1. English Grammar
Group members:
1. Le Thi Hoai Thanh
2. Nguyen Hanh Le
3. Tran Thi Ut Tram
4. Hoang Thi Thu Huong
5. Le Thi Thu Phuong
6. Nguyen Thi Thu Trang

3. Adjective phrase
1.Definition
An adjective phrase is a phrase with an adjective
( or adjectivalized participle) as the head.
An adjective phrase consists of an
adjective which may be preceded and/or
followed by other words.
 Ex1 :
1.It is a nice cat
2. I was very excited
3. They have been very curious about this
(strange )guy

4. Adjective phrase
II.Structure:
Full Structure: Pre-modification + head
+ postmodification
1.Pre-modification:
modifying,describing,or qualifying
constituents which precede the head.
Pre-modifier types
Adverb phrase
ex: Yesterday was a very unusually hot day

5. Use very,quite,partly,perfectly.ect…
Ex: This exercise is relatively hard
Adjective can be premodified by either
 + Grading: (
slightly,somewhat,very,overly…)
Ex: A slightly bent wire,an extremely
overweight dog
 + comparison : (more,less,least,most)
 Ex: The more he eat,the fatter he is.

6.  Not all adjectives can be graded or
compared:
Comparable: more beautiful, the
most red
Noncomparable (ungradable):
NATIONALITIES: French, Spanish
MISC.: dead, alive, broken, etc
Comparison can also be done
morphologically:
the bigger/biggest

7.  A few intensifier may pre-modify noun phrase: quite,
rather and the pre-determiners such and exclamatory
what, the noun phrase is normally indefinite and the
intensifiers precede and determines
 Ex:
- I was rather a mess
- He was quite some player
- I have never heard such wickedness

8. Noun phrase: We can put a phrase of
measurement before some adjs
Ex : The man is about forty years old
I am 1,67 metres tall

9. 2.The Head
Is an adjective or participle serving as the
focus of the phrase
Ex: She is a nice cat adj
I was very excited. past participle
They have been very curious
about this (strange) guy
adj

10. 3.Post-modification:
Modifying constituent which follows the
head; and complementation,(the major
subcategoryof postmodification here) is
the constituent which follows any
postmodification and completes the
specification of a meaning implied by the
head

11.  Adverbs as postmodifiers (
enough/indeed)
 Ex: This fruit is not ripe enough to eat
He doesn’t do it badly.He is sucessfull indeed
+ complements of adj

12.  That-clause:
 Ex: We were confident that he was still
alive
To-infinite clause:
Ex: Bob was slow to catch the
ball
This meal is too expansive to enjoy

13.  Ing-clause
 Ex: I’m busy getting the house redecorated
We’re fortunate having Aunt Agatha as a baby-sistter

14.  Prepositional phrase:
 Ex: Bobby is fond of maths
Comparative
clause
Ex: It was easier than they said

15. Diagram summary
Adverb phrase
Pre-modification Noun phrase
Ed-participle
Adjective
Head Ing-participle
Adj.p Participle
Prepositional phrae
Adverb
Infinitive clause
Post-modification
complementation Ing-clause
That-clause
Comparative clause

16. Syntactic functions

17. 1. NOUN PRE – MODIFIER
( attributive adjs)
 Adjs are attributive when they premodify nouns, appear
between the determiner and the head of the NP.
 Ex:
1. she had a big hat.
Det adj.p H of HP


NP

2. Only rich people can afford that flat.
Det Adj.P H of NP
NP

18. 2. COMPLEMENTS
(predicative adjs)
- Subject complement: with corpus verbs: look, seem, sound ,hear, get, become. . .
Ex:
1. He looks handsome.
S C
2. She feels unhappy.
S C
+ Subject complement (subject is a finite clause)
Ex: What the said is right.
Finite C
+ Subject complement (subject is non-finite clause)
Ex: Learning English is very difficult.
Non-finite C

