Here’s the most precise guide ever on what adjectives are, their usage, and placement. You’ll never make a mistake with using adjectives in your writing ever again.
Here’s the most precise guide ever on what adjectives are, their usage, and placement. You’ll never make a mistake with using adjectives in your writing ever again.
ETL705 Week 6Semantics and the LexiconKey topics inBetseyCalderon89
ETL705 Week 6:
Semantics and the Lexicon
Key topics in Semantics
Sense and reference
Literal meaning
Figurative meaning
Lexical Semantics
Speech acts
Gricean maxims
Reference
presupposition
Sense and reference
Sense and reference, as we may simply say, are the two sides of a coin.
Reference (Denotation) is the person, the object, or anything that we are talking about and has a reference in the outside world.
Sense (Meaning) is related to the meaning, and the way the person or the object is referred to.
Activity
Identify the sense and reference of the word ‘unicorn’.
Literal vs. figurative meaning
The meaning that we draw ordinarily is called the literal meaning. The word ‘needle’ is literally defined as ‘a sharp instrument’. The non-literal meaning of ‘pain’ is not included in its dictionary definition. This is the connotative meaning that we get from ‘needle’. The denotation of the word refers (see reference in the previous slide) to the actual needle whereas the connotation, as one type of figurative meaning, is used for the sense (see sense in the previous slide).
Figurative meaning or figurative language is used for different purposes; e.g., for exaggeration, for analogy, and for metaphors, among other things. In literature it is often known as figure of speech.
Metaphors
The sentence ‘He is the apple of my eye’ – doesn’t refer to any kind of fruit; there is, of course, no real apple in a person's eye. The "apple" is someone beloved and held dear.
When we hear this statement, we interpret it metaphorically, that is, we go beyond the literal meaning.
Other examples:
a bubbly personality
feeling blue
a rollercoaster of emotions
it’s raining men
Since our daily use of language is full of metaphors, it is sometimes hard to draw a fine distinction between the literal and the metaphoric meaning. For this reason, some linguists prefer to consider them cognitively and not linguistically.
Activity
Think of 3 metaphors in English (or another language) and discuss
Metonymy
Metonymy is another kind of figure of speech which connotes habituality or association.
e.g.
‘The pen is mightier than the sword’
What about these?
The Crown
The White House
Dish
Ears
A hand
Australia
The semantics of homophony=homonymy
Homonyms:
When two words have the same spelling and pronunciation, but different meanings
I went to the bank (by the river or to withdraw some cash?).
This is an interesting case
Activity
Provide 2 homonyms.
(If the spelling is different but the sound is the same, e.g sea and see, they are homophones)
The semantics of polysemy
Polysemy (adj polysemous):
When a word has several meanings, such as the word ‘run’.
Compare:
He runs.
The paint runs.
The engine runs.
He has a runny nose.
The grass runs for a mile.
He runs this business.
The semantics of hyponymy
The word ‘gum’ or ‘gum tree’ is one kind of tree. The general word ‘tree’ is superordinate or hyponymous to the word ‘gum tree’.
Different t ...
Palestine last event orientationfvgnh .pptxRaedMohamed3
An EFL lesson about the current events in Palestine. It is intended to be for intermediate students who wish to increase their listening skills through a short lesson in power point.
ETL705 Week 6Semantics and the LexiconKey topics inBetseyCalderon89
ETL705 Week 6:
Semantics and the Lexicon
Key topics in Semantics
Sense and reference
Literal meaning
Figurative meaning
Lexical Semantics
Speech acts
Gricean maxims
Reference
presupposition
Sense and reference
Sense and reference, as we may simply say, are the two sides of a coin.
Reference (Denotation) is the person, the object, or anything that we are talking about and has a reference in the outside world.
Sense (Meaning) is related to the meaning, and the way the person or the object is referred to.
Activity
Identify the sense and reference of the word ‘unicorn’.
