Active-reading-2- key.pdf

1. ADJECTIVE PHRASES

2. DEFINITION
An adjective phrase is a phrase with an adjective (or
adjectivalized participle) as the head.
An adjective phrase consists of an adjective which may be
preceded and/or followed by other words.
E.g.:
1.It is a nice cat. = NP (S) - VP (V) - NP (Cs) [nice = Adj.P =
Premodification of the noun “cat”] = 4 phrases
2.I was very excited about...
They have been very curious about this (strange ) guy.

4. A. PRE-MODIFICATION
Pre-modification are modifying, describing, or qualifying
E.g.: Yesterdaconstituents which precede the head.
Pre-modifier types:
1. Adverb phrase
y was a very unusually hot day.
The more beautiful she is...
>>> Modifying adverbs are intensifiers: very, quite, partly,
relatively, perfectly, deeply, highly, sharply...
>>> Adverbs as premodifiers of adjectives may be of
“viewpoint”: politically, theoretically...
>>> Comparative adverbs: more, less, least, most…

5. 2. Noun phrase: (of measurement)
E.g.: The man is about forty years old.
I am 1.62 metres tall.

6. B. POST-MODIFICATION
>>> is a modifying constituent which follows the head
>>> complementation of adjective(s) - the major subcategory of
post – modification - is the constituent which follows any
post – modification and completes the specification of a
meaning implied by the adjective(s).

7. •This fruit is not ripe enough to
eat.
•He doesn't do it badly. He is
successful indeed.
Adverbs
(enough,
indeed)
Adverbs (enough, indeed)
•
This fruit is not ripe enough to
eat.
•He doesn't do it badly. He is
successful indeed.
Complements
•
Prep. phrase: Bobby is fond of Maths.
•To - infinitive clause: Bob was slow to catch the
ball./ This meal is too expansive to enjoy.
•Ing – clause: I’m busy getting the house
redecorated./ I’m busy getting the house
redecorated.
•That – clause: We were confident that he was still
alive.
•Comparative clause: It was easier than they said.

8. C. HEAD
>>> Is an adjective or participle serving as the focus of
the phrase
E.g.: She is a nice cat. Adj
I was very excited about… Past participle
They have been very curious about this (strange) guy.
Adj

9. Types of Adjectives (Traditional)

10. Syntactic Classification

11. ATTRIBUTIVE ONLY
Adjectives which are restricted to attributive position do not
characterize the referent of the noun directly.
E.g.: A small businessman
→ a businessman whose business is small
→ not a businessman is small
My old friend
→ One who has been a friend for a long time
→ not a friend is old

12. i am excited about what he is doing.
NP VP Adj. P
about what he is doing: Prepositional Phrase = complement
of adjective “excited”
what he is doing: interrogative clause: complement of the
preposition “about”
4
big: big brother > 1: appearance: denotative meaning >
inherent
> 2. metaphorical meaning: idea, life style ...> connotative
meaning > non-inherent
Deep: How deep is your love? > Your deep love > non-
inherent

13. INTENSIFYING ADJECTIVES
Emphasizers: have a general heightening effect on the noun and
convey speaker’s attitude toward the referent
E.g.: Utter despair, pure bliss, a real hero, a certain winner…
Amplifiers: denote the upper extreme of the scale and are central
(inherent) and attributive only (non-inherent).
E.g.: (1) A complete victory the victory was complete
(2) A complete idiot (not the idiot is complete)
Notes: mere, sheer, utter (always attributive only)

14. LIMITER ADJECTIVES
Particularize the reference of the noun
E.g.: the main topic, the only person, etc….
Note: Some of adjectives have homonyms (đồng âm khác nghĩa)
E.g.: a limiter: a certain person → a particular person
an intensifier: a certain winner → a sure winner
(one who is certain that he will win )

15. RELATED TO ADVERBIALS
Adjs. that are attributive only can be related to
adverbials.
E.g.: my former friend ~ formerly my friend
Adjs. pre-modify agentive nouns >>> have a
relationship to the verb base.
E.g.: a hard worker ~ a worker who works hard.
The implied process can be associated with an
inanimate object.
E.g.: a fast car ~ a car that one can drive fast

16. DENOMINAL ADJECTIVES
are derived from nouns,
& attributive only.
E.g.: a criminal law (a law concerning crime)
an atomic scientist (a scientist specializing in atomic science)
Note:
Same items can be central adjectives
a criminal law ~ a law seems criminal
a medical school ( a school for students of medicine)
Some particular nouns: criminal/ crime detection

