Functions and classifications of adjectives

1. ADJECTIVES

2. I. SYNTACTIC FUNCTIONS OF
ADJECTIVES
1. Attributive (tt thuộc ngữ)
Adjectives are attributive when they come
_________ determiners and _________
open –class items to premodify nouns in
the noun phrase.
in the noun phrases.
E.g. An old brick house
A large silver jar
A beautiful silk flower

3. I. SYNTACTIC FUNCTIONS OF
ADJECTIVES
1. Attributive
Adjectives are attributive when they
come after determiners and before open
–class items to premodify nouns in the
noun phrase.
E.g. An old brick house
A large silver jar
A beautiful silk flower

4. 2. Predicative (tt vị ngữ)
The adjs coming after link verbs (copulas)
are called predicative adjectives
List out some link verbs:

5. 2. Predicative
The adjs coming after link verbs (copulas)
are called predicative adjectives
Link verbs: be, become, seem, appear, feel,
grow, get, keep, look, appear, make, smell,
sound, taste, turn

6. Predicative adjective can be:
a. ___________________
-You look healthy and fresh.
-The girls in this class seem gentle and courteous.
-The boys appear gallant and generous.
b. _______________
- He considers his wife foolish
- He pulled his belt tight.
- We painted the house blue.

7. Predicative adjective can be
subject complement or object complement
a. Subject complement
-You look healthy and fresh.
-The girls in this class seem gentle and courteous.
-The boys appear gallant and generous.
b. Object complement
- He considers his wife foolish.
- He pulled his belt tight.
- We painted the house blue.

8. 3. Head of noun phrase
a, Denoting ______________
- The handicapped need help.
- The old are often more cautious than the
young.
- He is no longer in the land of the alive.
- Always speak well of the dead.

9. 3. Head of noun phrase
a, Denoting a certain group of people
- The handicapped need help.
- The old are often more cautious than the
young.
- He is no longer in the land of the alive.
- Always speak well of the dead.

10. b, Denoting ____________
- The English are witty.
- The American are loud.
- The German are musical.
- The Greek are good at public speaking
c, Denoting _____________
- Do the good to make the world a better place.
- Prepare for the worst but hope for the best.

11. b, Denoting nationalities
- The English are witty.
- The American are loud.
- The German are musical.
- The Greek are good at public speaking
c, Denoting abstract things
- Do the good to make the world a better place.
- Prepare for the worst but hope for the best.

12. Notice: Adjectives functioning as the head of noun
phrase do not inflect for number (no plural form) or for
the genitive case (‘S) and must take The.

13. 4. Verbless clause (sub clause)
a. Implied Subject of adjective is the subject of the
_____________
- So sad, I sat down under a tree and started to cry.
- Long and untidy, her hair played in the breeze.
- Elated, Marry accepted John’s love.
- Marry, elated, accepted John’s love.
- Marry accepted John’s love, elated.
Notice the positions of verbless clause

14. 4. Verbless clause (sub clause)
a. Implied Subject of adjective is the subject of the
main clause
- So sad, I sat down under a tree and started to cry.
- Long and untidy, her hair played in the breeze.
- Elated, Marry accepted John’s love.
- Marry, elated, accepted John’s love.
- Marry accepted John’s love, elated.

15. b. Implied Subject of adjective is ______________
- Strange, it was she who expressed her love first.
c. Verbless clause adjective can be used as
adverbial clause of condition/ circumstance.
Implied S of adjective is the ___________________
- When young, people are more enthusiastic.
- If possible, I’ll come to see you once a week.
Implied S of adjective is the ___________________
- We can drink it hot
- You must eat them when fresh

16. b. Implied Subject of adjective is the whole main
clause.
- Strange, it was she who expressed her love first.
c. Verbless clause adjective can be used as
adverbial clause of condition/ circumstance.
Implied S of adjective is the S of the main clause
- When young, people are more enthusiastic.
- If possible, I’ll come to see you once a week.
Implied S of adjective is the O of the main clause
- We can drink it hot
- You must eat them when fresh