Literal vs. figurative meaning
The meaning that we draw ordinarily is called the literal meaning. The word ‘needle’ is literally defined as ‘a sharp instrument’. The non-literal meaning of ‘pain’ is not included in its dictionary definition. This is the connotative meaning that we get from ‘needle’. The denotation of the word refers (see reference in the previous slide) to the actual needle whereas the connotation, as one type of figurative meaning, is used for the sense (see sense in the previous slide).
Figurative meaning or figurative language is used for different purposes; e.g., for exaggeration, for analogy, and for metaphors, among other things. In literature it is often known as figure of speech.
Metaphors
The sentence ‘He is the apple of my eye’ – doesn’t refer to any kind of fruit; there is, of course, no real apple in a person's eye. The "apple" is someone beloved and held dear.
When we hear this statement, we interpret it metaphorically, that is, we go beyond the literal meaning.
Other examples:
a bubbly personality
feeling blue
a rollercoaster of emotions
it’s raining men
Since our daily use of language is full of metaphors, it is sometimes hard to draw a fine distinction between the literal and the metaphoric meaning. For this reason, some linguists prefer to consider them cognitively and not linguistically.
Activity
Think of 3 metaphors in English (or another language) and discuss
Metonymy
Metonymy is another kind of figure of speech which connotes habituality or association.
e.g.
‘The pen is mightier than the sword’
What about these?
The Crown
The White House
Dish
Ears
A hand
Australia
The semantics of homophony=homonymy
Homonyms:
When two words have the same spelling and pronunciation, but different meanings
I went to the bank (by the river or to withdraw some cash?).
This is an interesting case
Activity
Provide 2 homonyms.
(If the spelling is different but the sound is the same, e.g sea and see, they are homophones)
The semantics of polysemy
Polysemy (adj polysemous):
When a word has several meanings, such as the word ‘run’.
Compare:
He runs.
The paint runs.
The engine runs.
He has a runny nose.
The grass runs for a mile.
He runs this business.
The semantics of hyponymy
The word ‘gum’ or ‘gum tree’ is one kind of tree. The general word ‘tree’ is superordinate or hyponymous to the word ‘gum tree’.
Different t ...
Palestine last event orientationfvgnh .pptxRaedMohamed3
An EFL lesson about the current events in Palestine. It is intended to be for intermediate students who wish to increase their listening skills through a short lesson in power point.
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He discussed the concept of quality improvement, emphasizing its applicability to various aspects of life, including personal, project, and program improvements. He defined quality as doing the right thing at the right time in the right way to achieve the best possible results and discussed the concept of the "gap" between what we know and what we do, and how this gap represents the areas we need to improve. He explained the scientific approach to quality improvement, which involves systematic performance analysis, testing and learning, and implementing change ideas. He also highlighted the importance of client focus and a team approach to quality improvement.
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2. Adjectives:
Definition:
An adjective is a word that generally modifies a noun or noun phrase
or describes its referent.
Adjectives are describing words. Adjectives are words that describe
the qualities or states of being of nouns, they can also describe the
quantity of nouns.
An adjective is described as modifying or quantifying a noun or
pronoun, but an easier way to look at the definition of adjectives is
that adjective tells us more and gives us extra information about the
noun.
5. How adjectives work?
Adjectives take many forms. Some common adjectives are formed when we add a
suffix to a noun or verb.
For example, when we add the suffix “full” to the noun beauty, makes the adjective
beautiful.
Other suffixes often used to create adjectives include_ al, ary, able, ible, ish, ic,less,
etc.
Some adjectives take the form of participles ( verbs ending in _ ed or _ing).
And many others re not formed from nouns or verbs but are original in themselves.
6. Classification of Adjectives:
English, occurrences of adjectives generally can be classified into one of three
categories:
Prepositive adjectives, it is also called attributive adjective, it is an
adjective that occurs before the noun.
Example: There is a vivacious, intelligent girl in a timeless Victorian_ style dress.
Vivacious and intelligent are attributive adjectives
Postpositive adjectives: postpositive adjective or postnominal
adjective is an adjective that occurs immediately after the noun or pronoun
that it modifies.
