Топик: Adjectives

e.g. The old receive pensions.

The young are always romantic, aren’t they?

The blind are taught trades in special schools.

If we wish to denote a single person we must add a noun.

e.g. The old man receives a pension.

If we wish to refer to a particular group of persons (not the whole class), it is aslo necessary to add a noun.

e.g. The young are usually intolerant.

The young men are fishing.

Some adjectives denoting nationalities (e.g. English, French, Dutch) are used in the same way.

e.g. The English are great lovers of tea.

There were a few English people among the tourists.

2) Substantivized adjectives may also indicate an abstract notion. Then they are singular in meaning and take a singular verb.

e.g. The good in him overweighs the bad.

My mother never lost her taste for extravagant.

Syntactic Functions of Adjectives.

Adjectives may serve in the sentence as:

1) an attribute

e.g. Do you see the small green boat, which has such an odd shape?

The lights of the farm blazed out in the windy darkness.

Adjectives used as attributes usually immediately precede the noun. Normally there is no pause between the adjective and the noun. Such attributes are called close attributes.

However, an adjective placed in pre-position to the noun may be separated from it by a pause. Then it becomes a loose attribute.

e.g. Clever and tactful , George listened to my story with deep concern.

Yet loose attributes are more often found in post-position to the noun.

e.g. My father, happy and tired , kissed me good-night.

2) a predicative

e.g. Her smile was almost professional .

He looked mature, sober and calm .

3) part of a compound verbal predicate