a study on synantic functions of adjectives english as the topic for our team research with the hope that learners could know more about the use

TABLE OF CONTENTS I Introduction II Developement Parts of speech Adjective 2.1 Definition 2.2 Form of adjective 2.3 Classification of adjective 2.4 Syntactic function of adjective 2.4.1 Pre- modifier and post- modifier 2.4.2 Complement both Cs and Co 2.4.3 Adjective function as a head of a noun phrase 2.4.4 Supplementive adjective clause 2.4.5 Exclamatory adjective sentences III Conclusion I Introduction Nowadays, English is the most widely used in the world and plays an important role together with the development of society and technologies English is not only the effective means of communication but also show its progressive effects in many aspects of life It is widely used in all fields of life such as: economics, politics, tourism and international conferences that is why teaching and learning English have become a great demand of many people Realizing the importance of English, Vietnamese learners have been studying English both young and old To be knowlegde about English is significant in the integration process into WTO There are many reasons why English can be hard to learn For one, English is a very concise language, which can make it difficult to understand the meaning of what is being said Additionally, English has a lot of irregular verbs, which can trip up learners Lastly, the pronunciation of English can be difficult to master, as there are many different ways to say the same thing The English language is regarded as one of the most difficult languages to learn It is determined by the language in which you speak Here are some of the common reasons why people find it difficult to learn English The English language is littered with inconsistent and illogical statements It can be difficult to adjust to complex rules and exceptions that may arise in the English language when learning English for the first time Because the words sound right to them, native speakers know how to order them In order to learn English well and understand it deeply It is very difficult We can not only learn its basic rules of grammar but also study all of its aspects Grammar is often hard because it is a complex system of rules that govern how language should be used English grammar has many different parts in which adjectives play a very impotant role However, many people not focus on synantic functions of adjectives, which makes people difficult to understand Thus, I decided to choose “a study on synantic functions of adjectives English As the topic for our team research with the hope that learners could know more about the use of function of adjectives in the learning process II Development Parts of speech +) The parts of speech are the primary categories of words according to their function in a sentence +) English has ten main parts of speech +) However, according to “Lecture on Grammar” parts of speech has items: 1.1 Open class items: N, Adv, Adj, V +) It conveys content words (lexical meaning) +) There are too many of them, so we can never count them, it means the member of this class is unlimited +) Two members can go together, it means the member of this class not exclude each other +) We can create new members Ex: Act (v) Action (n) school-girl-> N well-educated->adj 1.2 Closed system items: preposition, demonstrative, article, interjection, conjunction, pronoun +) It conveys function words +) We can count them, it means the members of this class is limited +) Two members can not go together, it means the members of this class exclude the other +) We never create new members Ex: A table: a (indefinite, specific, generic, one)=> definite meaning the table a/this/my book +) It is clearly defined in contrast with one another (grammatical meaning) Adjective 2.1 Definition Adjective is very common word-formation process English There are many different definitions for adjective: - L.G Alexander Longman English Grammar: an adjective describes the person, thing, etc which a noun refers to we use adjectives to say what a person, etc is like or seems like for example, adjectives can give us information about: quality, size, age, temperature, shape, colour, origin - In “Complete English Grammar Rules”: adjectives are used almost exclusively to modify nouns, as well as any phrase or parts of speech functioning as a noun - Eastwood, J Oxford Guide to English Grammar: adjectives are words like short, old, cheap, happy, nice, electric Most adjectives express quality; they tell us what something is like An adjective always has the same form, except for comparison - Lectures on Grammar collected and edited by Nguyen Thanh Minh: an adjective is a word belonging to an open class which generally denotes quality: good, hot, little, young, fat, etc; colour: black, white, etc Or shape: square, round,… Though studying the concept of adjectives as above, we found that the concept of lecture on grammar is the most comprehensive and easy to understand It not only reflects the function of adjectives to indicate the quality and characteristics of things and events, but also helps us to know that adjectives are