Example: attorney general,governal general, queen regnant, or all matters
financial.
Nominalized Adjectives: A nominalized adjective is an adjective that
has undergone nominalization, and is thus used as a noun. In the rich and the
poor, the adjectives rich and poor function as nouns denoting people who are rich
and poor respectively.
9. Descriptive Adjectives:
Definition:
They are also called the adjectives of quality. Descriptive adjectives are
adjectives that describe the characteristics, traits, or qualities of a noun or
pronoun.
Descriptive adjectives are adjectives that modify a noun or pronoun by
showing its quality. Descriptive adjectives are used before nouns or after
linking verbs.
Examples:
10. Position of descriptive adjective in a
sentence:
We can use descriptive adjectives:
before the nouns or pronouns they modify
after a linking verb as the subject complement
Example:
Children played with the cute cat.
The kitten was cute.
11. Types of Descriptive Adjectives:
We have three kinds of descriptive adjectives:
Simple Adjectives
Compound Adjectives
Proper Adjectives
12. Simple Adjectives:
Simple Adjectives
Simple adjectives are comprised of single words that are
commonly used to describe a noun.
For example:
new
shy
ugly
beautiful
polite
round
red
13. Compound Adjectives:
Compound Adjectives
Compound adjectives are comprised of two words that are
combined to create a descriptive adjective. The two words are
typically connected with a hyphen.
For example:
middle-aged
near-sighted
blue-green
old-fashioned
well-known
short-term
warm-blooded
14. Proper Adjectives:
Proper Adjectives
Proper adjectives are derived from proper nouns. Because of this, proper
adjectives are always capitalized.
For example:
Indian
Shakespearean
Chinese
Victorian
Spanish
Martian
Marxist
15. Writers who are famous for using
descriptive adjectives:
Charles Dicken:
Reveal characters with strong describing words. His use of adjectives is
masterful.
Gabriel Garcia Marquez:
Describe places clearly.
Toni Morrison:
Combine adjectives creatively.
E. Annie Proulx:
Craft effective adjectival phrases.
16. Descriptive Adjectives in Literature:
Descriptive adjectives play a big part in our writing, Here are some examples of
quotes by famous writers, who – by simply adding a few adjectives – fill our
minds with vivid imagery!
“…his voice was like the cracking of ice on a winter lake, and the words were
mocking”
― George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones
“Kylpaitryc’s eyes streamed tears as he coughed explosively on harsh, sinus-
raping smoke.”
― David Weber, At the Sign of Triumph
“Even in its first faint traces, love could alter a landscape. It wrote
unimagined stories and made the most beautiful, forbidding places.”
—Anna-Marie McLemore, Wild Beauty
17. Adjectives of Quantity:
Definition:
Adjective of quantity or quantitative adjectives
show how much of a thing is meant. They tell us
about the quantity of a noun.
Examples:
I ate some rice.
He showed few pictures.
He has little intelligence.
18. Numerical Adjectives:
Definition:
Numerical adjectives are those adjectives which are used to denote the number
of nouns or the order in which they stand .They are also commonly called
adjectives of numbers.
In simple terms we can say that adjectives of numbers tells us the number of
people or things and maintain clarity by giving exact information.
19. Definite Numerical Adjectives:
Definition:
Definite numerical adjectives are used to denote the exact number or
position of the subject in the sentence.
The cardinal and ordinal and multiplicative numericals come under it.
One, two, three etc These are called Cardinals.
First , second , third, These are called Ordinals.
Single , double , triple These are called Multiplicative.
20. Definite Numeral Adjective In Cardinal
Form:
Here are some examples of definite numerical adjectives
in cardinal form.
There are _three_ books on the table.
There is only _one_ solution to this problem
Amna _ate_ two bananas
21. Definite Numeral Adjective In Ordinal
Form:
Examples of ordinal numbers
They got the _first_ prize
Maria had _fourth_ place to introduce herself
Sofia had her _third_ child yesterday
22. Definite Numeral Adjective In
Multiplicative Form:
Examples of multiplicative numbers
She charged me _double_ the actual rate
Many inconsiderate doctors take _double_ fees from the patients
23. Indefinite Numerical Adjectives:
Definition:
Indefinite numerical adjectives do not denote an exact number. These
numerical indefinite adjectives can also be used as adjectives of quantity.
