CHAPTER XI:

ADJECTIVES AND ADJECTIVAL CLAUSE IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE

I. ADJECTIVE

1. DEFINITION

The Adjective is a part of speech expressing quality, quantity, size, colour, characteristics, etc. The main
syntactical function of an adjective in the sentence is that of an attribute, and it may also be used as a
predicative or complement.

E.g.: It was a sunny day.

The old house is pulled down in order to build a new block of houses on the site.

She is beautiful.

The weather is hot, the sky is high, clear and blue.

Adjectives make our speech and writing more expressive and precise. The role of adjective is especially
great in fiction.

In Old and Middle English (800-1500), English adjectives had several inflections to serve grammatical
purposes and functions: cases, numbers, genders... Thus in modem English, adjectives have no inflections
of case, number, or gender. The only change of form that adjectives undergo is for degrees of comparison:

E.g. long - longer - (the) longest (synthetical forms)

Comfortable - more comfortable - (the) most comfortable (analytical forms)

2. CLASSIFICATION OF ADJECTIVE

On the ground of their meaning and grammatical characteristics, the adjective in the English language
can be classified as follow.

2.1.The Demonstrative adjectives are the adjectives used to demonstrate things, objects, people and
phenomena.

E.g.: That book is interesting

Those pens are good.

2.2. The Interrogative adjective are the adjective used to form questions to distinguish things, objects,
people and phenomena.

E.g.: What book are you reading?

Which pen is yours?

2.3. The Possessive adjectives are the adjectives expressing the possession.

E.g.: That is her book.

I don't know their names.

2.4. The Quantitative adjectives are the adjective denoting the quanlity.

E.g.: She has many books

There is only a little water left.

2.5. The Qualitative adjectives are the adjectives expressing the quality, colour, size, etc. or things,
objects, people and phenomena.

E.g.: She is beautiful

This is a good book.

He has a dark blue suit.

On the ground of their complexity of form and structure, adjectives in English can also be classified
as follow:

2.6. The Short Adjectives are the adjectives which have just one or two syllables. (Except the derived and
the borrowing adjectives).

E.g.: hot, cold, white, blue, large, small, short, long, happy, easy,lazy, etc.

2.7. The Long Adjectives are the adjectives which have more than two syllables, including the derived and
the borrowing adjectives.

E.g.: convenient, dangerous, interesting, expensive, beautiful, urgent, careful, modern, emergent,
etc.

2.8. The special adjectives are the adjectives of which the degrees of comparison are formed in special
ways.

E.g: Good - better - (the) best Bad - worse - (the) wost

little - less - (the) least Many/much - more - (the) most

3. ADJECTIVE FORMATION

In the English language, many words are adjectives in their original forms. They are called single adjectives.
However, the adjectives can also be formed in different ways.

3.1. The derived adjectives are the adjectives formed by adding affixes to the root morphemes, they are
either prefixes or suffixes.

The following prefixes can be added to adjectives toform new

adjective: dis- , H- , im- , in-, ir-, un- , anti-, etc.

E.g.: dishonest, illogical, impossible, inconvenient, irregular, unfair, anti-imperialist, etc.

The following suffixes can be added to nouns to form new

adjective: -full, -less, -ly, -y, -en, -el, -ic, -ish, -like, etc.

E.g.: careful, homeless, friendly, windy, golden, educational, atomic, selfish, childlike, etc.

The following suffixes can be added to verbs to form new adjective: - able, - ible, -ive, -ing, -en (ed), etc.
 E.g.: drinkable, compatible, destructive, boring, broken, interested, etc.

3.2. The compound adjectives are the adjectives formed by combining two or more free morphemes
together and are often written with hyphens.

E.g.: N + Adj.: world famous, tax free, waterproof, trouble free

N + Past participle: home - made, candle - lit, tongue tied

Adj. + Adj.: dark blue, light-brown

Adj. + N: round-table, square-yard, cross - eye

Adj. + N + ed: open-minded, warm-hearted, cold blooded

Adj. + Present participle: good-looking, loose-fitting, smooth-talking, easy going Adj. + Past
participle: new-built, tight-lipped, ill-treated Adv. + Present participle: long-playing, far-seeing, hard-
wearing

N + Present participle: time-consuming, labour-saving, mouth-watering

Adv. + Past participle: well-done, fully-furnished Preposition + N: over-age, off - guard, off-hand

4. THE COMPATIVE ADJECTIVE IN SENTENCE PATTERN

In the English language, the gradable adjective are often used with degrees of comparison. There are three
degrees of comparison.

