Adjectives that do not Form Degrees of Comparison

Type of adjectives	Example
1. Limiting qualitative adjectives	e.g. middle, dead
2. Relative adjectives	e.g. earthen, ashen
3. Adjectives with comparative and superlative meaning	e.g. former, minimal
4. Adjectives already denoting some gradation of quality	e.g. darkish, greenish

Syntactic features of the adjective

Adjectives are combined with several parts of speech (Fig. 86). Adjectives are distinguished by a specific combinability with nouns, which they modify, if not accompanied by adjuncts, usually in pre-position, and occasionally in postposition; by a combinability with link-verbs, both functional and notional; by a combinability with modifying adverbs.

If there are several premodifying adjectives to one headword they have definite positional assignments (Table 14). This order of words is not absolutely fixed, since many adjectives may be either descriptive or limiting, depending on the context. The adjectives are not separated by commas, unless they belong to the different type: a nice little old man. However, if there is more than one adjective of the same type they are separated by commas: nasty, irritable, selfish man

Fig. 86

Table 14

Order of Adjectives before a Noun

Opinion adjectives	Adjectives denoting						Noun
	Size	Age	Shape	Colour	Origin	Material
a nice	big	old	round	white	French	china	plate

In the sentence the adjective performs the functions of an attribute and a predicative (Fig. 87). Of the two, the more specific function of the adjective is that of an attribute, since the function of a predicative can be performed by the noun as well.

The attributes (premodifying and postmodifying) may be closely attached to their head-words or they may be loose (detached).

As predicatives, adjectives may form a part of a compound nominal or double predicate. Adjectives may also function as objective or subjective predicatives in complex constructions.

Fig. 87

Stative symantic features of the stative

The stative denotes a temporary state of a person or a non-person. Unlike such classes of words as nouns, adjectives, verbs, and adverbs the number of statives functioning in English is limited. There are about 30 stable statives, used both in colloquial and in formal style and about 100 unstable ones, which are seldom used even in formal style and never in colloquial. Semantically statives fall into five groups describing various states of persons or non-persons (Fig. 88).

Fig. 88

Morphological features of the stative

From the point of view of their morphological composition the class of statives is homogeneous, that is all of them have a special marker, the prefix a-. As regards their structure, statives with the marker a- fall into two groups: those that can be divided into morphemes (the prefix a- and the stem of a noun, a verb, or an adjective), and those that cannot be divided because the part following a- does not correspond to any noun, verb, or adjective stem (Fig. 89).