7.1 Adjectives and Adjectivals
Keep in mind that adjectivals add information to the noun or pronoun. Like nouns, they also have their own Form and Function.
Form
| TYPE | Examples | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | SIMPLE (POSITIVE) FORM | This is a green apple.
He is a troublesome student |
| 2. | COMPARATIVE FORM | This is a greener apple.
He is a more troublesome student. |
| 3. | SUPERLATIVE FORM | This is the greenest apple.
He is the most troublesome student |
| NB: | Adjectives, as shown above, have three types which show a greater or less degree of the characteristic of the basic word which is the positive.
When the writer or speaker wishes to refer to two persons/things/groups, he/she uses the comparative form by adding "er" to the positive form. When the writer wishes to refer to three or more, he/she uses the superlative form by adding "est" to the positive adjective. (Adjectives of one syllable ending in "y" can be changed to the comparative or superlative form after the "y" is changed to "i"). To form the comparative or superlative form of adjectives of two or more syllables, the writer usually adds "more" or "most" to the basic/positive form of the adjective. See Examples of both types above. |
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| 4. | ADJECTIVAL PHRASES | I watched the man in the brown coat. (The italicised phrase is adjectival. It describes the noun, "the man".
The tree near the house was a wattle. The italicised phrase "near the house" is adjectival. It describes the noun, "the tree". He was a man of few words. The italicised phrase, "of few words" is adjectival. It describes the noun, "a man". |
| NB: | All the adjectival phrases listed above begin with a preposition - "in", "near", "of". There are many prepositions which connect word(s) that follow them with some other part of the sentence. Here are a few:
withinIn the case of adjectivals, the preposition and the noun that follows it, take on the role of describing a noun or pronoun. Check with the Examples of adjectival phrases given above. |
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| 5. | ADJECTIVAL CLAUSES
(Also sometimes known as relative clauses because they begin with a relative pronoun). |
I know the man who is standing by the car.
The italicised clause above is adjectival. Note: It begins with the relative pronoun, "who". This is the business which my father owns. The italicised clause above is adjectival. It describes "the business". Note: It begins with the relative pronoun "which". Here is a picture of the pop-star whom we heard last night. The italicised clause above is adjectival. It describes "the pop-star". Note: It begins with the relative pronoun "whom". I met the man and the woman whose daughter is in China. The italicised clause above is adjectival. It describes "the man and the woman". Note: It begins with the relative pronoun, "whose". |
| NB: | Adjectival clauses can also begin with the word, "where" when "where" carries the meaning of " (in, at, on, by, through) which". See below: | |
| This is the house where I was born. "Where" in this context is not a question word (an interrogative pronoun) and means "in which" so it is treated as a relative pronoun and begins an adjectival clause. | ||
| ALSO NOTE: The use of "that" and "which" often presents a problem for the writer. To be clear about which to use, when you are creating an adjectival clause, ask yourself if the adjectival clause is essential to the meaning of the sentence. If it is, then use "which" to commence the adjectival clause. See below: | ||
| We went to a film that lasted two
hours. (The length of the film is important.)
We went to a film which lasted two hours. (The length of the film is less important.) |
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| 6. | EMBEDDED CLAUSES | The book which contained the formula was missing.
(The above adjectival clause is embedded within the main clause of the sentence, "The book ... was missing.") Everyone who signed the sheet is eligible. (The above adjectival clause is embedded within the main clause of the sentence, "Everyone ... is eligible.") |
| 7. | REDUCED ADJECTIVAL CLAUSES (NON-FINITE ADJECTIVAL CLAUSES) | We were adventurers searching for El Dorado.
