ADJECTIVES AND THE ADJECTIVAL GROUP
SUMMARY
1 AdjGs and typical AdvGs have potentially the same structure: head (clear, clearly), pre-modifier (very clear, very clearly) and post-modifier (very clear indeed, very clearly indeed).
2 Both AdjGs and AdvGs are frequently realized by the head element alone (a fast train; drive fast).
3 Their main functions and uses, however, are different. The AdjG typically provides information about people, places and things, while the adverb typically characterizes the process expressed by the verb. For this reason we deal first with adjectives and the adjectival group, and later with adverbs and the adverbial group.
4 Formally, adjectives may be simple (tall, brilliant), prefixed (un-, im-, dis-, ab-), suffixed (-ful, -able, -ous, -ive), participial (-ing, -en) or compound (home-made, duty-free, sunburnt).
5 Syntactically, AdjGs typically function attributively as pre-modifier (in NG) (hot water) and predicatively as Complement of the Subject in clauses (the water is hot). In addition they can function as Complement of the Object (I like it hot) in clauses and, less commonly, in various other functions in groups and clauses.
6 Semantically, AdjGs can express a state (lonely), a quality (narrow), a sub-class (northern) or a property (creative). They can indicate an attitude (lovely, odious) or a judgement (true).
7 Many adjectives may take a complement in post-head position which completes their meaning (good at chess, glad (that) you came).
