Adjectives and adjectival function: adverbs and adverbial function

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1 Adjectives and adjectival function: adverbs and adverbial function
Sandra Powell

2 What’s the difference between adjective and adjectival
What’s the difference between adjective and adjectival? Adverb and adverbial? Word class: Adjectives and adverbs are single words. When we analyze parts of speech, we’re looking at a word and asking, “What can I do with this word? What kinds of slots does it fill in a sentence?” Functions: Sometimes, bigger units... phrases and clauses... function the same way as single-word adjectives or adverbs. We say these bigger units have adjectival or adverbial function in a sentence.

3 What’s the difference between adjective and adjectival
What’s the difference between adjective and adjectival? Adverb and adverbial? Grammar terminology: Not all grammars use the terminology “adjectival” and “adverbial.” Here are some key terminology differences: Adverbial prepositional phrase = prepositional phrase (function not named) Adverbial clause = adverb clause Adjectival clause =adjective clause = relative clause

4 What is adjectival function?
Function: refers to relationships between the parts of a sentence. Different structures may perform the same function. Adjectival function: When a word, phrase, or clause (these are all types of structures) characterizes or modifies or describes one of the noun phrases in a sentence, it is functioning as an adjectival. An adjectival is closely associated with, and dependent on, a noun.

5 Examples of adjectivals
In the passage on the right, everything in colour is adjectival Red: adjectives Light blue: adjective (relative) clauses Green: Participial phrases Dark blue: adjectival prep.phrase I bought an expensive pair of shoes. I went to the store to replace an old, worn-out pair of sneakers, but I ended up buying some open-toed sandals with really high heels. Most of the shoes lying on the floor of my closet are much cheaper than my new shoes. These are the most expensive shoes that I have ever owned. I never used to care about my shoes, but recently, I’ve become obsessed with shoes...…obsessed with fashionable, good-looking shoes that cost an arm and a leg!

6 Adjectives: word class
In a sentence, single-word adjectives have 2 typical positions: 1. Before a noun Adjectives come after determiners (articles, possessive determiners) and before the noun: my new pair of shoes, a cold day 2. After a copular/linking verb ( S V SC) Adjectives function as Subject Complement (the defining feature of a copular verb is that it can be followed by an adjective that modifies/ describes/ characterizes the subject) That coffee smells good. I became angry. The weather has been mild this year.

7 Adjectives: inflections
There are 2 inflections that can be attached to adjectives (but not to other kinds of adjectivals… only to actual adjectives): -er (comparative) My dad is nicer than your dad! -est (superlative) My dad is the nicest guy I know. However, adjectives that are longer than 2 syllables (difficult, expensive, probable) don’t take these inflections. Instead, they use extra words “more” and “most” to form comparatives and superlatives: more: These shoes are more expensive than my old shoes. most: These shoes are the most expensive shoes in the shop.

8 Teaching: Comparative and superlative
-er My dad is nicer than your dad! -est My dad is the nicest guy I know. more: These shoes are more expensive than my old shoes. most: These shoes are the most expensive shoes in the shop. At beginner to low intermediate levels, a PPP-type lesson on comparative and superlative forms, focused on a context where we COMPARE things, greatly expands the range of things that ELLs can express in English.

9 Teaching: Comparative and superlative
Some contexts for comparison that might be relevant to your ELL’s lives: Life before the Internet and our life now. City life and country life. Your old school and your school now. Dogs and cats. Winter and summer. Sports activities and arts activities. Compare and rate some movies that you’ve seen. Compare and rate your favorite school classes. What other contexts can you think of?

10 Adjectives: sentence analysis
Sometimes it can be difficult to tell whether a word should be classified as a VERB, or ADJECTIVE, when it is used adjectivally. Verb (participle), or adjective? The student sleeping in the back of the classroom has begun to snore. How embarrassing. “Sleeping” has adjectival function in this sentence, but is it an adjective?