Such as all, no, many, few, some, several, sundry.
Examples:
Several flowers are beautiful.
I picked some eggs.
Is there any student in the college.
24. Distributive Numerical Adjectives:
Definition:
Distributive numerical adjectives denote singular number of noun among
many.
Distributive numerical adjectives are always followed by a singular noun and a
verb.
Example:
Each boy must take his bag.
Every word of it is false.
25.
26. Interrogative Adjectives:
Definition:
Interrogative adjectives are adjectives that are used to ask questions. The
interrogative adjectives are what, which, and whose.
Examples:
What color is your favorite?
Which button turns off the light?
Whom does you want to meet?
27. Demonstrative Adjectives:
Definition:
A demonstrative adjective is an adjective used to specifically describe the
position of something or someone in space or time.
The most commonly used demonstrative adjectives are this, that, these, and
those.
Examples
Give me that blue water bottle.
I want those gorgeous marbles.
I can’t forget that incidents.
28. Comparative Adjectives:
Definition:
A Comparative Adjective is a word that describes a noun by comparing it to
another noun. Comparative adjectives typically end in ‘er’ and are followed by
the word ‘than’.
Examples:
Whales are larger animals than dolphins.
We moved to a cheaper apartment.
The sequel was even more incredible than first movie.
29. Superlative Adjectives:
Definition:
A Superlative Adjective is a word that describes a noun by comparing it to two
or more nouns to the highest or lowest degree. Superlative Adjectives
typically end in ‘est’ .
Examples:
Out of all my books, this one is the oldest.
Iram is the fastest member of our team.
Iqra is the tallest girl in our class.
30.
31. Predicate Adjectives:
Definition:
Predicate adjectives are adjectives that modify or describe the subject of a
sentence or clause and are linked to the subject by a linking verb. In the
sentence The joke was funny, the adjective funny is a predicate adjective
that modifies the subject joke and is connected to it with the linking verb
was.
Examples:
Sana is tall.
Mehvish became angry.
The steak looks delicious.
32. Possessive Adjectives:
Definition:
Possessive adjectives are often used to express possession or ownership. The
most commonly used possessive adjectives are my, your, its, her, his, our,
their, and whose.
The most commonly used possessive adjectives are my, your, his, her, its, our,
their, and whose. In order, these adjectives correspond to the pronouns I,
you, he, she, it, we, they, and who.
Examples:
My favorite food is pizza.
Asia spent the day with her parents.
They are enjoying their party.
33. Participial Adjectives:
Definition:
Participial adjectives are adjectives that are based on participles, which are
words that are usually end in _ed or _ ing and derived from verbs. Participial
adjectives include words like amazing, impressed, and fascinating.
Examples:
Ali was late for his swimming lesson.
Please hand me my reading glasses.
The silly clown cheered up the bored children.
34. Limiting Adjectives:
Definition:
Limiting adjectives are adjectives that restrict a noun or pronoun
rather than describe any of its characteristics or qualities.
Limiting adjectives overlap with other types of adjectives such as
demonstrative adjectives and possessive adjectives. Limiting
adjectives includes words such as three, that, and some.
Examples:
I bought some eggs at the store.
She found three pennies under the couch cushions.
Take a look at that house over here.
35. Attributive Adjectives :
Definition:
Attribute adjectives are adjectives that are directly next to the noun and
pronoun that they modify. Usually, attributive adjectives come directly before
nouns and pronouns but they modify. But they can sometimes appear after
them.
Examples:
She has beautiful handwriting.
The hungry monkey ate the fresh mangoes.
Mossa gave his dad something special for his birthday.
36. Distributive Adjectives:
Definition:
Distributive adjectives are used to refer to members of a group individually.