17. 4 functions of adjectives
1. Attributive
- Pre-modifiers
- Post-modifiers
2. Predicative
- Subject complement
- Object complement
3. Head of noun phrase
4. Verbless adjective clause

18. II. POSITIONS OF ADJECTIVE
1. After ___________
- We are lucky to be here.
- He gets angry easily.
2. After ___________
- Happiness makes women prettier.
- He painted the wall red.
- She pinned her hair neat.
3. Before ___________
- An amazing dancer

19. II. POSITIONS OF ADJECTIVE
1. After link verbs
- We are lucky to be here.
- He gets angry easily.
- She grew more sensitive.
2. After objects
- Happiness makes women prettier.
- He painted the wall red.
- She pinned her hair neat.
3. Before the Head noun
- An amazing dancer

20. 4. After the Head noun
a. When the head noun _______________
- Is there anything new?
- Did anyone do something special during your holiday?
- Did you talk with anyone interesting at the party?
- Have you ever traveled to anywhere more mysterious
than that?

21. 4. After the Head noun
a. When the head noun is indefinite
- Is there anything new?
- Did anyone do something special during your holiday?
- Did you talk with anyone interesting at the party?
- Have you ever traveled to anywhere more mysterious
than that?

22. b. When you want to ____________, or
adjectives are connected by both.. and/ but.
- Hoa is a girl both beautiful and intelligent.
- Nam, pretty small but very gallant, helps all
the girls with their luggage.
c. When adjectives are used in _____________
- I’m 1m60 tall.
- I’m 25 years- old.
- This room is 40 square metre large.

23. b. When you want to emphasize, or adjectives are connected
by both/and/ but/or.
- Hoa is a girl both beautiful and intelligent.
- Nam, pretty small but very gallant, helps all the girls with
their luggage.
 Every community, large or small, that implements strong
measures will see the same success.
c. When adjectives are used in expressions
expressing measurement
- I’m 1m60 tall.
- I’m 25 years- old.
- This room is 40 square metre large.

24. d. When adjectives are followed by
prepositional phrases
- I hate the men greedy for money.
- A person satisfied with his job often work better.
- She is a woman unhappy in marriage but
successful in career.
e. When we used adjectives in comparative
structure
- I have a new flat nicer and cheaper than the old
one.

25. f. When adjectives are followed ____________
- She is a girl difficult to understand.
- You are students easy to teach.
g. Some certain adjectives like
- She had to suffer from pain unspeakable.
- I need to meet the man responsible.
- Where is the seat available?
- All the students present are first year students.

26. f. When adjectives are followed by the infinite
- She is a girl difficult to understand.
- You are students easy to teach.
g. Some certain adjectives like
- She had to suffer from pain unspeakable.
- I need to meet the man responsible.
- Where is the seat available?
- All the students present are first year students.

27. III. CLASSIFICATION
1. According to the function
 Central (Both attributive and predicative)
 Attributive only
 Predicative only
a. Both attributive and predicative (central
adjs)
- I’m healthy. - I’m a healthy man.
- This water is pure. - This is pure water.

28. b. Attributive only
- My entire salary is not enough to support all the family.
- Some of my former pupils are my teachers now.
- The only occasion to meet all the members of family is
Tet-holiday.
-The main problem is that we lack of skillful workers.

29. b. Attributive only
Intensifying adj + Noun
Limiter adj + Noun
Related to adverbials adj + Noun
Denominal adjectives adj + Noun

30.  Intensifying
Emphasizer or amplifier:
- Meeting Jack was Rose’s sheer bliss.
- Vicar Ran had an unshakable belief in the God.
- I was fascinated from the very beginning of the book.
- A teacher’s entire salary is not enough to support her family.
- Cuoi was an inveterate liar.
- Bờm was complete fool. He always made utter folly.
A strong opponent A great supporter
sheer /ʃɪə/: Hoàn toàn, tuyệt đối
inveterate /ɪnˈvɛt(ə)rət: thâm căn cố đế
Utter /ˈʌtə/: : Hoàn toàn

31.  Limiter adjectives:
- The main reason is that you don’t spend enough
time on studying
- The precise result
- The only occasion to meet him is Tet holiday
- The same students come to the library everyday.