11 Adjectives: word class
One test (relying on intuition/implicit knowledge) is that adjectives can be modified with VERY, but verbs cannot: Adjectives: intensifier “very” I am very sleepy a very sleepy girl. Verbs: don’t use “very” XX I am very sleeping. XX a very sleeping girl “Sleeping” is adjectival when we say “a sleeping girl”, but it is not an adjective… it is a participle of the verb “sleep.” The –ing participle can be used in slots where we might expect a NOUN or ADJECTIVE -ing used as a noun: Often called GERUND -ing used adjectivally: Often called a PARTICIPIAL or VERBAL

12 Adjectives: word class
Another test, relying on implicit grammatical knowledge, to check whether a word that comes after BE is an adjective or a verb: Test #2: Adjectives after BE: don’t change form in simple past: I am sleepy I was sleepy yesterday Verbs after BE: can be changed to simple past: I am sleeping I slept yesterday. (This test also determines whether BE is a copular/linking verb or an auxiliary. If we can change the form of the word after BE to simple past, then BE is an auxiliary)

13 Adjectives: learner language
Learners may make errors because they do not have this implicit knowledge of the difference between what we can do with adjectives and with verbs: XX Yesterday, I was very sleeping in class. Sorry. XX I became wake up at 6:00 this morning. XX The weather was colded yesterday. In error correction or feedback, don’t introduce complex grammar terminology like “adjectival” or “participial.” Keep it simple….

14 Adjectives: learner language
XX Yesterday, I was very sleeping in class. Sorry. “You can’t say ‘very sleeping’ because ‘sleeping’ isn’t an adjective. You can say ‘ I was very sleepy’ or ‘I was sleeping.’” XX I became wake up at 6:00 this morning . “You can’t say ‘I became wake up’ because you need an adjective after ‘become.’ You can say ‘I woke up.’” XX The weather was colded yesterday. “’Cold’ is an adjective, so you can’t add –ed to it. You can say ‘the weather became/got cold yesterday.’”

15 Adjectives: learner language
Some other typical learner problems from 1st language interference: In many languages, the words that are similar to English adjectives are inflected to agree with the noun they describe: XX those expensives shoes (No plural form for adj) XX a tall man, a talle woman (No feminine form) The typical position for adjectives may be after a noun: XX those shoes expensive, a man tall Learners from many 1st language backgrounds may put the adjective before determiners: XX dear my teacher, cold this weather In many languages, Noun – Adjective is a complete, grammatical sentence so learners don’t use linking verbs: XX My shoes expensive. Everyone very happy.

16 Adjectives versus other adjectivals: position in a noun phrase
Adjectives come BEFORE the noun in a noun phrase. However, other kinds of adjectivals (adjective clauses, participial phrases, prepositional phrases… any adjectival that is more than 1 word) usually come AFTER the noun they modify: (adjectives) fantastic new black shoes (adjective clause) the shoes that I bought last week (participial phrase) the shoes advertised in the flyer (prep. phrase) shoes with really high heels

17 Adjectival function: participles
VERBS in English have 4 inflected forms: (For the irregular verb ‘take’) Base+s: takes Ving (present participle): taking Simple past: took Past participle: taken For REGULAR verbs, there are really only 3 forms, because the simple past is the same as the past participle. (For the regular verb ‘close) Base+s: closes Ving (present participle): closing Simple past: closed Past participle: closed The participle forms can be used adjectivally, to describe a noun.

18 Adjectival function: participles
Why is this important for understanding adjectivals? The 2 participle forms - Ving and past participle – are always used WITH AN AUXILIARY if they are used as verbs (verb function). The auxiliary carries tense. The children are shouting. They have shouted some really bad words! The words that were shouted echo unpleasantly in my ears.

19 Adjectival function: participles
Why is this important for understanding adjectivals? The 2 participle forms used WITHOUT an auxiliary can be adjectival… they describe/modify/characterize nouns. The shouting children ran away. Their shouted words echo unpleasantly in my ears! (note that there is a different verb in the sentence, filling the verb slot. The participle is not a verb here. It is adjectival, describing a noun.)

