s ,called (,adjectives are predicative nl":

abla@e% afraid% aghast% al ne% awa2e

*he h use was abla@e ?*he abla@e h use burned d wn in an h ur *he children were awa2e ?*he awa2e children were n is"

$ncidentall" n t all predicative adjectives ta2e very, the sample 5ualifier in the test frame

we d n t usuall" sa":

=ver" afraid> r =ver" awa2e> =ver" much afraid> and =ver" much awa2e> 5uite afraid% e'tremel" afraid% c mpletel" awa2e% wide awa2e

we w uld rather sa":

alth ugh the" d c mbine with the ther 5ualifiers:

Adjectives %ollo&ed b# Clauses

( number f adjectives in predicative p siti n appear fre5uentl" with c mplements in the f rm f phrases r clauses

s me adjectives: fond and aware% are rarel" used with ut them:

*he children were afraid that the d g w uld bite *he children were aware that the d g w uld bite *he d g was f nd f biting children &e were c nsci us f the pr blem 1ur team is certain t win

these cases are called 6c mplements6 rather than m difiers r 5ualifiers because the" c mplement the idea e'pressed b" the adjective A direct bjects are c mplements f verbs

Abilit# to Combine &it! 'ualifiers

(n ther subclassificati n f adjectives relates t their abilit" t c mbine with 5ualifiers

m st adjectives can be intensified% 5ualified: s mewhat late% rather late% 5uite earl"% ver" happ" , gradable certain adjectives den te meanings that are c nsidered abs lute: uni5ue% s5uare% r und% perfect% single% d uble% fatal% empt"% right% wr ng% imp ssible these can fill b th the attributive and predicate sl ts% but the" can n t be 5ualified r c mpared - n ngradable we can sa" =alm st perfect> and =nearl" s5uare>% but will av id =m re perfect> and =ver" perfect>

Adverbs

(dverbs m dif"

verbs: Sue swims 5uic2l" adjectives: Bill6s car is mechanicall" s und ther adverbs: (ndrew dr ve incredibl" fast wh le sentences: 1bvi usl"% s me ne ate the rest f the pi@@a

are the m st difficult f the f ur f rm classes t identif" and understand (dverbs verlap with adjectives !fast, slow#

*he h rse li2es a fast trac2 !adjective# D n6t drive s fast !adverb# *he" are sl w learners !adjective# 7e drives t sl w !sl wl"# !adverbs#

Derivational Suffixes

1ne c mm n indicat r f f rm is suffi' - l"% which we use t derive adverbs f manner fr m adjectives

tell how r in what way ab ut the verb:

7e wal2ed sl wl" She answered c rrectl"

$t is n t c mpletel" reliable signaler% since - l" ccurs n n uns !f ll"#% adjectives !l vel"% ugl"# *here are man" adjectives that we can turn t adverb with m rpheme :,l";

Restrictions

N t all adjectives can bec me manner adverbs% these restricti ns are related t

meaning

describe a state - tall% ld fi'ed r inherit characteristic - N rwegian characteristic that change - wea2% active% industri us

bjective characteristics - tall and ld subjective characteristics - nice and splendid

*he adjectives that refer t bjective r stative r inherent 5ualities rarel" bec me manner adverbs:

tall% ld% fat% sh rt% thic2% large% flat% r und% red

if the" d - the" have metaph rical% speciali@ed meaning hardl"% widel"% s5uarel"% sh rtl"% flatl"

Ot!er Derivational Suffixes

Besides ,l"% tw ther derivati nal suffi'es pr duce adverbs: ,ward and ,wise

w rds ending in -ward signal directi n: h meward% f rward% bac2ward% upward% d wnward w rds ending in wise% which indicate manner% include b th ld usage: therwise% lengthwise% cr sswise jarg n: budgetwise% weatherwise% m ne"wise% pr fitwise

Inflectional Suffixes

0 mparative and superlative inflecti ns: ,er% ,est

the c mparative f rm f ,l" adverbs% usuall" f rmed b" adding more rather than ,er e'cept f r: s n% ften - the nl" that ta2e ,er% ,est the superlative degree , m st suddenl"% m st fav rabl" - is rare in b th speech and writing - calls attenti n

*he c mmittee was m st fav rabl" impressed with the pr p sal *he crime was planned m st ingeni usl"

)lat adverbs - made fr m adjectives with ut the additi n f ,l":

earl"% late% hard% fast% l ng% high% l w% deep

Adverb Subclasses

(dverbs are ften categ ri@ed n the basis f the 2ind f inf rmati n the" pr vide

manner !h w# - 5uic2l"% sl wl"% reluctantl"% well:

*he h rses ran steadil" 1ur guest arrived "esterda" C ur b ss called here 7e is ama@ingl" beautiful *he" met fre5uentl" 7e alwa"s bragged ab ut it

time !when# - "esterda"% then% immediatel"

place !where# - here% s mewhere% ar und% utside

degree - stri2ingl"% incredibl"% ama@ingl"

fre5uenc" and number - ften% twice% seld m

durati n - alwa"s% still% briefl"

Rules of !umb
Tests for Adverbs
Formal Proof 1. 7as adverb,ma2ing m rpheme 3a. *a2es c mparative superlative m rphemes Function Proof 3b. 0an be made c mparative r superlative with m re r m st 3. 0an be 5ualified 8. 0an be m ved within a sentence D. 0an fit in the frame sentence suddenl"% cr sswise% h meward She ran faster She ran fastest m re suddenl"% m st suddenl" rather suddenl" *he d r pened suddenl" *he d r suddenl" pened Suddenl" the d r pened *he man t ld his st r" +++++++ .

Exercise (
1. *here are tw - l" m rphemes: ne t create adjectives% an ther t create adverbs. * understand the differences s rt the f ll wing w rds int tw gr ups: adjectives and adverbs

l vel"% f lishl"% abs lutel"% maniacall"% timel"% paternall"% w rldl"% gh stl"

3. Decide whether each f the e'amples bel w is an adverb f time% place% manner% degree% fre5uenc" and number r durati n

n% an'i usl"% s mewhere% utterl"% ften% carelessl"% nce% eternall"

0an an" be used m re than nce9