The Internal Structure of English Adjectives

What Prototypical Adjectives Look Like in the English Language

Sep 23, 2009

The following article explains the internal structure, or what a word looks like, of prototypical adjectives in English.

Adjectives in English are traditionally defined as "words that describe nouns." Adjective phrases are defined as phrases formed by an adjective plus any modifiers or complements. In English, prototypical adjectives and adjective phrases perform four grammatical functions:

The grammatical functions that grammatical forms can perform are referred to as the "functional potential" of that grammatical form. Functional potentials help distinguish one part of speech from another. The "internal structure," or what a word looks like, also helps distinguish between parts of speech. In the English language, the internal structure that distinguishes adjectives from other grammatical forms is the expression of degrees of modification.

Positive Adjectives

The first degree of modification that all English adjectives can express is the positive degree. Positive adjectives are identical to the dictionary form of the adjective. For example, the following italicized adjectives are positive:

Comparative Adjectives

The second degree of modification that prototypical English adjectives can express is the comparative degree. Comparative adjectives compare only two nouns. The comparative form of adjectives is formed by adding the suffix -er to the adjective by adding the adverb more to the adjective phrase. Adjectives with one syllable or with two syllables in which the last syllable is -y, -le, or -er take the -er suffix. All other adjectives take the adverb more. Some adjectives have irregular comparative forms as in good and better or bad and worse. For example, the following italicized adjectives are comparative:

Only prototypical adjectives in English express comparative degrees of modification. For example, the adjectives pregnant and purple traditionally do not have comparative forms because one is either pregnant or not or something is either purple or not. Note, however, that such adjectives can take comparative endings as in This woman is more pregnant than that woman meaning figuratively that one woman is further along in pregnancy than another.

Superlative Adjectives

The third degree of modification that prototypical English adjectives can express is the superlative degree. Superlative adjectives compare three or more nouns. The superlative form of adjectives is formed by adding the suffix -est to the adjective by adding the adverb most to the adjective phrase. Adjectives with one syllable or with two syllables in which the last syllable is -y, -le, or -er take the -est suffix. All other adjectives take the adverb most. Some adjectives have irregular superlative forms as in good and best or bad and worst. For example, the following italicized adjectives are superlative:

Like with comparative forms, only prototypical adjectives in English express superlative degrees of modification. Note, however, that some adjectives like pregnant do take superlative endings as in Among the cousins, my sister is most pregnant meaning figuratively that my sister is furthest along in her pregnancy in comparison to all her pregnant cousins.

Prototypical English adjectives show all three degrees of modification: positive, comparative, and superlative. Both native speakers and ESL students must learn the internal structure of prototypical adjectives in English in order to distinguish adjectives from other parts of speech.

Hopper, Paul J. A Short Course in Grammar. W.W. Norton & Company: New York, 1999.

Huddleston, Rodney. Introduction to the Grammar of English. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, 1984.

The copyright of the article The Internal Structure of English Adjectives in Language Study is owned by Heather Marie Kosur. Permission to republish The Internal Structure of English Adjectives in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.