SEMANTIC CATEGORIES OF ADJECTIVES

There are two major semantic categories of adjectives: descriptors and classifiers.

1. Descriptors are adjectives that describe color, size and weight, chronology and age, emotion, and other characteristics. They are typically gradable. For example:- color descriptors: black, white, dark, bright, blue, brown, green, grey, red- size / quantity / extent descriptors: big, deep, heavy, huge, long, large, little, short,small, thin, wide- time descriptors describe chronology, age, and frequency: annual, daily, early, late, new, old, recent, young- evaluative / emotive descriptors denote judgments, emotions, and emphasis: bad, beautiful, best, fine, good, great, lovely, nice, poor- miscellaneous descriptors cover many other kinds of characteristics: appropriate, cold, complex, dead, empty, free, hard, hot, open, positive, practical, private, serious, strange, strong, sudden.

2. Classifiers limit or restrict a noun's referent, rather than describing characteristics in the way that descriptors do. For example:- relational/classificational/restrictive classifiers limit the referent of a noun in relation to other referents: additional, average, chief, complete, different, direct, entire, external, final, following, general, initial, internal, left, main, maximum, necessary, original, particular, previous, primary, public, similar, single, standard, top, various- affiliative classifiers identify the national or social group of a referent: American, Chinese, Christian, English, French, German, Irish, United- Topical / other classifiers give the subject area or specific type of a noun: chemical, commercial, environmental, human, industrial, legal, medical, mental, official, oral, phonetic, political, sexual, social, visual.

As you can see from these examples, the distinction between descriptors and classifiers is not always clear. Many topical classifiers, for instance, provide descriptive content while they also limit the reference of the head noun (e.g. chemical, medical, political).

Most classifiers are non-gradable. This means that they usually cannot take modifiers of degree or comparative/superlative forms. For example, we cannot say *very medical or *more additional.

Some adjectives can serve as both classifiers and descriptors, depending ontheir context of use. For example, the expressions in the left-hand column containa descriptor, while the same adjective is a classifier in the right-hand column.

Descriptor classifiera popular girl in high school popular vote, popular opinioncriminal activity criminal lawa primary issue primary school

The most common adjectives often have a range of meanings. For example, “old” is descriptive of age (an old radio, old newspapers), but it can also be used to expressevaluation or emotion (poor old Rusty, good old genetics).

Even within a single category, an adjective can have more than one meaning. Poor as a descriptor, for instance, can mean either 'lacking financial resources' (a poor country) or 'not good' (poor health).

Meanings can also vary with syntactic role or register. For example, the predicative use of poor usually refers to the financial situation (We're very poor), while the attributive use is often associated with an emotive meaning, especially in fiction (e.g. the poor devil, the poor little kid).

Comparative and superlative formsof adjectives

Gradable adjectives can be marked to show comparative and superlative degree.These degrees can be marked either inflectionally (using a single word) or

phrasally (using a construction of more than one word): type of marking comparative degree superlative degree inflectional stronger, softer, strongest, softest phrasal more difficult, more famous most difficult, most famous.

Short adjectives (one syllable) generally take an inflectional suffix, such as strong and soft above. Notice that the addition of -er or -est can involve regular spelling changes to the adjective stem:

a) silent -e is omitted before adding the suffix:e.g. safe, safer, safest, not *safeer, *safestb) final -y is changed to -i if a consonant precedes it (e.g. tidy, tidier, tidiest)c) an adjective ending with a single vowel letter followed by a single consonant usually doubles the final consonant: (e.g. wet, wetter, wettest, not *weter, *wetest).

Three other adjectives-good, bad, and far have irregular comparative and superlative forms: good, better, best bad, worse, worst far, further, furthest

Longer adjectives often take phrasal comparison, using the degree adverbs “more” and “mos”. Difficult and famous above are typical examples.

However, there is variation within these general patterns. Some two-syllable adjectives allow both types of comparison: e.g. likelier vs. more likely; narrowest vs. most narrow. Some short adjectives take phrasal as well as inflectional marking.

For example, fairer, fiercer, and prouder are possible, but their phrasal alternatives also occur:

'Wouldn't that be more fair?' she asked. Our women were more fierce than our men. 'I think this is the one she is most proud of'A possible reason for choosing the phrasal alternative is that it makes the

comparison more prominent. In speech, the comparison can be emphasized further by stressing the word more or most.