4.1. The positive degree of adjective is used to express the sameness or similarity of 2 or more objects,
things, people and phenomena. This is expressed by the same structure for both the shortadjectives as
well as the long adjectives:

As ......... Adj......... As.........

E.g.: My task is as easy as yours.

He has as many books as I do.

English is as difficult as Vietnamese.

4.2. The comparative degree of adjectives is used to express the differences or the dissimilarity. The
negative form of the above structure is applied:

Not so ........ Adj ........ As ........

E.g. : The day was not so warm as she had hoped it would be.

His story is not so interesting as her story.

There is no other spot so peaceful as this.

It should be noted here that the gradable adjectives used in comparison are divided into 3 different kinds:
The short adjective, the long adjective and the special adjectives. The short adjective are those having one
or two syllables (except the borrowed adjectives, such as: modern, urgent... and the derived adjectives:
careful, bored, pleasant). The long adjective are those having more than two syllables, derived adjectives
and borrowed ones. The comparative degree structures are as follow:

Short adj. + er + Than

E.g.: This room is larger than that one.

He is stronger than I (me)

Note that many one - syllable adjectives end with a single consonant after a single vowel. This consonant
is doubled before the ending: - er

E.g.: big - bigger fat - fatter

thin - thinner sad - sadder.

More / less + long Adj. + Than

E.g.: This book is more interesting than that one.

She was less pleasant than I thought.

In Spring, sparrows are more common than any other birds.

The special adjectives have the following comparative forms:

good - better many - more

bad – worse much – more

far - farther / further little – less

old - older / elder late - later / latter

+ Two comparatives joined by "And' can convey the ideas of general increase or decrease:

E.g.: Mary is getting taller and taller.

The problem is becoming more and more complicated.

Holiday flights are getting less and less expensive.

He became more and more impatient.

"More and more" and "less and less" do not usually combine with short adjectives.

+ The construction of "THE + comparative + THE" can be used to show cause and effect: when one change
is made, another follows:

E.g.: The more money you make, the more you spend.

The longer your composition is, the more mistakes it gets.

+ The construction "not + adj. + enough + to do" is also used to express differences or dissimilarity.
 E.g.: The food is not hot enough to eat.

This product is not cheap enough to buy.

4.3. The superlative degree of adjectives is used to express the inferiority or the superiority comparison
of one person or thing with more than one others in the same group or class.

The definite article "THE" is usually used before a superlative in a phrase or sentence. When superlatives
are used as complements, "THE" is usually omitted.

E.g.: He is the oldest man in the village.

Wool and cotton blankets are generally cheapest here.

The superlative degree structures are as follow:

(THE) short adjective + EST

E.g.: She is the clcverest student in her class.

It is the thickest book I have ever seen.

Note that many one syllable adjectives end with a single consonant after a single vowel. This consonant is
doubled before the ending "EST"

E.g.: big -(the) biggest fat - (the) fattest

thin-(the) thinnest sad - (the) saddest

(THE) most / least + long Adj

E.g.: John is the most exciting student of all.

He had the most expensive car in the village.

He was the least famous among the leaders.

The special adjectives has the following superlative forms:

E.g.: good - (the) best much, many - (the) most

Bad - (the) worst far - (the) farthest / furthest

Little - (the) least old - (the) oldest / eldest

Late - (the) last / latest near - (the) nearest / next

5. ADJECTIVE FUNCTIONS

The Adjective in the English language are mainly used with 2 functions: As attribute and as complement.

The Adjectives are used as attribute when they come before nouns in the noun phrase.

E.g.: an old house, a large room.

an exciting match, a beautiful girl.

The Adjective are used as complement when they are used after the link verbs or the ‘be’ like verbs:

E.g.: They are good - looking.

She seems lovely and interesting.

The adjective beginning with "A" (afraid, afloat, alive, asleep, etc.) describing health condition, feelings,
reaction are usually used predicatively.

E.g.: The child is asleep She is fine today I am very glad to meet you.

Many adjective are used like nouns. In modem English, substantivized adjectives are:

+ Either wholly substantivized (converted into nouns), that is, they acquire all the characteristics of nouns:
they have plural forms and possessive case inflections and may be associated with the definite and
indefinite articles (a native, two natives, the native’s building).