32.  Related to adverbial adjectives:
- The former rector is Mr. Bao
- A fast road - A hard worker
- A big eater - An occasional visitor
 Denominal adjectives:
- Criminal law - A medical school
- A mathematical puzzle - A biological experiment
- A wooden boat


33. c. Predicative only
They tend to refer to a condition rather than to
characterize. (most common referring to heath or
lack of heath)
- Well/ unwell/ faint/ ill/ pleased/ glad/ ready
- Ablaze (chói sáng)/ alive/ alone /aloof (lạnh lùng, xa cách)/
afraid / ashamed/ aghast (horrified)/ asleep/ awake/ alert /alike
 adj that can or must take complementation
afraid (that, of, about) / conscious ( that, of)/ fond (of)

34. Practice: Attributive & Predicative Adjs
 Exercise 1. Use these notes to write full sentences:
1. Sister/elder
2. Boy/ alone
3. The world/asleep
4. My desire/chief
5. My heart/ content
6. The thing to remember/main
7. The people/alive
8. Secrets/inner
9. The girl for me/only
10. system/ important/solar/

35. Practice: Attributive & Predicative Adjs
 Exercise 1. Use these notes to write full sentences:
1. Sister/elder. My elder sister has just entered university.
2. Boy/ alone. The boy stay alone everyday.
3. The world/asleep. I found him asleep during Math lesson.
4. My desire/chief
5. My heart/ content
6. The thing to remember/main
7. The people/alive
8. Secrets/inner
9. The girl for me/only
10. system/ important/solar/

36. Exercise 2. Classify these attributive adjectives into
the chief reason entire salary a healthy man
the principal cause A clear road a medical school
a possible friend pure water a particular placeutter
stupidity The late president the solar system
sheer luck A happy family the precise result
my former student
Intensifiers Limiter Related to
adverbial
Denominal Central

37. Exercise 2. Classify these attributive adjectives into
the
Intensifiers
utter stupidity
Entire salary
sheer luck
Limiter
The chief
reason/
the principal
cause /
particular
place/
the precise
result
Related to
adverbial
a possible
friend/
The late
president/
my former
student
Denominal
a medical
school/
solar system
Central
a healthy
man/
A clear
road/
pure water/
A happy
family

38. 2. Semantic sub-classification
a. Stative /dynamic
Stative (trạng thái) Dynamic (hoạt động)
Denote a state or condition,
which may generally be
considered permanent.
- big, red, small …
Can’t be used in an
imperative constructions.
- Be big/red/small
Can’t be used in progressive
constructions.
- He is being big.
Denote attributes (feature or
quantity) which are under the
control of the one who
possesses them
- Quiet
Can be used in an imperative.
- Be quiet!
Can be used in progressive
constructions.
- They’re being quiet.

39. Practice: Stative & Dynamic adjectives
When someone is acting in a way that's different than how they
usually act, you can say that they "are being ___"
Exercise 1. Choose the correct words in each sentence:
1. Kate is a changeable girl. She is /is being generous now but
tomorrow she may be very mean.
2. Be honest/ small!
3. Normally, they are so nice but I don’t know why they are/are
being rude right now.
4. Why don’t you go and introduce yourself to her? Are /are
you being shy?
5. She is/isn’t unfair woman but she is/is being unfair to me
now.

40. Practice:Stative & Dynamic adjectives
When someone is acting in a way that's different than how they
usually act, you can say that they "are being ___"
Exercise 1. Choose the correct words in each sentence:
1. Kate is a changeable girl. She is being generous now but
tomorrow she may be very mean.
2. Be honest!
3. Normally, they are so nice but I don’t know why they are
being rude right now.
4. Why don’t you go and introduce yourself to her? are you
being shy?
5. She isn’t unfair woman but she is being unfair to me now.