(A full verb is not used in the above reduced adjectival clause, just a present participle. The full clause would read: "who were searching for ...") I had a desire to win the competition. (A finite verb is not used in the above adjectival clause but an infinitive signalled by the word "to". The full clause would read: "which was to ...") Prevented from entering the oval, the boy returned home. (A full verb is not used in the above but a past participle.) The full clause need to be re-ordered: "The boy who was prevented from..." |
| NB. The three Examples above of reduced adjectival clauses still perform the function of describing a noun in each case. | ||
FUNCTION
The first group of adjectivals below actually consists of noun markers or determiners. These adjectivals give a specific or general reference to the noun that follows them or point out a particular noun. Their function overall is to limit the noun.
| They are: Indefinite article Definite article Possessive adjective Demonstrative adjectives(pointing) |
a, an the *my, his, her, its, our, your, their this, that, these, those |
| *NB. The possessive is also expressed in a phrase such as the following: Mary's father | |
| DETERMINERS | Examples |
| Indefinite/definite | I took an apple from the bowl. (In the above, "an" is being used to show that the person took the piece of fruit without great deliberation. The sense could alter if the writer had said: "I took the apple to which he pointed." The reference is now specific.) |
| Possessive | I left my books on his chair. (In the above, both "my" and "his" are acknowledging two specific sets of ownership. |
| Demonstrative/Pointing | This man here is the captain of that ship.(In the above, the use of "this and "that" point out specific nouns, namely, "man" and "ship".) |
| NB.If writing an information report, the writer usually refers to the subject, which is specific, without using the definite article, eg., Koalas are mammals. NOTE also the use of the apostrophe "s" on nouns with possessives: |
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| Jack's balloon (singular owner)
Jill's kite (singular owner) Jack and Jill's house (plural ownership, but expressed with only one apostrophe because it is one house belonging both Jack and Jill. Jack's and Jill's gardens are both very spectacular. (The apostrophes here indicate that there are two separate gardens, one owned by Jack and one owned by Jill.) |
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| NB. Don't be caught out on the usage of "its" and "it's". | |
| The cat flicked its tail.
(possessive adjective)
It's the cat which I can see from here. (It's = it is) |
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| NB. Another group of adjectivals have a more general descriptive function. They are:
Quantity adjectives Opinion adjectives Factual adjectives Classifying adjectives |
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cardinal numbers
(one, two and so on)
ordinal numbers (first, second and so on) vague references to amounts (some, a few, many, most of, several, much) Examples: Six cows were in the field but the seventh one was in the yard. Some of the cows need more feed. (In this last example, "some of" would be treated as a pre-determiner as it precedes a determiner, namely, "the". |
| NB.There are a few quantity adjectives that can be used in the same way as "some of". See some Examples below: | |
| A lot of the ...
All the ... Several of the ... More of the ... A bit of the ... Plenty of the ... Less of the ... More of the ... Another of the ... |
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| Opinion adjectives
Give the writer's/speaker's opinion or evaluation of the matter in question. These adjectives are formed from nouns and verbs. A suffix is added to the respective word: |
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This type of adjective is used particularly in:
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wonder (n) + -ful = wonderful
fun (n) +" n" + -y = funny boy (n) + -ish = boyish response (n) drop "e" +-ible = responsible admire (v) drop "e" + -able = admirable dare (v) drop "e" + -ing = daring |
| Factual adjectives
Indicate that the writer is dealing with his/her topic in an objective way, supplying particulars/information about (a) noun(s). Although many of these adjectives could be similar in construction, the reader/writer needs to consider whether the description s/he is making is just actual facts or whether it is a personal opinion about a noun. NB. This type of adjective is used particularly in:
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| Examples | Information report:
Droughts are extreme water shortages that last for a long time. Description: The house was red brick and had a slanting roof, narrow windows and a crooked chimney Procedures: To find your way to the house: take the short path beside the lake, then take the left-hand turn beside the gnarled oak tree. |
| NB. Factual adjectives not only provide concrete descriptions, but also abstract and technical ones. | |
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| Note also, that adverbs of degree can be used with factual adjectives to communicate the degree of intensity: | |
| Extremely happy, rather tall, somewhat strange | |
| Classifying adjectives
Help to place a noun in a particular group: |
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| Australian short stories
travelling bag copper piping sewing kit |
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