The Epic Interactive Encyclopedia 1997/The_Epic_Interactive_Encyclopedia_97.iso/a/adjective/infotext

Text File | 1992-09-02 | 2KB | 46 lines

The grammatical part of speech for words that
describe nouns (for example, new and
enormous, as in `a new hat' and `an enormous
dog'). Adjectives generally have three
degrees (grades or levels for the description
of relationships): the positive degree (new,
enormous) the comparative degree (newer, more
enormous), and the superlative degree
(newest, most enormous). Some adjectives do
not normally need comparative and superlative
forms; one person cannot be `more asleep'
than someone else, a lone action is unlikely
to be `the most single-handed action ever
seen', and many people dislike the expression
`most unique' or `almost unique', because
something unique is supposed to be the only
one that exists. For purposes of emphasis or
style these conventions may be set aside (`I
don't know who is more unique; they are both
remarkable people'). Double comparatives such
as `more bigger' are not grammatical in
Standard English, but Shakespeare used a
double superlative (`the most unkindest cut
of all'). Some adjectives may have both the
comparative and superlative forms (commoner
and more common; commonest and most common),
usually shorter words take on the suffix
-er/-est but occasionally they may be given
the more/most forms for emphasis or other
reasons (`Which of them is the most clear?').
When an adjective comes before a noun it is
attributive; when it comes after noun and
verb (for example, `It looks good') it is
predicative. Some adjectives can only be used
predicatively (`The child was asleep', but
not `the asleep child'). The participles of
verbs are regularly used adjectivally (`a
sleeping child', `boiledmilk') and often in
compound forms (`a quick-acting medicine', `a
glass-making factory'; `a hard-boiled egg',
`well-trained teachers'). Adjectives are
often formed by adding suffixes to nouns
(sand: sandy; nation: national).

Subject by: Russell Webb