19. 2. COMPLEMENTS
(predicative adjs)
- Object complement:
Ex: The gifts make children happy.
O C
+ Object complement (object is a clause)
Ex: I consider what he did foolish.
O C
+ Object complement expresses the result of process denoted by the verb
Ex He pulled his belt tight. (as the result, his belt was then tight)

20. 3.POST-POSITIVE
A post-positive adjective is an adjective that appears after noun that it modifies. A
postposed adj can usually be regarded as a relative clause.
There are some following cases:
+ Indefinite pronoun ending in-body, -thing,-one. . .
Ex:
I’d like to have something useful.
(I’d like to have something which is useful)
+the adjs having different senses for each position with some adjs
EX:
The president-elect is an intelligent man. (Soon to take office)
The elect man is Mr. Smith.(the best man)

21. 3.POST-POSITIVE
+ In several compounds:
Ex:
Courts martial, heir apparent, body politic
+ Some adjs not occurring attributively in the relevant meaning like ablaze, afloat
afraid, alike, alive, absent . . .
Ex:
The house ablaze is next door to mine.
The people involved were not found.

22. 4.THE HEAD OF NOUN PHRASE
 Adjective can often function as heads of NPs as the following cases:
 + adjs having personal reference:
 Ex: The poor get poorer, the rich get richer.
 H H

 These seats are for the disabled.
 H
 + Adjective denoting nationalities

 Ex:
 The French like eating well.

 The Dutch are the tallest in the world.

 + Adjective having abstract reference

 Ex:
 The newest is that he is going to China.

 He ventured into the unknown.

23. 6.EXCLAMATORY ADJ
SENTENCE
 An adj as head of an adj. P or as its
sole realization can be an exclamatory.
 Ex.
How beautiful!
Great!
What a nice day!

24. 5.VERBLESS ADJ CLAUSE
 Verbless clauses are clauses in which the verb and
sometimes other elements have been deleted.
 +An adj can function as a verbless clauses. The
clause may be mobile in sentence.
 Ex:
 (By then) nervous, the man opened the gift.
 The man, (by then) nervous, opened the gift.
 The man opened the gift, (by then) nervous.

 Contingent adjective clause

 An adj Contingent clause expresses the circumstance or
condition under which what is said in the superordinate
clause applies.

 Ex: Enthusiastic, they make good students.(when
enthusiastic)
 (When) ripe, these apples are sweet.

26. Attributive
only
Adjectives Predicative
only
Central
Syntactic classification of adjs

27. attributive only
 Adjectives which are restricted to
attributive position do not characterize the
referent of the noun directly
 eg. A small businessman
 → a businessman whose
business is small
 → not a businessman is small
 My old friend
 → One who has been a friend for
a long time
 → not a friend is old

28. Note:
words with strongly emotive value:
poor man, my dear lady, wretched
lady…
Inherent adjs Non-inherent adjs
Characterize the referent of the Do not characterize the referent of
noun directly the noun directly
Eg: Distant relatives
Distant hills a complete idiot
a complete chapter a heavy smoker
a heavy bag A social animal
a social survey an old friend
an old man

29. Attributive
only
Intensifying Limiter Related to Denominal
adjs adjs adverbials adjs

30. 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)

31. LIMITER ADJECTIVES
 Particularize the reference of the noun
 eg. the main topic, the only person,
etc….
 Note: some of adjectives have homonyms
 Ex: a certain person
 a limiter → a particular person
 a certain winner
 an intensifier→ a sure winner( one
who is certain that he will win )

32. RELATED TO ADVERBIALS
 adjs that are attributive only can be related to
adverbials.
 eg. my former friend ~ formerly my friend
 adjs premodify agentive nouns >have a
relationship to the verb base
 eg. a hard worker ~ a worker who works
hard.
 the implied process can be associated with an
inanimate object
 eg. a fast car ~ a car that one can drive fast