from the open class item From there, we can easily learn and apply adjectives in learning, researching and communicating accurately and naturally 2.2 Forms: no agreement with nouns 2.4.6 Simple adjectives (root): good, big, long, rich, nice,… 2.4.7 Derived adjectives: prefix or suffix + root Beauty(n)=> beautiful (a) 2.4.8 Compound adjectives: root+root : good-looking, kind-hearted, well-done, … 2.4.9 Adjective phrases: a six year old boy 2.4.10 Ns as adjective: a silver cup 2.4.11 Participle as adjectives; -Ing part: characteristics, features, functions, quality of the noun -ed part: affected or attitude to something Ex: this film is very interesting We are interested in this film 2.4.12 2.5 Adverbs as adjectives: the up train, the above statement Classification 2.5.1 According to syntactic function: central, attributive, predicative - Central adjectives can function both attributively and predicatively Ex: a hungry man-the man is hungry - Attributive adjectives can be attributive only Ex: an utter fool - Predicative adjectives can be predicative only Ex: he is afraid to it 2.5.2 Semantic sub-classification: - Stative/dynamic adjectives : +) Stative : good, old, beautiful,etc +) Dynamic: ambitious, careful, careless, etc - Gradable/non-gradable adjectives: +) Gradable: very young, extremely useful, etc +) Non-gradable: atomic, hydrochloric 2.6 Syntactic functions of adjectives There are functions of adjectives: 2.6.1 Pre-modifier and post-modifier: *Pre-modifier: +) Attributive adjectives are adjectives that describe a characteristic (or attribute) of the noun or pronoun that they modify They form part of a noun phrase, appearing immediately before (or sometimes after) the noun in a sentence Ex: the beautiful painting, his main argument, etc +) Attributive adjectives can be either restrictive or non-restrictive Restrictive adjectives help establish the identity of the noun or pronoun being modified, while non-restrictive adjectives simply help describe a noun that is already clearly identified Note the difference between these two sentences: • “She was emotional, and would avoid a sad film at all costs.” • “Titanic was a sad film that no viewer could finish with dry eyes.” In the first sentence, sad is restrictive: it tells us what kind of films she avoids In the second sentence, sad is non-restrictive We already know that Titanic is the film in question; the adjective sad simply serves to describe it further +) In simple sentences, attributive adjectives usually occur before the noun they modify, like in our first example, “The black dog is barking.” Adjectives in this position are known as prepositive or prenominal adjectives While most attributive adjectives can also occur as predicative adjectives after the noun, there are a number of specific adjectives which can only occur before the noun they modify Some of these are: main, former, and mere ✔ “The main idea is at the beginning of the paragraph.” (correct) ✖ “The idea at the beginning of the paragraph is main.” (incorrect) Another adjective that only occurs attributively before the noun is the word utter, which provides heavy emphasis to the noun it modifies: ✔ “The dress was in utter ruin.” (correct) ✖ “The ruin was utter.” (incorrect) +) Attributive adjectives almost always appear postpositively when they modify indefinite pronouns, such as someone, anyone, nobody, anyone, etc For example: • “I wish I could find somebody perfect for the job.” • “We can give these jeans to anybody tall.” • “Is anyone talented at math here?” *Post-modifier: +) Adjectives can sometimes be postpositive, ie they can sometimes follow the item they modify A postposed adjective (together with any complementation it may have) can usually be regarded as a reduced relative clause Indefinite pronouns ending in -body, -one, -thing, -where can be modi-fied only postpositively: Ex: I want to try on something larger {ie ‘which is larger’) +) Postposition is obligatory for a few adjectives, which have a different sense when they occur attributively or predicatively The most common are probably elect (‘soon to take office’) and proper (‘as strictly defined’), as in the president elect the City of London proper +) In several compounds (mostly legal or quasi-legal) the adjective is postposed, the most common being : attorney general, body politic, court martial, heir apparent, notary public (AmE), postmaster general +) Postposition On preference to attributive position) is usual for a few aadjectives and for absent, present, and (esp BrE) concerned, involved, which normally not occur attributively in the relevant sense: The house ablaze is next door to mine The people involved were not found +) Some postposed adjectives, especially those ending in -able or -ible, retain the basic meaning they have in attributive position but convey the implication that what they are denoting has only a temporary application Thus, the stars visible refers to stars that are visible at a time specified or implied, while the visible stars refers to a category of stars that can (at appropriate times) be seen 2.2.2 complement- both Cs and Co +) A predicative adjective (or simply “predicate adjective”) is used in the