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Lecture 9
Adjectives
Adverbs and Adverbials
Word Order
Erik Smitterberg
PhD, Docent, Senior Lecturer in
English Linguistics
Department of English
[email protected]
A1/T1/HS1 Grammar
Autumn/Fall Term 2015
Adjectives I:
What Adjectives Describe
Adjectives typically describe nouns and pronouns
The book was really good
adjective
adjective
noun
Crowds make me nervous
pronoun
adjective
noun
Have you seen my purple tie?
Erik Smitterberg, PhD, Docent, Dept. of English
Adjectives as
heads of noun
phrases are a
special case
(see separate
slides below)
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Adjectives II: Functions
Adjectives have three functions in English:
S
V
Od
Po
S
V
Ps
Crowds | make | me | nervous The book | was | really good
1. Predicative: head of a subject or object predicative
Det Pre Head
Post
Det Pre Head
the | small | bowl | on the desk
my | purple | tie
2. Attributive: modifier (usually premodifier) in noun phrases
Det
Head
Det
Head
the | unemployed
the | supernatural
3. Head of a noun phrase (less often than in Swedish)
Erik Smitterberg, PhD, Docent, Dept. of English
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Adjectives vs. Adverbs:
Two Special Cases
1. Adjectives are used after as—as constructions and in
as usual, if possible, etc.
Go there as soon as possible!
S V Ps
= Go there as soon as it is possible for you to go there!
2. In English, adjectives are used after smell and taste
intransitive verb
adverb
S
V
A
Soppan | luktar | gott
linking verb
adjective
S
V
Ps
The soup | smells | good
Erik Smitterberg, PhD, Docent, Dept. of English
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Adverbs I: What Adverbs Describe
Adverbs typically describe verbs, adjectives, other
adverbs, and whole clauses
adjective
adverb
He shook my hand briefly
adverb
adverb
verb
The shoes were extremely expensive
adverb
clause
Sadly, he lost the game
She shook my hand very briefly
adverb
Erik Smitterberg, PhD, Docent, Dept. of English
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Adverbs II: Functions
Adverbs have three frequent functions in English:
A
S V
Od
S
V
Od
A
Sadly, | he | lost | the game He | shook | my hand | very briefly
1. Head of an adverbial
modifier
head
The shoes were extremely expensive
2. Modifier of adjectives
NP
adjective phrase
the | very cheap | shoes
Det. Premod. Head
3. Modifier of adverbs
modifier head
He shook my hand very briefly
Erik Smitterberg, PhD, Docent, Dept. of English
adverb phrase
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Adjectives as
Heads of Noun Phrases I
1. A group of people in a generic sense
The rich are getting richer
plural verb
‘rich people in general’
noun phrase
Det Head
the | rich
2. An abstract phenomenon in a Definite article despite
generic sense
generic reference!
The unknown is often frightening
Det
Head
‘unknown things
the | unknown
singular verb
in general’
noun phrase
The of construction despite
reference to people!
the plight of the homeless
Erik Smitterberg, PhD, Docent, Dept. of English
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Adjectives as
Heads of Noun Phrases II
Problem: adjectives with specific reference can be
heads of noun phrases in Swedish but not in English
*The unemployed
has got a job
Solutions with specific people:
Den arbetslöse har fått jobb
The unemployed person has got a job
2. Replace the adjective
with a suitable noun
1. Insert a suitable
head noun
Det
Pre
Head
The | unemployed | person
noun
Fem överlevande har hittats
Five survivors have been found
Erik Smitterberg, PhD, Docent, Dept. of English
Det
Head
Five | survivors
noun
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Adjectives as Heads of Noun
Phrases III
Solutions with specific situations:
*The interesting was
1. Use a dependent what-clause
that I never saw the bus
What was interesting was that I never saw the bus
Det intressanta var att jag aldrig såg bussen
2. Insert a
The interesting thing was that I never saw the bus suitable
head noun
3. Replace the adjective
noun
Det
Pre
Head
with a suitable noun
The | interesting | thing
Det
Head
Post
noun
The | musicality | of Dylan’s songs
The musicality of Dylan’s songs has been underestimated
Det musikaliska i Dylans sånger har underskattats
Erik Smitterberg, PhD, Docent, Dept. of English
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Adverbials and Word Order I:
Initial Adverbials I
Initial adverbials typically cause inversion in Swedish but
not in English:
S
V
Od
A
A
V
S Od
Vi | spelade | rugby | i går
I går | spelade | vi | rugby
S
V
Od
A
A
S
V
Od
We | played | rugby | yesterday Yesterday | we | played | rugby
Exception #1: inversion
with initial adverbial,
intransitive main verb, and
stressed subject that is
longer than the verb
A
V
S
Here | comes | the sun
intransitive
Erik Smitterberg, PhD, Docent, Dept. of English
stressed and
longer than V
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Adverbials and Word Order II:
Initial Adverbials II
Exception #2: After initial adverbials with negating or
restricting meaning, the word order is auxiliary + subject +
rest of verb phrase in English
A
V
S
Od
Först nyligen | insåg | jag | sanningen
A
V S
V
Od
Only recently | did | I | realize | the truth
restricting or
negating A in
initial position
1 auxiliary + S + rest of VP
(do is used if there is no other
auxiliary)
Erik Smitterberg, PhD, Docent, Dept. of English
11
Adverbials and Word Order III:
Some One-word Adverbials
A number of one-word adverbials usually come before the
finite verb form in English but sometimes after it in Swedish
S V
A
Od
Jag | har | aldrig | tillräckligt med tid
S A
V
Od
I | never | have | enough time
S V
A
Ps
A
Exception #1:
I | am | never | awake | before 7 a.m. Be as main verb
S V
A
V
Od
I | have | never | seen | a total eclipse
Exception #2:
Auxiliary in VP
Erik Smitterberg, PhD, Docent, Dept. of English
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Adverbials and Word Order IV:
Adverbials in Dependent Clauses
In Swedish but not in English, a complex adverbial can occur
between S and the finite verb form in a dependent clause
När jag efter flera år klarade provet var jag utfattig
dependent clause
S
A
V
Od
När | jag | efter flera år | klarade | provet
A
S
V
Od
When, | after several years, | I | passed | the test
S
V
Od
A
When | I | passed | the test | after several years
Erik Smitterberg, PhD, Docent, Dept. of English
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