Adjectives 形容词

AdjectivesI. Definition and ClassificationAdjectives are descriptive words used to describe or give information about things, ideas and people. Adjectives can be classified according to different standards.In terms of word formation,adjectives can be classified into one-word adjectives and compound adjectives. A one-word adjective usually consists of only one free morpheme like good, bad, big, small, cold, etc; it can also consist of a free morpheme as the root plus a prefix or a suffix or both like useless, unkind, unlikely, unbelievable, etc. Compound adjectives are formed in different ways.①adjective + adjective: bitter-sweet, deaf-mute②adjective or adverb + present participle: hard-working, good-looking③adjective or adverb + past participle: hard-boiled, well-meant④noun + adjective: grass-green, duty-free⑤noun + present participle: English-speaking, law-abiding⑥noun + past participle: heart-broken, hand-made⑦adjective + noun + -ed: absent-minded, kind-hearted⑧cardinal numeral + noun (+adjective):one-year-old, thirty-storeyAccording to syntactic function, adjectives can be divided into two kinds: central adjectives and peripheral adjectives.Central adjectives refer to adjectives which can be used both as modifier in a noun phrase (known as the attribute) and as subject/object complement. In the following three examples good is a central adjective, functioning as attribute, subject complement and object complement receptively:Tom is a good student. (attribute)The student is good. (subject complement)We find the student good. (object complement)Peripheral adjectives refer to the adjectives which can not satisfy both requirements. Some peripheral adjectives can only act as pre-modifier(attribute), so they are called attribute adjectives. For example: daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, principal, chief, main, wooden, woolen, golden, utter, sheer, etc.Other peripheral adjectives like awake, sorry, afloat, afraid, asleep, alone, alive, etc.can only act as complement and are called complement adjectives.In terms of semantics, adjectives can be divided into dynamic adjectives and stative adjectives.Most adjectives are static adjectives, which are used to describe the static characteristics of animate or inanimate objects. For example: pretty, beautiful, thin, fat, tall, short, big, small, etc.Dynamic adjectives like ambitious, careful, helpful, generous, polite, patient, etc are used to describe the dynamic properties of people or things. They can go with progressive aspect of the verb be, while stative adjectives cannot.In terms of morphology, adjectives can be divided into gradable adjectives and non-gradable adjectives.Most adjectives (all dynamic and most stative adjectives) in English are gradable adjectives. The gradability can be manifested by the forms of comparison. There are three degrees ofcomparison of this kind of adjectives: positive degree, comparative degree and superlative degree. For example:long, longer, longest;difficult, more difficult, most difficultThere are only a few non-gradable adjectives in English, including some denominal adjective that denote provenance or classification like Chinese, atomic and other adjectives whose lexical meaning have already denoted a high or extreme degree, such as superior, excellent, extreme, etc.A good fame is better than a good face. (美名胜过美貌。

)There is no royal road to learning. (学无坦途。

)An ill wound is cured, not an ill name. (重伤易治，恶名难除。

)II. The Position of AdjectivesWhen an adjective is used as the attribute in sentences, much attention should be paid to its position. In most cases, adjectives ought to be placed before nouns or pronouns as pre-modifiers, yet the following cases demand that adjectives be after the nouns or pronouns as post-modifiers. A.Adjectives used to modify compound indefinite pronouns ending in -thing, -body, or -one.I shall meet you on Friday unless anything special turns up.(如果没有任何特殊情况发生，我将于星期五和你会面。

)If you go there, you will meet someone unexpected.(如果你去那里，你能够遇见一个你所想不到的人。

)B.Adjective phrases used as the attributeThe teacher asked me a question too difficult to answer.(老师问了我一个太难回答的问题。

)There is no paradise on earth equal to the union of love and innocence.(人间最大的幸福莫如既有爱情又清白无暇。

)C.Predicative Adjectives used as the attributeThe museum is a place worth visiting. (这个博物馆是一个值得参观的地方。

)The baby asleep is my nephew. (这个睡着的婴儿是我的外甥。

)D.Some adjectives ending in -ble, -able, -ed can be placed either before or after the nouns orpronouns.Things unreasonable are never durable. / Unreasonable things are never durable.(不合理的事决不会维持得很久。