20 Those shoes with really high heels lying on the floor of my closet…..
Teaching: multi-word adjectives after noun, and especially participles, cause problems in reading/listening comprehension When there is a long adjectival after a subject noun, ELLs can lose track of what the sentence means: Those shoes with really high heels lying on the floor of my closet….. (ELL thought process: “whoa… what`s the subject here? Is ‘lying’ the verb in the sentence?” ) Those shoes with really high heels lying on the floor of my closet.... cost a lot of money. (“Huh? What cost a lot of money? The floor? The closet? The heels? NO... The shoes!”)

21 Teaching: multi-word adjectives after subject noun, and especially participles, cause problems in reading/listening comprehension Look for complicated noun phrases with long adjectivals in reading materials, and focus attention on them to help students process the grammar in these sentences: For example, in a news article: A new virus with alarming similarities to the SARS virus that caused several deaths in 2009 has been found in ducks in China. Ask a question to focus attention on this sentence: What has been found in ducks in China? Deaths? The SARS virus? Similarities? (correct answer: a new virus)

22 Teaching: multi-word adjectives after subject noun, and especially participles, cause problems in reading/listening comprehension Use whiteboard to show the sentence structure, with the goal of improving reading comprehension: with alarming similarities to the SARS virus that caused several deaths in 2009 A new virus has been found in ducks in China.

23 Adverbs and adverbial function
Of course, I understand you. Of course, I understand you when you speak English. Of course, I usually understand fairly well when you speak English. The blue parts are all adverbials Adverbial function: OPTIONAL parts of a sentence that add information about where, when, why, how, how much....

24 Adverbs and adverbial function
I walked quickly I was completely happy. I walked really quickly. Of course, I understand you. Adverbs and adverbials can modify... ... The VERB ... An ADJECTIVE .... Another ADVERB Or the adverb can apply to the whole sentence

25 Adverbs and adverbial function
The one thing we can say for sure is that adverbials do not modify a noun. It’s a very miscellaneous function!

26 Structure of adverbials
Adverbials can be... A single word adverb An adverb phrase A prepositional phrase A clause I love you passionately. I love you very passionately. I love you with all my heart. I love you because you are my soul mate.

27 Adverbs and adverbial function
Most prepositional phrases are adverbial. It’s common to have several of this kind of adverbial in one sentence. I walked in the park with my friends for a long time. Before class, as a homework assignment, please read chapter 10.

28 Adverbs and adverbials: position in a sentence
I walked in the park with my friends for a long time. I walked for a long time with my friends in the park. Before class, as a homework assignment, please read chapter 10. Please read chapter 10 before class as a homework assignment. Of all the sentence elements, adverbials are most flexible in their position. Adverbs can usually be moved around a little in a sentence. This is a good test of whether it’s adverbial or not.

29 Position in a sentence: Frequency adverbs that go inside the verb phrase
Adverbs that tell “how often?” usually go in the middle of the verb phrase. BEFORE single-word verb other than BE AFTER copular/linking verb BE BETWEEN auxiliary and main verb ELLs need a lot of practice with these adverbs . They may put the adverb at the beginning or end (also possible) to avoid the problem of placement within the verb phrase. Children usually like ice cream Children always resist going to bed early. Children are seldom quiet. Children are sometimes annoying. Children can never sit still for a long time. Children have often been misunderstood.

30 Adverbial clauses Begin with a subordinating conjunction:
when, if, because, while, since….. Contain a complete sentence, including Subject and Verb (with tense). Can be moved around in the sentence. The clause is not attached to a specific word or phrase in the sentence, unlike an adjective clause. For some practice in distinguishing between Adverbial and Adjective/relative clauses, see Sandra’s Powerpoint Adverbial and Adjective clauses

31 Questions about the Powerpoint?
I’d be happy to talk grammar with you! Sandra Powell