predicate of a clause to describe either the subject of the clause or the direct object of a verb Ex: The children were soon asleep Not the asleep children +) Some words with the prefix “a”: asleep, awake, afraid, ashamed, alone, alike Ex: These are stimulants that can keep you awake +) Some words expressing feelings: pleased, glad, content, upset Ex: I am glad to meet you +) Some words to with health: well, fine, ill, unwell Ex: I am fine +) Many adjectives used predicatively may be followed by prepositions: Ex: He is capable of managing well 2.2.2.1 Predicative adjective can be a subject complement: +) Predicative adjectives that describe the subject of the clause will follow a linking verb In such cases, they are known as subject complements For example: • “You look nice.” • “He is old.” Here, “nice” describes the subject “you,” while “old” describes the subject “he.” +) Note that adjectives appearing immediately before the noun they are describing are known as attributive adjectives For example: • “The old man seems nice.” “Old” is an attributive adjective that describes the subject, “man.” “Nice” also describes “man,” but it is a predicative adjective because it follows the linking verb “seems.” Ex: The children were noisy and naughty In the example, noisy and naughty function as predicative adjectives, they both qualify children and complete the predications begun by the verb were Ex: Your suspicions seem to be unfounded In example, the infinitive to be unfunded functions as a predicative adjective, it both qualifies suspicions and completes the predication begun by the verb seemed 2.2.2.2 Predicative adjectives can be a object complement: +) Predicative adjectives can also describe the direct object of non-linking verbs In this case, such adjectives function as object complements For example: • “They painted the door red.” • “All that training made me stronger.” The predicative adjectives here are describing (complementing) the direct objects of the verbs, rather than the subjects of the sentences “Red” describes the noun “door” (not the subject, “they”), while “stronger” describes the pronoun “me” (not the subject, “training”) Ex: The situation made Mr Hardy courageous and even a bit daring In sentence, courageous and daring functions as predicative adjectives, they both qualify Mr Hardy and complete the predication begun by the verb made They are objective complement Ex: The jury found him guilty In example, guilty is a predicative adjective, it both qualifies him and completes the predicative begun by the verb found, so guilty is an objective complement 2.3.3 Adjective can function as head of a noun phrase +) Adjective can function as head of noun phrase and can be subject, of the sentence , object, complement or complement of preposition As a result, not inflect for number or genitive case, and they must take a definitive determine We can not usually leave out a noun after an adjective For example: Poor little boy not poor little In the example, poor little has meaningless,non-sense so reader can not understand There are some 10 exceptions,there are three types of adjectives that function without noun , that are adjectives functioning as head of noun phrase 2.3.3.1 Well-known groups +) Adjectives belonging to well-known group are adjectives expressing some group of people in society The form the+adjective used to discuss certain well-known groups of people in society especially people in a particular physical or social condition such as: the blind,the dead, the handicapped, the jobless, the mentally ill, the old, the poor, the rich, the unemployed,the young, the sick…For example: she is collecting money for the blind In the example , it means that he is collecting money for the blind’ people or all blind people in general It does not refer to just one person or to a small group It can not denote one person the blind man , the blind woman It is often capable of adding a general word for human beings likes people In which case, people normally omitted and the use of the blind as head of the noun phrase or without noun +) The meaning of well-known groups is usually general, sometimes a more limited group is referred to,for instance:After the accident, the injured were take to hospital In the example, the injured does not mean general,but it refers to a limited group,that is the injured people in the accident,but such as the injured people in the war,fighting Note that these expressions can not be used with a possessives The problems the poor or poor people’s problem is not correct grammatically +) Some adjectives used without the as head of a noun phrase in paired structures with and or…or, for example: Opportunities for both the rich and the poor In the example, the rich and the poor express the rich people and the poor people in general From the above point , it is a very common knowledge that adjectives use as head of a noun phrase NP heads normally need a definite determiner, they are absolutely able to without a determine if they are linked So it is the reason that opportunities for both the rich and the 11 poor we can also say that in the sentence opportunities for both the rich and the poor +) The adjective can be modified by an adverb Ex: the very rich, the severely disable Some adjectives normally take an adverb Ex: the more/less fortunate the mentally ill 2.3.3.2 Adjectives referring to abstract ideas +) We can use some adjectives after the to refer to things in general which have an abstract quality For example: there are a lot of books on the supernatural In the example, the supernatural means ‘supernatural happenings in general’ Other examples: the mysterious, the unexxplained, the absurd, the ordinary, the old, the new The noun phrase takes a singular verb For example: the new drives out the old +) A few adjectives can have a more specific meaning For example: The unexpected happened(=something that was unexpected) Have you heard the latest ?