I. General characteristics.
Lecture # 5. The Adjective
1. General characteristics.
2. The degree of comparison of adjectives.
3. Substantivisation of adjectives.
Meaning: denotes properties.
Form: Some adjectives have degrees of comparison, other adjectives are unchangeable.
Function: used in the sentence in the functions of a predicative or an attribute. They combine with nouns, verbs and adverbs.
E.g. The book is very interesting. This matter is very important.
According to the lexical meaning and the grammatical character adjectives are usually divided into two subclasses: qualitative and relative adjectives.
Qualitative adjectives denote properties directly.
1) They denote colour, size and quality.
2) They have degrees of comparison: E.g. big-bigger-the biggest; beautiful-more beautiful-the most beautiful.
3) They have corresponding adverbs derived from them by means of the suffix -ly.
E.g. warmly, beautifully.
4. They may have the functions both of an attribute and of a predicative.
E.g. He was a clever boy. The boy was clever.
5. Qualitative adjectives combine with adverbs:
E.g. The boy was very clever. The book was extremely interesting.
The properties of relative adjectives are quite different. Relative adjectives denote properties of things indirectly. They denote properties through relations
- to materials: e.g. wooden, silver;
- to place: European, African, Eastern:
-of time: daily, weekly;
-to some action (preparatory –подготовительный, defensive-оборонительный);
Relative adjectives as a rule have no corresponding adverbs formed from them by means of the suffix –ly. We cannot say woodenly.
Relative pronouns have degrees of comparison. These adjectives have only one function in the sentence – an attribute (silver watch). They are not used in the function of a predicative. But when relative adjectives are used figuratively, they get the properties of qualificative adjectives.
E.g. I have never seen such a wooden expression of a face. Her face never had a more wooden expression.
Leaden - свинцовый. The sky is quite leaden (=looks like lead).
Some linguists distinguish one more (the third class of adjectives). They refer to subclass such words as alive, afire (в огне), abloom (в цвету). They call such adjectives predicative adjectives because the words like afire are used only in the function of a predicative. Other linguists call these words “statives”, because they are different from other parts of speech from the point of view of their meaning, form and function. They denote a passing state, unchangeable (form), used in the function of the predicative in the sentence. In dictionaries (even in native ones) the words like alive are characterized as predicative adjectives (p.a) or adjectives predicative (a.p.).
There is also a point of view that within the adjective we find on the first level the opposition between the adjectives proper and stative adjectives, and within the proper adjectives we find the opposition between qualitative adjectives and relative adjectives.
Adjectives are subdivided into
/ \
Adjectives proper Stative adjectives
/ \ alive, abloom, afire
Qualitative relative
Good, fine silver
II. The degree of comparison of adjectives
The degree of comparison is the form which expresses the comparison of one object (or objects) with another in respect to a certain property. The category of degrees of comparison is found only in qualitative adjectives. There are three degrees of comparison: (1) the positive; (2) the comparative; (3) the superlative.
The degrees of comparison are formed in three different ways:
A) one-syllable and two-syllable adjectives form their degrees of comparison by means of overt morphemes: -er, -est. They form their degrees synthetically.
B) Other adjectives form their degrees of comparison analytically by means of the words more and most.
C) A few adjectives form the degrees of comparisons by means of the suppletive morpheme: e.g. good – better - the best; bad –worse - the worst.
There are adjectives which have two forms of comparison: e.g. Old – older –the oldest / elder – the eldest; far –farther-the farthest/ further-the furthest.
The forms elder-eldest are used while speaking about the family; further-furthest are used to express that something will follow.
In some cases Old English forms of comparative and superlative degrees have become in Modern English separate words:
e. g. They have two sons, Peter and Nick. The former is ten years old and the latter is already a student.
The adjective latter was originally the comparative degree of an Old English adjective late, and the adjective last was originally the superlative degree of the same adjective.
The adjective in the superlative degree is always used with the definite article (the quickest, the most important). So it has become an integral part of the superlative degree.
Sometimes we have such examples as a most interesting/important i.e. the phrase most+adjective is used with the indefinite article. In this case the adjective expresses a very high degree of a property without implying any comparison. In the sentence “It’s a most interesting book” the word most doesn’t form the superlative degree. It is used to show a high degree of a quality possessed by the noun and it is equivalent to the word extremely, exceedingly.
Let’s compare: It’s the most interesting book I have ever read. Это самая интересная книга, которую я когда-либо читал.
It is a most interesting book.Это весьма (очень) интересная книга.
In the first sentence the word most is not a part of the sentence. It helps to form the Superlative degree of the adjective interesting. In the second sentence the word most is an adverb, it is a part of the sentence, it has the function of an adverbial modifier of degree.