Examples of distributive adjectives include each, every, either, and neither.
Examples:
Each puppy got their own little doghouse.
Every member of the team scored a goal.
37. Cumulative and coordinate Adjectives:
Definition:
Cumulative adjectives
Cumulative adjectives are two or more adjectives that modify the same noun.
Since they belong to different categories ,such as opinion or color, they have to
follow a specific order.
Coordinate adjectives;
Coordinate adjectives are also more than one adjective that modify the same
noun.
Examples:
The words huge and heavy in the sentence, “He was carrying a huge, heavy
stone.” ,are coordinate adjectives.
The term cumulative adjectives is used to refer to adjectives that fall under
different categories, often don’t use commas, and follow adjective order.
He was a young French man.
38. Emphasizing Adjectives:
Definition:
The adjectives which use the words own and vary are
called emphasizing adjectives.
Examples:
I saw it with my own eyes.
Mind your own business.
That is the vary thing we want.
39. Exclamatory Adjectives:
Definition:
An exclamatory adjective is a word that shows emotions, so it is
used with a noun.
A word used to show strong emotion is called exclamatory
adjective.
Examples:
What genius!
What folly!
What an idea!
What a blessing!
what a piece of work is man!
40. Attributively and Predicatively:
Definition:
The adjective that is used along with the noun as an epithet or attribute is called
attributively.
Examples:
The lazy boy was punished. The word lazy is used along with the noun boy as an
epithet or attribute.
Definition:
The adjective that is used along with the verb , and forms as an epithet or
attribute is called predicatively.
Example:
The boy is lazy. The adjective lazy is used along with the verb is, and forms part
of the predicate.
41. Degrees of Adjectives:
In English, there are three degrees of adjectives:
Positive
Comparative
Superlative
Positive Adjectives:
They express a quality of an object without comparing it to anything
else.
Example can be “rich”.
Comparative Adjectives:
They compare two things or groups of things.
Example can be “richer”.
Superlative Adjectives:
They express that one thing has a quality to a greater degree than two
or more other things.
Example can be “richest”.
42. Interchange of degrees of
comparison:
Superlative:
Lead is the heaviest of al metals.
Comparative:
Lead is heavier than all other metals.
Comparative:
Siachen is cooler than Murree.
Positive:
Murree is not so cool as Siachen.
43. Formation of Comparative and Superlative:
Positive Comparative Superlative
Sweet Sweeter Sweetest
Small Smaller Smallest
Tall Taller Tallest
Great Greater Greatest
Large Larger Largest
47. Formation of Adjectives from other
Adjectives:
Tragic Tragical
Whole Wholesome
Black Blackish
Three threefold
Sick Sickly
48. The Correct Use of Some Adjectives:
Some is used normally in affirmative sentences to express quantity or degree.
Some e.g I have bought some fruits.
Any is used in negative or interrogative sentences.
Any e.g have you both any fruits?
Each and every are similar in meaning but, every is used only in speaking of more than two.
Each is used in speaking of two or more things.
Each e.g I stayed in naran in three day’s and it to dream in each day.
Every e.g this magazine is published every year.
Little= not much, thus the adjective has a negative meaning.
Little e.g Noreen has a little chance of recovery.
A little= some though not much, a little has positive meaning.
A little e.g then her mother have a little chance of recovery.
The little=not many,
The little e.g the doctor must avail themselves of the little chance of recovery that he has.
49. Adjectives Used as Noun:
As plural nouns denoting a class of persons, as
The rich(rich people)
The rich=(rich people)know not how the (poor people)live.
The cautious(cautious persons)
The cautious=(cautious person’s )are not always cowards.
As singular nouns denoting some abstract quality: as
He is a lover of the beautiful things ( beauty in general).
The future( futurity) is known to become nouns, and are hence used in both numbers:
Those derived from proper nouns
Some denoting persons
A few denoting things
50. Nouns Used as Adjectives:
The use of nouns as adjectives is very common in English, as
I met a little cottage girl.
He is always playing computer games.