(= the latest news) Also :fear the worst, hope for the bét, in the dark +) We use the + adjective+ thing to talk about a particular quality or aspect of a situation This usage is rather informal Ex: It was an amusing sight,but the annoying thing (about it) was that I did not have my camera a with me 2.3.3.3 Nationality adjectives used without nouns +) Some adjectives referring to nationalities use as noun phrase heads: Ex: The Vietnamese are very proud of their history In example, the Vietnamese expresses the Vietnamese people in general, but not the particular Vietnamese people or Vietnamese women/ men 12 +) A few nationality adjectives ending in -sh, -ch or –ese are used after the as head of noun phrase, they include: -sh : British, English, Spanish, Irish; ch: Dutch, French; -ese : Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese +) Similarly, adjectives relating to well-known groups of people in social group, nationality adjectives are referred to general meaning and take plural and singular equivalences as well For example: an Irish woman, a welsh man unlike adjectives referring social groups, adjectives of nationality can not be modified by adjectives like very with general and plural meaning They can be modified by adjectives which are commonly non-restrictive Consider the following sentence: The industrious Vietnamese women always strive harder to catch up with those in other countries In example, it can be understood that the Vietnamese women, who are industrious and dexterous always strive harder to catch up with those in other countries Ex: The native English are very friendly ( The English, who are native, are very friendly.) 2.4.4: Supplementive adjective clause +) An adjective (alone or as head of adjective phrase) can function as supplementive adjective clause or a verbless adjective clause The clause is mobile, though it usually precedes or follows the subject of the superordinate clause : Ex : Nervous , the man opened the letter The man , quietly assertive , spoke to the assembled workers When ripe , the apples are sweet Whether right or wrong , he always comes off worst in an argument +) The implied subject is usually the subject of the sentence Thus , while we have: The man restrained the child , who was noisy We not have as its equivalent The man restrained the child , noisy 13 +) However , if the clause contains additional clause constituents , its implied subject can be other than the subject of the sentence : Ex: She glanced with disgust at the cat , quite (now) in her daughter’s lap Long and untidy , his hair played in the breeze Anxious for a quick decision , the chairman called for a vote +) The implied subject of the adjective clause can be the whole of the superordinate clause Ex: Strange , it was she who initiated divorce proceedings (semantically equivalent to: That it was she who initiated divorce proceedings is strange ) +) An adverb may sometimes replace , with little difference in meaning , an adjective functioning as a verbless clause : Ex: Nervously ,/ Nervous, the man opened the letter +) The adjective refers to the subject without explicit reference to the action , and unless otherwise stated , the characterization is only temporary in its application But if an explicit time indicator is introduced , the application of the adjective is extended in time For example , when we insert always , the man’s nervousness becomes a permanent characteristic, and is not specifically connected with the action : Ex: Always nervous , the man opened the letter Note +) When the implied subject is the whole clause , a corresponding adverb can replace the adjective with little or no difference in meaning , as with strangely for strange : Ex: Strangely , it was she who initiated divorce proceedings 14 +) The adjective , unlike the adverb , allows a that- or how-clause to follow : Ex: Strange that it turned out that way Strange how she still likes him +) In such cases , It’s is ellipted and the adjective is not separated from the clause by a comma 2.4.5 Exclamatory adjective sentences 2.4.5.1 Definition +) Exclamatory adjectives are the type of adjectives used when we show a sudden and strong emotion It indicates intense emotions that are felt when shocked or surprised concerning the noun It is used with the noun, and it is also used to emphasize it In short, exclamatory adjectives are words that express our strong emotions regarding the noun The two most common