41. Exercise 2. Which adjs can be used to complete this
sentence?
 He is being______________ right now
1. married
2. greedy
3. heavy
4. thin
5. early
6. new
7. deaf
8. timid
9. busy
10. talented

42. Exercise 2. Which adjs can be used to complete this
sentence?
 He is being_________________ right now.
1. married N
2. Greedy Y
3. Heavy N
4. Thin N
5. Early N
6. New N
7. Deaf N
8. Timid Y
9. Busy Y
10. talented N

43. b. Gradable and non-gradable
Gradable non-gradable
 Can be used with
adverbs of degree
(a little, extremely, fairly,
very…)
 Have comparative and
superlative forms
(big, bigger , the biggest)
are used alone.
- The dog was dead.
- That vase is unique.
Some stative adjs are non-
gradable (technical adjs:
atomic, hydrochloric

44. Which adverbs go with adjectives in each column?
really deeply utterly totally fairly rather extremely
absolutely very entirely quite pretty completely
Impossible
Perfect
Universal
Empty
unique
Astounded
Hilarious
Brilliant
Awful
scorching
Surprised
Funny
Beautiful
Bad
Hot

45. Which adverbs go with adjectives in each column?
Completely
utterly
totally
absolutely
entirely
quite/ pretty/ really
Completely
utterly
totally
absolutely
entirely
quite/ pretty/ really
Deeply
fairly
rather
very
Extremely
quite/ pretty/ really
Impossible
Perfect
Universal
Empty
unique
Astounded
Hilarious
Brilliant
Awful
scorching
Surprised
Funny
Beautiful
Bad
Hot

46. Use of quite/ pretty/ really
Quite:
- It’s quite impossible to recruit students with excellent high
school diploma.
- It’s quite easy to pass university entrance exam nowadays.
Pretty:
- This room is pretty beautiful.
- This room is pretty stunning.
Really:
- Mastering a foreign language is really important.
- Mastering a foreign language is really vital.

47. Use of quite/ pretty/ really
Quite:
- It’s quite impossible to recruit students with excellent high
school diploma. (completely)
- It’s quite easy to pass university entrance exam nowadays.
(moderately)
Pretty:
- This room is pretty beautiful. (regular)
- This room is pretty stunning. (extreme)
Really:
- Mastering a foreign language is really important.
- Mastering a foreign language is really vital.

48. Practice: Gradable and non-gradable
Exercise 1. Choose the best answer.
1. The comedian was __________! I laughed so hard I was
almost crying.
A. astounding B. fascinating C. hilarious
2.The kitchen was ________ by the time she finished cleaning it.
A.furious B. hideous C. spotless
3. These ______ ruins were built by the Mayans thousands of
years ago.
A. ancient B. filthy C. packed
4. In my evaluation, the teacher said I was a ___________
student and a joy to have in class.
A. horrible B. gorgeous C. wonderful
5. My brother was _____ when I broke his brand-new cell phone.
A. awful B. furious C. starving

49. 1. The comedian was __________! I laughed so hard I was
almost crying.
A. astounding B. fascinating C. hilarious
2.The kitchen was ________ by the time she finished cleaning it.
A.furious B. hideous C. spotless
3. These ______ ruins were built by the Mayans thousands of
years ago.
A. ancient B. filthy C. packed
4. In my evaluation, the teacher said I was a ___________
student and a joy to have in class.
A. horrible B. gorgeous C. wonderful
5. My brother was _____ when I broke his brand-new cell phone.
A. awful B. furious C. starving

50. 6. The first time I had to speak at a big conference, I was
__________ - my hands were actually shaking!
A. exhausted B. terrified C. terrible
7. This hearing aid is so _________ you can barely see it.
A. astounding B. filthy C. tiny
8. That dress is __________ - I can't believe it's considered
"fashionable"!
A.hideous B. freezing C. spotless
9. My kids fell asleep on the car ride home from the zoo - they
were __________ from running around all day.
A. exhausted B. furious C. terrifying
10. I'm not really into politics, but I find science _______.
A. gigantic B. fascinating C. starving

