Adjectives

Adjectives

1. Describe nouns and pronouns

2. Order

   • Number-Opinion-Size-Age-Shape-Color-Origin-Material-Purpose
     • NOSASCOMP

3. Proper and Common

4. Participles are also adjectives

   • These can be
     • Present (-ing form)
     • Past(ending -ed or -en)

5. Characteristics of adjectives

   • Morphological
     • They have:
       • Inflection -er and -est in comparatives
         • Derivation with affixes: a-, -y, -ful -less,etc
           • Invariable words(for gender, case and number)
   • Notional
     • They are the Semantic classification
       • Gradable-Nongradable
         • Stative-Dynamic
           • Inherent-Noninherent
             • Characterize the referent of the noun directly
             • Do not characterize
           • Denote state
           • Denote an action or getting state
         • Take sub-modifiers(very, more, etc)
         • They do not take sub-modifiers
   • Functional
     • Attributive
       • When they modify the head of a noun phrase
     • They are the syntactic functions of adjectives
     • Predicative
       • They function as SC
     • Postpositive
       • They follow the noun they modify, sometimes after an OC

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