1. GROUP PRESENTATION Adjective Phrases

3. CONTENT Adjective phrase Structure The head Syntactic functions

4. INTRODUCTION What are Adjectives and the Adjective phrases? An adjective may be a word or group word with the same meaning Adjective phrases are defined as phrases in which an adjective functions as the head of the phras e Example s : 1. Susan is clever 2. The doctor is very late 3. My sister is fond of animals

5. A. STRUCTURE

6. ♦♦♦ Adverb modifier ( or premodification): modifying, describing or qualifying constituents which precede the head ♦♦♦ The head: which is an Adj or participle serving as the focus of the Phrase ♦♦♦ Cadj ( post modification): contituent which follows head and completes the meaning implied by the head

7. THE TABLE SHOW THE STRUCTURE OF ADJECTIVE PHRASE

9. Complementation Infinitive phrase That clause _ing clause _PP clause

13. B. SYNTACTIC FUNCTIONS

14. SYNTACTIC FUNCTIONS Syntactic functions Complement subject postpositive NP head Verbless adj clause Exclamatory adj sentence Noun pre-modifier

15. ♦ Noun pre-modifier • adjectives are placed before nouns • adjectives are attributive when they premodify nouns * eg : a new car AdjP NP * eg :this beautiful girl AdjP NP Syntactic Function of Adjectives

16. Syntactic Function of Adjectives ♦ Subject complement • S + to be/ linking verbs + adj ( Cs) Eg: the book is impressive Np Cs what he said is wrong Np Cs ♦ the function of adjectives are predicative

17. POSTPOSITIVE 1. DEFINITION: An adjective is postpositive when it comes after the noun it modifies

22. 8.Superlative construction Eg: the smallest quantity imaginable The lowest price possible The best hotel valuable 9. Measures: a river two hundred miles long a road fifty feet wide a man eighty-five years old a bulding ten storeys high CASES OF POSTPOSITIVE

23. 10.Some idioms : The theatre royal The princess royal For time immemorial By all means possible Note: an adjective modified by enough , too, so the modified adjectives can not be separated from its complement

25. HEAD OF NOUN PHRASE Denoting nationalities Eg: You British and you French ought to be allies Superlatives Eg: The lastest is that he is going to run for election

26. HEAD OF NOUN PHRASE Singular concord Some adjectives can function as noun-phrase Heads when they have abstract reference adverbs superlatives

35. C. THE HEAD

36. Syntactic classification of adjs

40. ATTRIBUTIVE ONLY

41. INTENSIFYING ADJECTIVES  Emphasizers:  have a general heightening effect on the noun and convey speaker’s attitude toward the referent eg. Utter despair, pure bliss, a real hero, a certain winner…  Amplifiers:  denote the upper extreme of the scale  are central(inherent) eg. A complete victory ->the victory was complete  are attributive only(non-inherent) eg. A complete idiot ( not the idiot is complete )  Notes: mere, sheer, utter (always attributive only)

47. Thank you for your attention!