+ Or partially substantivized, that is, they take only the def inite article, but are neither inflected for the
plural forms, nor can they be used in the possessive case (the rich, the poor, the old, the young, the
beautiful, the true, the useful...)

6. THE ORDER OF ADJECTIVES IN THE SENTENCE

In the English language, some adjectives can be used together, However, they should follow certain order
as this: quality, size, age, shape, colour, material, origin, participle etc.

E.g.: A good large old rectangular brown wooden Victorian table was on auction at Sotherby in
London.

This word order may depend very much on the emphasis a speaker / writer wishes to make. Note that the
general qualities go before particular qualities. The more particular the quality, the closer the adjective is to
the noun.

II. ADJECTIVAL CLAUSE

I. Definition
Adjective clause contains a subject and a verb. An adjective clause is a subordinate or dependent clause.
It must be connected to a main or dependent clause. An adjective clause modifies a noun. Adjective clause
begin with a relative pronoun such as who, whom. whose, which , that or a relative adverb such as when
or where.

II. Classification of adjective clauses

1. Baseing on Relative pronouns (Clause markers), We have 7 types of adjective clauses as follows
Clause Use Example
marker
Who People/(subject) The tribes who lived in the Great plains used smoke
signals.
Whom People/(object) The woman whom we met was called Lightening Cloud.
Whose People/things He sent a message whose meaning we had agreed upon in
(possessive) advance.
 Which Things That is tribe which interests me.(subject)
(subject/object) The drumbeats which we heard went a message (object)
That People/things The Apache is a tribe that I will research, (object)
Where Place (Adverb) That is the valley where the tribe lived.
When Time (adverb) That is the day when we get the signal.

2. Based on function of adjective clauses

We have two types of adjective clauses: Definite and indefinite clauses
a. Definite clause
Ex: The man who is standing there is a doctor
b. Indefinite clause
Ex: My brother, who is standing there, is a doctor
Exercise: Underline the adjective clause in the following sentences.
1. Sacagawea, who was a Shoshoni Indian, guided Lewis and Clark to the Columbia River.
2. The giant redwood trees that grow in California are named after Sequoyah, who created an alphabet for
the Indian people
3. Sequoyah became a teacher and moved to Okahome where he continued to teach the alphabet.
4. The Shoshone were a group of Indians who lived in the western plains of Wyoming, Utah, Nevada. And
Idaho.
III. Reduced adjective clauses
1. Definition.
Adjective clauses can be reduced to phrases. Unlike a clause, a phrase is a group of words that does not
contain a subject and a verb. Ask yourself the following questions concerning adjective phrases.
2. Classification of reduced adjective clause?
An adjective clause can often be reduced to an adjective phrase when the relative pronoun of the adjective
clause is the subject of the clause. Study the following examples to see how the clause is reduced. Note
that the clause maker and the auxiliary words and / or “be" verbs are omitted. The main verb change
depends on the voice (active or passive).
(A) Active voice:
The man who is driving has a new car. (Clause)
The man driving has a new car. (phrase)
Christopher de Hamel has published a book which contains descriptions of Illuminate manuscripts, (clause)
Christopher de Hamel has published a book containing descriptions of Illuminate manuscripts (phrase)
(B) Passive voice :
The magazine ad which was printed in shoppers' weekly showed the city skyline. (Clause)
The magazine ad printed in shippers' weekly showed the city skyline, (phrase)
The ideas which had been presented the previous meeting were discussed. (Clause)
The ideas presented in the previous meeting were discussed, (phrase)
(C) Subject + to be + adjective
The man who is responsible said the underground water had a high salt content. (Clause)
 The man responsible said the underground water had a high salt content, (phrase)
(D) Subject + to be + Noun:
Her name, which is Lou Ann, contains easy sounds for the deal to pronounce, (clause)
Her name, Lou Ann, contains easy sounds for the deal to pronounce, (phrase)
(E) Subject + to be + prepositional phrase:
The books that are on the table belong to Emma. (Clause)
The books on the table belong to Emma (phrase)
Is the verb form in the phrase correct?
The- ing form is used for the active voice, and the -ed form is used for the passive voice.
A verb that is used to indicate a permanent characteristic uses the -ing form Present
The window which overlooks the garden is broken.
The window overlooking the garden is broken.
Past
The window which overlooked the garden was broken.
The window overlooking garden was broken.
A verb that is used to indicate an ongoing activity uses the- ing form.
Present continuous
The detective who is investigating the case has found an important clue.
The detective investigating the case has found an important clue.
Past continuous
The detective who was investigating the case has found an important clue.
The detective investigating the case has found an important clue.
A verb that is used in the passive uses the -ed form (the past participle).
The woman that was invited to join the club declined.
The woman invited to join the club decline.
Remember that the past participle forms of many verbs are irregular.
I like yogurt that is made in France.
I like yogurt made in France.
The house that has been built in the forest doesn't have electricity.
The house built in the forest doesn’t have electricity.
IV . O mi s si on of t h e r el at iv e pr onou n
* Strategy
Remember that sometimes the relative pronoun may be omitted from an adjective clause. The relative
pronouns which, that, who, and whom can be omitted when they are the object the adjective clause.
*When the relative pronoun is the subject of the adjective clause, it cannot be omitted
The m&n who played the drum was from West Africa, (subject)
If the relative pronoun is the object of the adjective clause, it can be omitted The man whom I saw was a
Native American, (object)
The man I saw was a Native American
The drumbeat that I heard was a signal, (object)
The drumbeat 1 heard was a signal
The relative pronouns whose, where, and whereby cannot be omitted.
Sequoyah. Whose alphabet for the Indian people consisted of 85 characters, was acclaimed a genius by
his people. ( whose can not be omitted.)
That was the area where the tribe lived (where cannot be omitted)
Sequoyah devised an alphabet whereby all the different tribes could read a common language, (whereby
cannot be omitted.)
V. Pr ep os it i o ns t h at c om e b ef or e a dj ec t i ve c l aus es
Strategy
*Look for prepositions that come before adjective clauses.
*Sometimes an adjective clause is used with a preposition.
There are a number of ways by which a message can be sent.
In spoken English the preposition usually goes at the end of the clause, but in formal written English it goes
at the beginning of the clause.
Formal: that was the man to whom I was referring.
Informal: that was the man whom I was referring to.