exclamatory adjectives are ”what” and “how” We usually make use of “what” as an interrogative adjective, but here, it will act as an emotion of surprise instead of asking a question Let us look at some basic examples: What a beautiful dress! What a movie! What a scene! What a band of musicians! Here, we can see that “What” emphasizes the noun and expresses a strong emotion And similarly, “How” can also be used to show emotions 2.4.5.2 Usage of exclamatory adjectives 15 +) We learned that exclamatory adjectives are words that express strong emotions Now, we need to learn that these words are always accompanied by nouns Which means they are used with the nouns in a sentence Another important and basic point that we need to know while using an exclamatory adjective in a sentence is that the sentence will end with an exclamation mark (!) It is used because we are not asking questions or stating a fact Instead, we are showing a surprising or intense emotion Now, let us try to understand the usage of “What”: “What” can be used for both plural nouns and singular nouns When we use this exclamatory adjective, we are expressing a surprising emotion We use this to show that we mean what we are expressing “What” with a singular noun: What a beautiful girl! What an extraordinary idea! What an intelligent person! What a huge mansion! Here, we can see that when we use “What” with singular nouns, we make use of articles like a/an followed by adjectives and words And, of course, the sentences end with exclamation marks “What” with plural nouns: What the pretty dresses! What the exquisite flowers! What the gorgeous ladies! 16 Here, what used with plural nouns make use of “the” followed by the noun We can also use this adjective word with collective nouns: What a group of beautiful rabbits! What a band of extraordinary musicians! What a collection of coins! Here, it acts similar to the usage with singular nouns These are some points that will help understand exclamatory adjectives better III Conclusion Through studying, the basic information of English adjectives in general have been introduced Although many grammar textbooks refer to English adjectives, learners will find and syntactic functions of English adjectives clear in the graduation paper All of them can provide learner a comprehensive look towards English adjectives In order to help learners deeply understand English adjectives, in part developement we have presented an overview of the English adjectives with their definitions right at the beginning as well as syntactic functions of adjectives We discuss their classification according to their usage then considers them if which kinds of adjective belong to syntactic functions Firstly, the kinds of adjective belonging to syntactic functions are also classified clearly in part II Developement 2.4 With the contrastive analysis of English adjectives with their equivalents, basing on new approaches the writer has pointed out similarities and differences between English and Vietnamese adjectives in terms of their functions,usages as well as orders Both English and Vietnamese, generally, can function as 17 predicative and attributive, in terms their usages, unlike English adjectives, Vietnamese ones are not classified into ten kinds, there are some kinds such as dimension, age, color,value, Finally, the writer hopes that the paper will be useful and helpful for learners of English in general and for Vietnamese students in particular In spite of the great effort, imperfections and shortcomings are inevitable The writer hopes to receive faithful comments, suggestions as well as supplementations from the readers Hopefully, the matter would be done in other research 18 References Lectures on Grammar collected and edited by Nguyen Thanh Minh Alexander, L.G.1988 Longman English Grammar London and New York: Long man Close, R A 1975 A Reference Grammar for student of English London: Longman Group Limited Eastwood, J.1994 Oxford Guide to English Grammar London: Oxford University Press Huddleston, R and Pullum, G.K 2002 The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language Cambridge University Press Quirk, R et al 1972 A University Grammar of English Esses: Longman Swan, M.1986 Practical English Usage London: Oxford University Press Stockwell, R.P 1977 Foundation of Syntactic Theory Los Angeles:University of California Thomson, A.J & Martinet, A.V A practical English Grammar Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1986 10 The Farlex Grammar Book: Complete English Grammar Rules 11 English Grammar Today, Cambridge 2006 19 ... understand Thus, I decided to choose ? ?a study on synantic functions of adjectives English As the topic for our team research with the hope that learners could know more about the use of function of. .. worst, hope for the bét, in the dark +) We use the + adjective+ thing to talk about a particular quality or aspect of a situation This usage is rather informal Ex: It was an amusing sight,but the annoying... meaning of what is being said Additionally, English has a lot of irregular verbs, which can trip up learners Lastly, the pronunciation of English can be difficult to master, as there are many different