Other general trends for the formation of comparatives and superlatives are summarized here:

General trends for the formation of comparative and superlativeAdjectives

characteristic of adjective form of comparative / superlative

examples

gradable adjectives ofone syllable

almost always inflectional

older/ younger / smarter

two syllables ending in unstressed –Y

generally inflectional

easier / easiest happier / happiest

three syllables ending in-Y

usually phrasal, sometimesinflectional

phrasal: more unhappy;inflectional: almightier,almightiest; unhappier,unhappiest

adjectives ending in -ly varies with the adjective,some inflectional, somephrasal; many use both forms

inflectional: earlier, earliest,likelier, likeliest; phrasal:more likely, most likely

two syllables ending inunstressed vowel

usually inflectional narrowest, yellowest

ending in syllabic /r/ inAmE or /a/ in BrE orSyllabic /l/

often inflectional cleverer, slenderest,tenderest, cruelest, feeblest,littler, nobler, simpler

ending in -ere and -ure(stressed)

sometimes inflectional,usually phrasalusually phrasal

most sincere, sincerest, most secure, securestmore common, most common

other adjectives longerthan two syllables

almost always phrasal more beautiful, mostincredible

adjectives ending inderivational suffixes

almost always phrasal most useful, most mindless,more musical, more effective,more zealous

adjectives formed with-ed and -ing (participialadjectives)

almost always phrasal more bored, most tiring

THE ADJECTIVE – COMPARISON DEGREES

Compared to the Romanian adjective, the English one does not change according to gender, number and case. The only change is the comparison. The English adjective stays in front of the noun.

There are 3 types of comparison degrees:1. the positive degree – shows the existence of a quality of the object without

making any comparison.

2. the comparative degree – compares two objects, showing:a) equality between two objects = Equality Comparative;e.g. She is as tall as her sister.b) inferiority between two objects = Inferiority Comparativee.g. The Lesson is less interesting than the previous one.c) or superiority of one object = Superiority Comparativee.g. I am younger than her.

3. The Superlative Degree shows that a member of a group has the compared quality in its highest level by a direct comparison:a) the relative superlative – a direct comparisone.g. She is the cleverest of all.b) or without a direct comparisone.g. She is very clever.

THE COMPARATIVE & THE SUPERLATIVEI. Synthetic Comparison:

A) one syllable adjectives form the superiority comparative by adding “-er” at the positive form and the relative superlative by “the” + adj + “est” at the positive form:

e.g. small – smaller – the smallest short – shorter – the shortestwriting rules:1. adj. ending in a consonant preceded by a short vowel, double the last

consonant when adding –er /- est: e.g. big –bigger –the biggest hot – hotter – the hottest fat – fatter –the fattestthin – thinner –the thinnest

2. adjectives ending in “-y” preceded by a consonant change “y” into “i” when adding –er / -est:

e.g. dry – drier –the driest

3. adjectives ending in –e / - ee drop this vowel when adding –er / -est:

e.g. nice –nicer – the nicestfree –freer –the freest

B) two syllables adjectives ending in: -y, -le, -er, -ow, -some:e.g. happy –happier –the happiestclever –cleverer –the cleverestable –abler – the ablestnarrow –narrower –the narrowesthandsome –handsomer –the handsomestexceptii: eager, proper, fertile, hostile, fragile go with “more” and “the most”

II. Analytic Comparison1. two or more syllables adjectives: wonderful, careful, interesting, difficult:e.g. difficult –more difficult –the most difficult

2. compound adjectives:a) when the first element is the one that keeps the meaning of the adj., this is

the one that changes for the comparative and the superlative:e.g. well –known / better –known / the best – known ill –paid, intelligent –lookingb) when the two element are seen as an entire, from the meaning point of

view, they go with “more” & “the most”:e.g. heart –broken / more heart –broken /the most heart ‘broken some adj have both forms of comparison:

A) Synthetic preferable:1. one syllable adjectives: calm, fit, huge, keen, kind, plain, rare, stiff, vague,

sound:e.g. calm –calmer –calmest2. two syllable adjectives ending in “-y” / “-ly”: angry, clumsy, lucky, misty, sleepy, friendly, lovely’e.g. angry –angrier –the angriest

B) Analytic comparison preferable:1. two syllables adjectives with the accent on the first syllable: active, civil,

common, fertile, hostile, prudent, pleasant, stupid, sudden, constant:e.g. common –more common –the most common2. two syllables adjectives with the accent on the last: severe, polite, concise, remote, precise:Polite –more polite –the most polite

correct, distinct, exact, intact = only with “more” and “the most”3.three syllables adjectives with negative prefix: unhappy, unlucky, unpleasant, insecure:e.g. unpleasant –more unpleasant –the most unpleasant

Irregular adjectives

good better The best  bad worse The worst  much more The mostmany more The mostlittle less The least  Far further The furtherst   farther the fartherest old older the oldest elder the eldest