Adjectves Flashcards
(17 cards)
What is the main linguistic function of adjectives?
To provide further information about a noun’s quality or state of being.
What roles do adjectives play syntactically?
: A: They pre- or post-modify nouns and noun phrases within a clause.
Why are adjectives essential in communication?
They help describe, differentiate, and give lively detail to nouns.
Name six main kinds of adjectives.
Demonstrative, Distributive, Quantitative, Possessive, Interrogative, Descriptive (quality).
Do adjectives in English change for gender or number?
No, they are invariable (Ex. “happy man”, “happy woman”).
Give an example of a suffix often found in adjectives.
-ous as in suspicious.
What forms can adjectives take to show comparison?
Inflectional (taller) or periphrastic (more intelligent).
What kind of adjectives can follow prepositions?
Many, e.g., afraid of, interested in.
What does “the poor” or “the rich” refer to in grammar?
A class of people, using adjectives preceded by “the” with plural meaning.
. What’s a common adjective order in English?
Opinion_ temperature size age_colour_ national_material_nominal
What are attributive adjectives?
Adjectives that modify nouns directly and usually precede them (Ex. a big house).
What are predicative adjectives?
: Adjectives that follow a linking verb and describe the subject or object (Ex. The car is red).
Name three examples of adjectives restricted to predicative use.
: Afraid, asleep, alive.
Which adjectives can only be attributive?
intensifying adjectives, adjectives related to adverbials and denominal adjectives (Ex. a mere detail).
What’s the difference between stative and dynamic adjectives?
: Stative describe permanent states (white); dynamic can be controlled or changed (careful).
What are gradable and non-gradable adjectives?
Gradable can vary in intensity (quite bright), non-gradable describe absolute qualities (perfect).
. What’s the difference between inherent and non-inherent adjectives?
Inherent describe a natural quality (wooden bench); non-inherent often metaphorical (wooden actor).