33. DENOMINAL ADJECTIVES
 are derived from nouns and attributive
only
 Ex:
 a criminal law (a law concerning
crime)
 Note:
 a criminal law ~ a law seems
criminal
 → a central adjective
 a medical school ( a school for
students of medicine)

34. II.PREDICATIVE ONLY
 Eg. she is alive ( not alive girl )
 S V Cs
 Adjectives which are restricted to predicative
position refer to condition rather than to
characterize

 Some group of adjs must take
complementation: afraid(that, of, about);
fond(of); conscious(that, of) etc…
 Ex: i am intersted in listening to
music
 S V adj C


35. Some of the common predicative only
and attributive ony adjectives in
English are:
Attributive adjectives: Predicative adjectives
alive
east/west/south/north alone
eastern/wetern/southern/… apart
indoor/outdoor aware
maximum glad
nationwide ill
occasional likely
supplementary ready
woolen safe
etc. sorry
sure
unable

36. III.CENTRAL
 central = both attributive and
predicative
 eg: a (1)lazy student→ the
student is (2)lazy
 attributive
predicative

 the (1)blue sea → the sea is
(2)blue
 attributive
predicative
 note: (1) attributive position
 (2) predicative position

37. Semantic classification
of adjectives

38. Stative adjectives
Dynamic adjectives
Semantic Stative adjectives
classification Stative adjectives
Stative adjectives
Stative adjectives

39. Stative adjectives
Dynamic adjectives
Stative adjectives
Semantic
classification Stative adjectives
Stative adjectives
Stative adjectives

40. Stative and Dynamic Adjectives
 Stative adjectives are the adjectives that denote a
state or condition, which may generally be
considered permanent, such as big, red, and small.
Stative adjectives can not normally be used in
imperative constructions, so we cannot say: be
red/big/small.
 In contrast, dynamic adjectives denote attributes
which are, to some extent at least, under the
control of the one who possesses them. All
dynamic adjectives can be used in imperatives.

41. Stative and Dynamic Adjectives
Calm Mannerly
Careful Patient
Cruel Rude “Be careful!” to
We can say Disruptive Shy someone, and
Person may Foolish Suspicious then this control
Friendly Tidy himself to
Good vacuous become more
impatient Vain careful

42. Stative adjectives
Dynamic adjectives
Semantic Stative adjectives
classification Stative adjectives
Stative adjectives
Stative adjectives

43. gradable and non-gradable adjectives
 Gradable
- Most everyday adjectives are gradable
- They denote
qualities, properties, states, conditions or
relations…. Which vary in their degree or
extent?
- Gradable adjectives can be pre-modified
by degree expression.

44. gradable and non-gradable adjectives
Gradable
Very
He is Quite Selfish
Degree adv Gradable adj
-Gradability includes comparison.
Ex
My sister is taller than I

45. gradable and non-gradable adjectives
non-gradable
•… Can not be pre-modified by
degree adverbs or used in
comparative sentence such as
automatic, dead alive; male;
IrishEnglish; married
unmarriedsingle.
Ex She is single
Non- gradable

46. Stative adjectives
Dynamic adjectives
Stative adjectives
Semantic
classification Stative adjectives
Stative adjectives
Stative adjectives

47. Inherent and non-inherent
Ex
An old man = a man who is old.

A small businessman ≠ a businessman who
is small.
 “small” is non-inherent
•inherent adjs: are the adjs which directly
denote attribute and quality of the noun they
modify.
•Non-inherent adjs: are the adjs which don’t
denote attribute and quality of the noun they
modify.