Exercise 4: Circle the number of the sentence where the relative pronoun/ adverb or a preposition is
missing.
1. Lewis and Clark went to South Dakota, where they spent a bitter winter among the Mandan tribe
2. It is countries such as Ghana, Dahoney, and Nigeria the use of talking drums is mostly highly developed.
3. The most celebrated talking drummers of west Africa are the Yorubas whose principal instrument is
know as a don don.
4. Talking drums, play a central role in African cultural and social life, have many uses besides the sending
of long-distance messages.
4. There are a number of colors which the pueblo Indians of American identified direction.
5. Drumbeats which the actual words of their tribal language is communicated is a traditional form of
communication in Africa.
VI . “ t hat” , “ w hi ch” a nd “ w ho” in ad je ct iv e cl au s es
1. “T ha t” is n o t a ll o we d to us e in t h e f o l l o ws :
- After prepositions
Ex: The dog to which I gave a bone is very hungry
- In indefinite Adjective clause
Ex: My teacher, Whom you saw yesterday, is very intelligent
2. “That”is compulsory (or which and who is not allowed in the follows)
- After combined subjects
Ex: The old man and the dogs that passed my house made terrible noise
- After superlative
 Ex: This is the most beautiful flower, that I have ever seen.
- After words: all, every, only
Exl: He reads all the book that he can borrow
Ex2: This is the very person That I intend to see
Ex3: You are the only person that can help me
- After words: first, last
Ex: He was the last person that came in
- After words Much, little, some, any, no
Ex: Much of work I did for you I have never mentioned
- In the structure It + be + That
Ex: It is my friend that wrote those sentences.
- After interrogative pronouns
Exl: Who is she that you say hello?
Ex2: What is it that makes you sad?
IV . E xe r ci se s
Exercise 1: Where possible, reduce the adjective clauses to phrases.
1. Sequoyah, who was the son of an Indian mother and a European father, was bom in Tennessee.
2. Sequoyah, who was first a hunter, became a trader after a hunting accident.
3. Sequoyah, who had no education, believed that reading and writing were important.
4.Sequoyah, who worked on the alphabet for twelve years, finally completed it in 1823.
5. His alphabet, which consists of eighty-five sounds, was an important invention for his people.
6. A Cherokee newspaper whose columns had news both in English and Cherokee was soon published.
7.Thousands of Cherokees who did not know how to read started to write using the new alphabet

