Lecture 23
Adjective and Adjective Phrase
Teaching Contents
 23.1 Classification of adjectives
 23.2 Adjectives and participles
 23.3 Adjective (phrase) as modifier in
noun phrases
 23.4 Adjective phrases as complement
 Adjectives are open-class words. They are
chiefly used as modifying elements in a
sentence.
 23.1 Classification of adjectives
 Adjectives can be classified into one-word
and compound adjectives, central and
peripheral adjectives, dynamic and stative
adjectives, gradable and compound
adjectives.
 1) One-word and compound adjectives
 In terms of word formation, adjectives can
be classified into one-word and compound
adjectives. The one-word adjectives may
consist of only one free morpheme, such as
big, small, bad; it may also consist of a free
morpheme as root plus a prefix or a suffix or
both, such as unkind, impossible.
 2) Central and peripheral adj.
 In terms of syntactic functions, adj. can be
divided into two groups: central and
peripheral adj. Most adj. can be used both
as modifier in a noun phrase and as
subject/object complement.
 These adj. are labeled central as different
from “peripheral adjectives” that refer to the
few which cannot satisfy both of these
requirements.
 e.g. This is utter nonsense.
 *The nonsense is utter.
 中心形容词与非中心形容词
 形容词的特点：1)起定语作用2)在系动词后seem作表
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语3)用前置强化语very修饰4)可以有比较级
1)
2)
3)
4)
hungry +
+
+
+
infinite +
+
afraid
+
+
+
utter
+
asleep +
符合1)和2)两标准的形容词是中心形容词。
至少符合1)和2)中一条标准的词，如old, afraid是非中
心形容词。
 3) Dynamic and stative adjectives
 Semantically, adjectives can be dynamic
or stative. Stative adjectives, such as tall,
short, describe the static features of
aninmate or inanimate objects, and
dynamic adjectives describe the dynamic
properties of people or things. They are
different in the following uses:
 a) Dynamic can go with the progressive
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aspect of the verb be, while stative cannot.
e.g. She is being witty/*beautiful.
b) Dynamic ones can co-occur with
imperative be, while stative ones cannot.
e.g. Be patient/*tall.
c) Dynamic ones can occur in causative
constructions, while stative ones cannot.
e.g. I persuade her to be generous/*pretty.
 动态形容词与静态形容词
 He was polite for her sake.
 *He was tall for her sake.
 动态形容词的一般语义特征是，它们表示了被认
为是受特性所有者支配而可暂时受到限制的特性。
 e.g. She is being witty / *beautiful.
 Be patient / careful / *tall!
 I persuaded her to be generous / pretty.
 4) Gradable and non-gradable adjectives
 Most adjectives are gradable. Gradability is
manifested through the forms of
comparison and through modification by
intensifiers. Some adjectives that denote a
high or extreme degree are non-gradable.
e.g. excellent, extreme.
 23.2 Adjectives and participles
 Participles can sometimes be used as
modifiers in the noun phrase. Some have all
the features of the adjective. They admit of
modification of very; they have forms of
comparative and superlative degrees; and
they may be used as complement in the
sentence.
 1) Adjectives derived from –ing participles
 Adjectives like alarming, boring,
disappointing, interesting are derived from –
ing participle. These forms can be made
negative by adding the prefix –un, such as
unchanging, unencouraging.
 2) Adjectives derived from –ed participles
 Adjectives like alarmed, bored, conceited,
distinguished are derived from –ed
participles. Some cannot themselves be
used as adjectives, such as behaved, built,
 dressed, but they reach full adjective status
 when they are compounded with an adverb,
such as badly-behaved, well-built.
 3) Active vs. passive meanings
 The meanings of participial adjectives may
be active or passive. –Ing participial
adjectives usually have active meanings,
and –ed forms passive meanings.
 e.g. boiling water, boiled water; a charming
girl a charmed girl
 23.3 Adjective (phrase) as modifier in noun
phrases
 1) Premodifying and postmodifying adjectives
 Adjectives usually appear after the determiner and
before the headword, but sometimes they may
also take a post-head position.
 a) When two or more premodifying adjectives
appear on different levels, their normal order is
like the following:Determiner—adjective denoting
the speaker’s evaluation – adjective denoting size,
shape, age – adjective denoting colour – adjective
denoting
 nationality, origin, material – adjective
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denoting use or purpose (classifier) – noun
head
e.g. a well-known German medical school.
b) Adjectives can also be used as
postmodifiers. This usu. Occurs when the
headword is a some-/any//no- compound,
e.g. something cheaper.
c) Adjectives with a prepositional phrase or
an infinitive as complementation also occur
after the headword they modify
e.g. It was a conference fruitful of results.
 d) Some adjectives can appear either before
or after a noun phrase, but have different
meanings.
 e.g. the members present, the present
members.
 2) Predicative adjectives
 There are twp groups of predicative
adjectives: adjectives denoting health
conditions, such as well, ill and adjectives
with a- as prefix, such as alike, alone.
Predicative adjectives cannot be placed
before a noun, but they can be so used
 when they are modified by an adverb.
 E.g. *an asleep child, a fast asleep child.
 3) Adjective phrase vs. relative clause
 A postmodifying adjective phrase can usu.
Be treated as a reduced relative clause. This
is also true of predicative adjectives
 e.g. the members present = the members
who were present
 23.4 Adjective phrases as complement
 1) Adjective + prepositional phrase
 Adjective phrases composed of “adjective +
prepositional phrase” are frequently found
in the position of subject complement.
Different adjectives usu. Go with specific
prepositions to express different meanings.
 e.g. He was absent from the meeting.
 2) Adjective + to-infinitive
 There are different SVC patterns in which
the complement is realized by ‘adjective +
to-infinitive”. These patterns vary in
meaning with the different adjectives that
are used and each pattern represents a
different group of adjectives
 e.g. She is stupid not to follow your advice.
 3) Adjective + that-clause
 The adjective that can take a that-clause as
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complementation include sure, glad,
amazed, surprised. In spoken English, the
conjunction that is usually omitted.
e.g. I’m glad (that) you like it.
This kind of that-clause can sometimes be
replaced by a corresponding prepositional
phrase or a to-infinitive.
e.g. I’m sure that you will get success.
= You are sure of success.
= You are sure to get success.