48. Definition: An adverb phrase is a
word What is an adverb as
group with an AdvP?
its head.
This He studies be accompanied
Ex: adverb may English very well.
by modifiers or qualifiers. AdvP

49. Morphological
Characteristics
of the Adverb
Functional

50. Characteristics
of the Adverb Morphological
Adv
Adj -ly
Ex: badly=bad+ly
happily= happy+ly
quickly=quick+ly

51. Characteristics
of the Adverb Morphological
Adv
N -ward/wise/ways
 Ex: northward=north+ward
clockwise=clock+ wise
sideways=side + ways

52. Characteristics
of the Adverb Morphological
Adv Adj
Ex: hard, late, high, deep, etc.
Note: In this case, if adding suffix–ly, the meaning
of these adverbs will change:
Ex: hardly: almost not
lately: recently
highly= deeply: very, very much

53. Morphological
Characteristics
of the Adverb 1. Adverbial
2. Modifier of adj & adv
Functional

54. Structure of Adverb phrase
Adverb Phrase
Pre- Post-
Adv(head)
modifiers modifiers

55. Structure of Adverb phrase
Adverb Phrase
Adv of degree: too, very, quite, etc.
Pre- Ex: He runs very fast. Post-
Adv(head)
modifiers modifiers
Comparison: more
Ex: He runs more slowly than me.

56. Structure of Adverb phrase
Adverb Phrase
1. Adverb: enough, indeed
Ex: He works hard enough to pass
the exam.
Pre- Post-
Adv(head)
2. To infinitive clause:
modifiers modifiers
Ex: He talks too quickly to follow.
3.Comparative clause:
Ex: He works as hard as we do.

57. Syntactic functions of
adverb phrase
AdvP as adverbial
AdvP as modifier
AdvP as complement of
preposition

58. Syntactic functions of
adverb phrase
AdvP as adverbial
Ex: John always comes late.
NP AdvP VP AdvP
S A V A
Adverb as modifier
Adverbs as complement of
preposition

59. Adjuncts: are integrated within the
structure of the clause to at least some
extent.
Ex: They are waiting outside.
Disjuncts: are not integrated within
Classes of the clause. They express an evaluation
of what is being said.
adverbial Ex: Frankly, he is not a nice guy.
Conjuncts: have a connective
function. They indicate the connection
between what is being said and what
was said before.
Ex: If they open all the windows,
then I’m leaving.

60. Syntactic functions of
adverb phrase
Modifier of adjective
AdvP as modifier Modifier as Adverb
Modifier of prepositional
phrase
Modifier of determiner, pre-
determiner, post-
determiner
Modifier of Noun phrase

61. Syntactic functions of
adverb phrase
AdvP as modifier Modifier of adjective
- Adverbs and adverb phrases can perform is
the adjective phrase modifier. Adjective phrase
modifiers are defined as words and phrases
that describe an adjective or adjective phrase.
Ex: I’m not quite sure of When to set off.
AdvP adj
advP

62. Syntactic functions of
adverb phrase
AdvP as modifier Modifier of Adverb
-An adverb may pre-modify adverb, and
function as intensifier :
ex:. He smokes very heavily
adv adv
advP

63. Syntactic functions of
adverb phrase
Modifier of prepositional
AdvP as modifier phrase
-The few adverbs that pre-modify particles in
phrasal verbs also pre-modify prepositions or
(perhaps rather) prepositional phrase.
Ex: His score was right above the average.
advP preP NP
PP

64. Syntactic functions of
adverb phrase
Modifier of determiner,
AdvP as modifier pre-determiner, post-
determiner
-Intensifying adverbs can premodify indefinite pronouns,
predeterminers, and cardinal numerals :
Ex: Almost the students voted for him
advP det NP
NP
Almost all the students voted for him.
advP pre-modifier det NP
NP

65. Syntactic functions of
adverb phrase
AdvP as modifier Modifier of Noun phrase
-A few intensifiers may pre-modify noun phrase: quite, rather, and the
pre-determiners such and exclamatory what.
Ex Such a nice day.
advP NP
Some adverbs signifying place or time can be used as a
Pre-modifier or Post-modifier:
The students abroad The upstairs neigbour
NP advP advP NP

66. Syntactic functions of
adverb phrase
AdvP as complement of
preposition
-Some place and time adverbs function as
complement of a preposition.
Ex: It is over there
PP AdvP

67. Thank you
for listening!