51. 6. The first time I had to speak at a big conference, I was
__________ - my hands were actually shaking!
A. exhausted B. terrified C. terrible
7. This hearing aid is so _________ you can barely see it.
A. astounding B. filthy C. tiny
8. That dress is __________ - I can't believe it's considered
"fashionable"!
A.hideous B. freezing C. spotless
9. My kids fell asleep on the car ride home from the zoo - they
were __________ from running around all day.
A. exhausted B. furious C. terrifying
10. I'm not really into politics, but I find science _______.
A. gigantic B. fascinating C. starving

52.  Astounding /əˈstaʊndɪŋ/- Surprisingly impressive or notable.
 Hilarious /hɪˈlɛːrɪəs/ - Extremely amusing.
 Furious /ˈfjʊərɪəs/ - Extremely angry.
 Hideous /ˈhɪdɪəs/ - Extremely ugly.
 Filthy /ˈfɪlθi/ - Disgustingly dirty.
 Gigantic /dʒʌɪˈɡantɪk/- Of very great size or extent; huge or
enormous.
 Gorgeous /ˈɡɔːdʒəs/- very attractive

53. Exercise 2. True or False?
1. That painting is very gorgeous - the artist has real talent.
2. These books are fairly ancient - they were written two
hundred years ago.
3. The classroom was almost empty during the week before
Christmas; everyone had gone on vacation.
4. He became a multi-millionaire by the time he was 25
years old. His success is absolutely astounding.
5. It's a bit hot in here; could you open the window?

54. 1. That painting is very gorgeous F
2. These books are fairly ancient - they were written two
hundred years ago. F
"Ancient" is an extreme adjective, and it usually means
THOUSANDS of years, not hundreds of years - so a better
choice would be "fairly old" or "pretty old"
3. The classroom was almost empty during the week before
Christmas; everyone had gone on vacation. T
You can use adverbs like "almost" and "nearly" with absolute
adjectives, to show that the situation is close to the limit.
4. He became a multi-millionaire by the time he was 25 years
old. His success is absolutely astounding. T
5. It's a bit hot in here; could you open the window? T

55. Exercise 2. True or False?
6. This project is rather gigantic - it's far too much work for just
one person.
7. He lost his job and his car was stolen in the same week?
Wow, that's really awful.
8. It's extremely essential that you bring all the necessary
documents to your visa interview.
9. Your essay was nearly perfect - there was only one small
punctuation error.
10. My new apartment is slightly tiny; there isn't enough room
for all my furniture.

56. 6. This project is rather gigantic - it's far too much work for just
one person. F
7. He lost his job and his car was stolen in the same week?
Wow, that's really awful. T
8. It's extremely essential that you bring all the necessary
documents to your visa interview. F
9. Your essay was nearly perfect - there was only one small
punctuation error. T
10. My new apartment is slightly tiny; there isn't enough room
for all my furniture. F (quite/ pretty/ really is OK)
Introduce a very interesting page about the extremem and absolute adjectives and
practice

57. 3. Formation sub-classification
a. derived adjectives
The derived adjectives are the adjectives formed by adding
affixes to the root morphemes.
Some prefixes can be added to adjective to form new
adjectives.
Some suffixes can be added to nouns to form new adjectives. -
Some suffixes can be added to verbs to form new adjectives.

58. b. Compound adjectives
Match the adjectives below with ways to combine them:
open-minded, home-made, good-looking, world famous,
dark blue, long-playing, well-done, time-consuming
1. N+ Adj: 5. N+ past participle:
2. Adj+ Adj: 6. Adj+ N+ed:
3. Adj+ present participle: 7. Adv+ present participle:
4. N+ present participle: 8. Adv+ past participle:

59. b. Compound adjectives
Match the adjectives below with ways to combine them:
1. N+ Adj: world famous
2. Adj+ Adj: dark blue
3. Adj+ present participle: good-looking
4. N+ present participle: time-consuming
5. N+ past participle: home-made,
6. Adj+ N+ed: open-minded
7. Adv+ present participle: long-playing
8. Adv+ past participle: well-done

60. Practice: compound adjectives
Exercise 1. use compound adjectives to describe these peole/
things:
never ending, narrow- minded, bad- tempered, worn out, thick-
skinned, tongue-tied
1. Someone who isn’t willing to listen to ideas of others.
2. Someone who become angry and easily annoyed.
3. Someone who is not really upset by unkind or critical
comments.
4. Unable to speak easily because of shyness.
5. Something is no longer useful because it has been used too
much.
6. Something unpleasant, seeming last forever.