Exercise 2: From the four words or phrases (A), (B), (C) or (D), choose the one that best completes the
sentence.
1.The thyroid gland, _______, is located in the 7. in 1898, _______ pharmaclolgist, john H. Abel,
neck isolated the hormone adrenaline.
a. where the hormone thyroxin is produced a. an American who
b. where produced is the hormone thyroxin b. who, an American
c. the hormone thyroxin is produced there c. an American
d. at which is produced the hormone thyroxin d. he was an American
2. Dragonflies feed on a large variety of insects 8. Nitrogen gas, _______ up about 78 percent of
_______ catch in flight. our atmosphere, is constantly being used by plants
a. in which they and animals.
b. which they a. which it makes
c. there are to b. it makes
d. there are a c. makes
3. According to legend, Betsy Ross was the d. which makes
 woman _______ the first American stars and 9. Paper is made from cellulose fibers, _______in
stripes flag. al cell
a. whom she made a.are
b. made b. which are
c. who made c. they are
d. and she made d. which they are
4. Pumpkin seeds, _______ protein and iron, are 10.The pepper plant bears a small, green berry
a popular snack. _______ reds as it ripens
a. that a. which turns
b. provide b. turns
c. which c. it turns
d. which provide. d. that it turns
5. The spinal cord is a long, thick bundle of 11. Quinine, _______once used to cure malaria,
nerves_______from the brain to lower part of the was taken from the bark of a South American tree,
back the cinchona.
a. that runs a. it is a famous drug
b. is running b. is a famous drug
c. it runs c. a famous drug
d. whom it runs d. is a famous drug whose
6. George Pullman introduced a dining 12. Billie Holiday, _______ unique singing style
car_______its own kitchen in 1868. made her famous, was also known as Lady day.
a. it had a. she is a
b. that had b. whom
c. that it had c.. who
d. having d. whose

2. Exercise 3: From the four words or phrases (A), (B), (C) or (D), choose the one that best completes
the sentence.

1.Researchers may be able to find and monitor San Andreas earthquake fault lines______since 1857 or
earlier.
a. where have not slipped
b.'have not slipped
c. that have not slipped
d. have not been slipping
2.The trail led over sandhills ______ thin grasses and thorny bushes grew.
a. where there were
b. where
c. that were
 d. that
3.______whose fauna and flora create an enchanted world.
a. A biological park
b. where a biological park
c. It is a biological park
d. being a biological park
4. ______found in New Zealand were brought there by homesick immigrants.
a. The hedgehogs which
b. the hedgehogs
c. Where the hedgehogs
d. The hedgehogs are
5.Communication companies have been experimenting with a fiber-optic cable______ international
telephone transmissions.
a. can carry
b. can carry it
c. that can carry
d. that is can carry
6.The stolen items came into the hands of an art dealer ______ to the museum.
a. who returned them
b. returned
c. returned them
d. returning them
7.Nantucket ______ a little island 20 miles off cape Cod, Massachusetts.
a. which is
b. where
c. is
d. it is
8.The woolly musk ox, ______ survives on Ellensmere Island.
a. once hunted almost to extinction
b. hunted almost once to extinction
c. almost hunted once to extinction
d. hunted almost to once extinction
9. For villagers ______ to read, instruction have been developed using special symbols
a. who unable
b. they are unable
c. unable
d. where they are unable
10.North Carolina ______ because of its production of tar, turpentine, and pitch.
a. called the Tar Heel state
 b. it is called the Far Heel state
c. which the Tar Heel state is called
d. is called the Far Heel state
11. The Cherokee Indians, ______ west on the trail of Tears in the late 2830s, were originally form the
Appalachian Mountains.
a. forcing
b. forced
c. had forced
d. are forced
12.The many people ______ must be willing to commute a long distance to work.
a. wished to live in rural areas
b. wished they lived in rural areas
c. whose wishing to live in rural areas
d. who wish to live in rural areas
`13.After 116 million dollars had been spent, the Supreme Court stopped construction of the dam because
of a little fish______.
a.the famous endangered snail darter
b. it was the famous endangered snail darter
c. being the famous endangered snail darter
d. which the famous endangered snail darter
14.The black moths ______ have genetically become more tolerant of pollution.
a. survive in industrial areas
b. survived in industrial areas
c. survival in industrial areas
d. surviving in industrial areas
15.The king's burial shoes, ______ except for some decorative strips of gold, were displayed on a clay
model.
a. who were disintegrating
b. when disintegrating
c. which had disintegrated
d. whose had disintegrated