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.

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.

Nouns a remarkable judge

its incredible size

this wonderful silk

Adj remarkably wise incredibly big wonderfully smooth

(d) FunctionThe ability of nouns to head phrases in subject

and object position may be used to distinguish the difference between nouns and adjectives.

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

Adjectives Noun

Inflection colder, coldest colds

Determiners ------ my cold, which cold

Modifiers terribly cold a terrible cold

Function ------- The cold was nasty, Don’t catch a cold.

Page 125 Ex 2. Q1She is secretary of the Film society.

Noun

Inflection They are secretaries.

Determiner my secretary

Modifier She is a terrible secretary

Function

Adjectives vs VerbsWe 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.

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 structureV: I love you more. (the verb is followed by more)

Adj: I’m more appreciative than you. (the adjective is preceded by more)

(b) ModifiersAdverbs can modify both adjectives and verbs.

However, some adverbs such as very, pretty (meaning fairly, quite) and too (meaning excessively) only modify adjectives.

( c ) FunctionVerbs function as predicator (head of a VP).

Adjectives can function as predicative complements (after be, become, seem)

V They love you. We regret it. You enjoy it.

Adj They are fond of you.

We became sad.

You seem appreciative.

Overlap between categoriesSome lexemes belong to both categories. We tame them. (verb) They are tame. (adjective)

Verb AdjectiveInflection: preterite tamed3rd per sing tames.Grade: We tame them more

Inflection: They are tamerGrade: They are more tame

Modifier: We cant use very Modifier: They are very tameFunction: 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 veryFunction: 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 adjectivesGradable 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 a very public quarrel

the British government 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:

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 AdjectivesPostpositive 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 errorsThe underlined adjectives have their own post

head dependents.

Adverbs

It virtually evaporated. He almost died. (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)

A virtual disaster. His almost death. (noun)

Adverbs vs Adjectives

Most adjectives can function attributively and predicatively but most adverbs only function as modifiers.

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 adjectivesNoun beast friend father woman

Adjective beastly 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.