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Adjectives vs Nouns
We’re going to discuss the main properties
which help distinguish between adjectives and
nouns. We use judge, size, and silk as examples
of words that occur as nouns, and we’re going
to use wise, big, and smooth as examples of
words that occur as adjectives.
(a) Inflection:
Nouns usually have plural inflected forms;
adjectives do not. On the other hand, many
adjectives have comparative and superlative
inflected forms but nouns do not.
Plural forms with – s or - es
Superlative Forms with -est
Nouns
judges
sizes
silks
judgest
Adjectives
wises
bigs
smooths wisest
sizest
silkest
biggest
smoothest
Not all nouns have plural inflections and not all
adjectives have superlative forms, but where
the forms do exist the difference between
nouns and adjectives is clear.
(b) Determiners
• Nouns take determiners as dependents but
adjectives do not.
• Some det can modify nouns and adjectives so in
applying this test we need to select items which
can not modify adjectives. This can be done by
choosing genitives, or the determinatives which
and some.
Noun
which judge?
my size
some silk
Adjective
which wise?
my big
some smooth
(c ) Modifiers
Nouns take adjectives as modifiers
Adjectives take adverbs as modifiers
Nouns
a remarkable
judge
its incredible
size
this wonderful
silk
Adj
remarkably wise
incredibly big
wonderfully
smooth
Switching adjectives and adverbs makes
ungrammatical phrases in every case: a
remarkably judge, remarkable wise
(d) Function
The ability of nouns to head phrases in subject
and object position may be used to distinguish
the difference between nouns and adjectives.
Subject
Subject
Object
Nouns
The judge arrived.
Its size amazed me.
I like silk.
Adj
Wise arrived.
Big amazed me.
I like smooth.
Overlap between the categories
Some lexemes belong to noun and adjective
categories.
One example is Cold
•The soup is cold.
Cold is an adj meaning low temperature.
•I caught a bad cold.
Cold is a noun meaning a minor illness.
This soup is cold. (adj)
I caught a bad cold. (noun)
Let’s compare
Inflection
Determiners
Modifiers
Function
Adjectives
Noun
colder, coldest
colds
------
my cold, which cold
terribly cold
a terrible cold
-------
The cold was nasty, Don’t
catch a cold.
Page 125 Ex 2. Q1
She is secretary of the Film society.
Noun
Inflection
They are secretaries.
Determiner
my secretary
Modifier
She is a terrible secretary
Function
Adjectives vs Verbs
We will use the adjectives
fond, sad,
appreciative and the verbs love, regret, enjoy.
(a) Inflection and grade
Verbs have a richer system of inflection than
most parts of speech. Most distinctive are
the preterite and the 3rd person singular.
Adjectives have comparative and superlative
forms.
Preterite forms
Comparative forms
verbs loved
regretted enjoyed
Adj
sadded
fonded
lover
appreciatived fonder
regetter
enjoyer
sadder
n/a
Grade:
We may show grade with adjectives by using
comparative and superlative forms or by adding
more. The same may be done with verbs. The
difference is in the sentence structure
V: I love you more. (the verb is followed by more)
Adj: I’m more appreciative than you. (the adjective is
preceded by more)
(b) Modifiers
Adverbs can modify both adjectives and verbs.
However, some adverbs such as very, pretty
(meaning fairly, quite) and too (meaning
excessively) only modify adjectives.
V
I very love her.
I love her very.
He pretty regrets it.
He regrets it pretty.
Adj I’m very fond of He’s pretty sad.
her.
She too enjoyed it.*
She enjoyed it too.*
She was too
appreciative.
( c ) Function
Verbs function as predicator (head of a VP).
Adjectives can function as predicative
complements (after be, become, seem)
V
They love you.
Adj They are fond of
you.
We regret it. You enjoy it.
We became
sad.
You seem
appreciative.
Overlap between categories
Some lexemes belong to both categories.
We tame them. (verb)
They are tame. (adjective)
Verb
Adjective
Inflection: preterite tamed
3rd per sing tames.
Grade: We tame them more
Inflection: They are tamer
Grade: They are more tame
Modifier: We cant use very
Modifier: They are very tame
Function: predicator
Function: PC
When the verb is a gerund participle or past
participle, there can be ambiguity between verb
and adjective interpretations.
They are entertaining. (v/adj)
•Entertaining can be a verb when we mean
“They are receiving guests”
•Entertaining can be an adj when we mean
“They are enjoyable”.
•If we add very (They are very entertaining),
what category is entertaining?
•If we add (They are entertaining some friends),
what category is entertaining?
Ex 4 page 126
1.The trains aren’t running today.
Verb
Inflection: The trains ran yesterday.
Modifier: We can’t add very
Function: Function is head of a VP. It’s not a PC.
The verb be is a progressive auxiliary (it can’t
be replaced by seem or become).
Gradable and non gradable
adjectives
Gradable adjectives denote scalar properties
that can apply in varying degrees. Good, old, big
are examples of gradable adjectives. (How
good? Very good)
Some adjectives are non-gradable such as an
alphabetical list. It makes no sense to ask how
alphabetical a list is, or to say that one list is
more alphabetical that another. Alphabetical
denotes a non-scalar property.
Some adj can be used both ways (similar to the
distinction between count and non count
nouns).
Non-Gradable Use (basic)
Gradable Use (extended)
in the public interest
the British government
a very public quarrel
a very British response.
The highway is open.
He was more open with us
than the boss.
Functions
Most adjectives can be used attributively and
predicatively, there are however many that are
restricted to one or other of these two uses:
Attributive use
1. A huge hole.
2. utter nonsense
3. the asleep children.
Predicative Use
1. The hole was huge.
2. That nonsense is utter.
3. The children were
asleep.
1. Huge illustrates the default case, where the adjective
appears both attributively and predicatively.
2. Utter is an exceptional case: an attributive-only
adjective, which can’t be used predicatively.
1. Asleep is the opposite kind of exception, it can occur
predicatively by not attributively: it is a never-attributive
adjective.
Postpositive Adjectives
Postpositive adjectives function in NP structure
as post-head modifiers.
1.everything useful somebody rich
Its impossible for the underlined adj to occur in
the usual pre-head position-compare
everything useful with every useful thing.
2. children keen on sport; a report full of errors
The underlined adjectives have their own post
head dependents.
Adverbs
A virtual disaster.
It virtually evaporated.
His almost death.
He almost died.
(noun)
(verb)
It was virtually impossible. He was almost dead.
(adjective)
He spoke virtually
inaudibly.
He was wounded almost
fatally.
(adverb)
Virtually all copies are
torn.
I have almost no money
left.
(Det)
Adverbs vs Adjectives
Most adjectives can function attributively and
predicatively but most adverbs only function as
modifiers.
Modifier
Predicative Complement
An impressive
performance.
She performed
impressively
Her performance was
impressive
Her performance was
impressively.
adj
adv
Overlap between categories
Their early departure. adj
They departed early. adv
Same meaning, but the first is an adjective
because it modifies a noun.
That very day. (adj)
Very means particular
It’s very good. (adv)
Very means extremely
Addition of -ly sometimes forms
adjectives
Noun
beast
Adjective beastly
friend
father
woman
friendly
fatherly
womanly
It is clear that despite the ly ending the words
are adjectives , not adverbs. They can function
attributively and predicatively, but do not
modify adverbs.
Attributive
Predicative
Modifying Verbs
A friendly old man.
He seems quite
friendly.
He behaved friendly.