17. PREDICATIVE ONLY
E.g.: She is alive. (not alive girl)
S V Cs
Adjectives which are restricted to predicative position refer to
condition rather than to characterize
Some groups of adjs. must take complementation: afraid (that,
of, about); fond (of); conscious (that, of); etc…
E.g.: I am interested in listening to music.
S V adj. C

18. Some of the common predicative only and
attributive only adjectives in English
Attributive Predicative
east/ west/ south/ north: an east wind
eastern/ western/ southern/…: eastern
seaboard
indoor/ outdoor
maximum: maximum/ absolute temperature
nationwide
occasional
supplementary: supplementary material
woolen
etc.
alive alone
apart aware
glad ill
likely ready
safe sorry
sure unable

19. CENTRAL
Central = both attributive and predicative
E.g: a (1) lazy student → The student is (2)
lazy.
attributive predicative
the (1) blue sea → The sea is (2) blue.
attributive predicative

20. Semantic Classification
of Adjectives

22. Stative & Dynamic Adjectives
Stative adjectives are the adjectives that denote a state or
condition, which may generally be considered
permanent.
Stative adjectives can not normally be used in
imperative constructions. >
Dynamic adjectives denote attributes which are, to some
extent at least, under the control of the one who
possesses them. All dynamic adjectives can be used in
imperatives. > Don't be silly.

23. We can say
Person may
Calm
Careful
Cruel
Disruptive
Foolish
Friendly
Good
impatient
Mannerly
Patient
Rude
Shy
Suspicious
Tidy
vacuous
Vain
“Be careful!”
to someone,
and then this
control himself
to become
more
Careful.
Stative & Dynamic Adjectives

24. Gradable
⭶ Most everyday adjectives are gradable
⭶ They denote qualities, properties, states, conditions or relations… which
vary in their degree or extent.
⭶ Gradable adjectives can be pre-modified by degree expression.
⭶ They include comparison.
Gradable & Non – gradable Adjectives

25. … Can not be pre-modified by degree
adverbs or used in comparative sentence
such as automatic, dead/alive;
female/male; Irish/English; married/
unmarried/single……
E.g.: She is single.
Non – gradable

26. Inherent vs. Non – Inherent
Most attributive adjectives denote some attribute of the noun
which they modify.
❖The INHERENT adjs. denotes an attribute or quality of the
noun
❖This adj – n sequence like this can be loosely reformulated
an old man ~ a man who is old
difficult questions ~ questions which are difficult
❖The NON – INHERENT adjs. refer less directly to an attribute
of the noun.
❖This adj – n cannot be reformulated like above
>>> a small businessman # a businessman who is small

27. Adjective
Phrases -
Syntactic
Functions

28. Adjs. are attributive when they
pre – modify nouns, appear
between the determiner and the
head of the NP.
E.g.:
She had a big hat.
Det Adj. P Head of
NP
Only rich people can afford
that flat.
Det Adj. P Head of NP

29. Cs with such copular verbs
(equating verbs that links the S
with the C of a sentence) as
look, seem, sound, hear, get,
become…
He looks handsome.
She feels unhappy.
Subject is a finite clause:
What is said is right.
Subject is a non – finite
clause:
Learning English is difficult.

30. Co:
This gift makes children happy.
Co when object is a clause
I consider what he did foolish.
Co expresses the result of
the process denoted by the
verb
He pulled his belt tight.

31. A post – positive adjective is an
adjective that appears after noun that it
modifies. It is often regarded as a
relative clause.
After indefinite pronouns:
I’d like to have something useful.
<-> .... something which is useful.
Some adjectives do not occur
attributively in relevant meaning:
People involved are not found.
<-> People who are involved...

32. Adjective can often function as heads
of NPs as the following cases
Adjectives having personal
reference:
The poor get poorer, the rich get richer.
These seats are for the disabled.
Adjectives denoting nationalities
The French like eating well.
The Dutch are the tallest in the world.
Adjective having abstract reference
The newest is that he is going to China.
He ventured into the unknown.

33. An adj as head of an Adj. P or
as its sole realization can be an
exclamatory.
How beautiful!
Great!
What a nice day!

34. An adj. can function as a verbless clause.
The clause may be mobile in sentence.
(By then) nervous, the man opened the gift. >>>
Adj.P: verbless adj. clause
The man, (by then) nervous, opened the gift.
The man opened the gift, (by then) nervous.
Contingent adjective clause: An adj
contingent clause expresses the
circumstance or condition under which what
is said in the super-ordinate clause applies.
Enthusiastic, they make good students. (When
enthusiastic)
(When) ripe, these apples are sweet.

35. Practice??? ^_^