61. Exercise 1. use compound adjectives to describe these peole/
things.
1. Someone who isn’t willing to listen to ideas of others.
narrow- minded
2. Someone who become angry and easily annoyed.
bad- tempered
3. Someone who is not really upset by unkind or critical
comments. Thick-skinned
4. Unable to speak easily because of shyness. Tongue-tied
5. Something is no longer useful because it has been used too
much. worn out
6. Something unpleasant, seeming last forever. Never ending

62. Excercise2. complete these compound adjs with a
word that fits.
fat/ dried/ centred/ watering/ food/
style/ fried/ bodied/ made/ thin
1. home- _____ food 6. Japanese- _____ cooking
2. A mouth- _____ smell 7. stir- _____ vegetable
3. A fast- _____ outlet 8. water- _____ slices
4. full- _____ wine 9. sun- _____ tomatoes
5. Low- _____ yoghurt 10. soft- _____ chocolate

63. Excercise2. complete these compound adjs with a
word that fits.
1. home- made food 6. Japanese- style cooking
2. A mouth- watering smell 7. stir- fried vegetable
3. A fast- food outlet 8. water- thin slices
4. full- bodied wine 9. sun- dried tomatoes
5. Low- fat yoghurt 10. soft- centred chocolate

64. Excercise2. complete these compound adjs with a
word that fits.
Free –range: connected with a system of farming in which
animals are kept in natural conditions and can move around
freely
Quenching: to drink so that you no longer feel thirsty
full- bodied : having a pleasantly strong taste or sound

65. IV. Adjective Complements
1. ______________________
I am perfectly content on my own.
He felt alone in the world.
They seem a little concerned about the direction we’re taking.
The bosses are pleased with your progress
2. ____________________
- I’m very happy to know you!
- We’re just glad to be of service
- The crowd seemed impatient to begin

66. Adjective Complements
1. Prepositional Phrases
- I am perfectly content on my own.
- They seem a little concerned about the direction
we’re taking.
- The bosses are pleased with your progress
2. Infinitive phrase
- I’m very happy to know you!
- We’re just glad to be of service
- The crowd seemed impatient to begin

67. 3. _______________
- We were a little curious why they decided to
leave.
- I’m thrilled that you are coming to visit
- It’s so wonderful what he did for those orphans

68. 3. Noun Clauses
- We were a little curious why they decided
to leave.
- I’m thrilled that you are coming to visit
- It’s so wonderful what he did for those
orphans
- https://www.eltconcourse.com/training/inservice/lexicogramm
ar/adjectives.html#ordering

69. THE ORDER OF ADJECTIVES
Determi
ner
Observ
ation
Physical Description Origin Material Qualifier Noun
Size Shape Age Color
a beautiful old Italian touring car
an expensive antique silver mirror
four gorgeous
long-
stemmed
red silk roses
her short black hair
our big old English sheepdog
those square wooden hat boxes
that dilapidated little hunting cabin
several enormous young American basketball players
some delicious Thai food

70. The order of adjective
I. Determiners — articles and other limiters.
II.Observation — postdeterminers and limiter adjectives (e.g., a real hero, a
perfect idiot) and adjectives subject to subjective measure (e.g., beautiful,
interesting)
III.Size and Shape — adjectives subject to objective measure (e.g., large,
round)
IV.Age — adjectives denoting age (e.g., young, old, new, ancient)
V. Color — adjectives denoting color (e.g., red, black, pale)
VI.Origin — denominal adjectives denoting source of noun (e.g., French,
American, Canadian)
VII.Material — denominal adjectives denoting what something is made of
(e.g., woolen, metallic, wooden)
VIII.Qualifier — final limiter, often regarded as part of the noun (e.g.,
rocking chair, hunting cabin, passenger car, book cover)