Determiners and Adjectives;

TTooppiicc  Determiners

and Adjectives

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this topic, you should be able to: 1." Identify determiners and adjectives;

2." Categorise the different types of determiner and adjective;

3." Explain the grammar rules governing determiners and adjectives;

4." Differentiate between determiners and pronouns, and determiners

and adjectives; and

5." Use different types of determiners and adjectives correctly in various contexts.

" INTRODUCTION

„The‰ is the word that hammers importance onto rigid fact and fixes to it the burden of being absolute. Roy Hinks (Chesterman, 1991 as cited in Yule, 1998, p. 22)

This topic will provide you with language awareness activities to enable you to recognise the characteristics of different types of determiners and adjectives, as well as to discover their use in context. It also endeavours to raise your awareness of the differences between determiners and pronouns as well as determiners and adjectives so that you will be able to use them accurately to convey your intended meaning.

5.1 DETERMINERS

You have already been introduced to nouns and pronouns in the first topic. As you know, nouns stand for people, things and so on, but often it is important to establish which particular person or thing is being referred to, or how many. How can you do so?

ACTIVITY 5.1

Study the sentences below. What is missing in them?

Is it correct to say that the sentences are alright because they are able to communicate their meaning?

1. Runner wants drink. 2. Can I have red bag? 3. Dress is more beautiful. 4. Students must attend society meeting. 5. There are cars parked in directorÊs parking lot.

The determiners (signallers of nouns) are noticeably missing in the above sentences. While we are able to understand the sentences, do you not wish that the information conveyed could be more specific?

In sentence 1, the noun runner can refer to any runner in the entire universe. If we add ÂtheÊ and ÂaÊ respectively as in ÂThe runner wants a drinkÊ, we are limiting the meaning to one specific runner and one drink. Now you are clear that it is that particular runner who wants a drink; any drink, as long as he has one.

Determiners are a class of words that are used with nouns and have the function of defining the reference/definiteness of the noun in some way. They act to limit or determine to some extent the possible range of things which the noun can refer to. They answer, for example, the question of which, whose, or how many, of the thing(s) named in the noun phrase. Hence, determiners identify or specify which thing(s), whose thing(s) and how many thing(s). They have traditionally been classified as adjectives or pronouns. As they all have the same function of limiting the reference of the noun, it is deemed useful to have them all together in one category, the determiners.

The above sentences may be rewritten with determiners as below: 1. * The runner wants a drink. 2. Can I have that red bag? 3. This dress is more beautiful. 4. All students must attend the society meeting. 5. There are two cars parked in the directorÊs parking lot.

* However, articles may be omitted when the plural of the noun is used to refer to things in general as below:

Runners want drinks. (It is the general truth that all runners would want drinks, any type and any number).

Note: For details on the use of determiners with singular and plural nouns, you may refer to Collins COBUILD English Grammar and An A-Z of English Grammar & Usage.

5.1.1 Definition

Let us look at the following definition of determiners:

Determiners are a small set/group of words to identify nouns and give the range of reference of the nouns, i.e., ÂdetermineÊ the number and definiteness of the noun phrase. A determiner must always stand before a head noun.

The determiners in the sentences below will give you an idea of how commonly they are used. 1. Zeta is my classmate. 2. The tea has been boiling for several minutes. 3. The selection panel gave all the applications much thought. 4. My boss found an article in his drawer.

5.1.2 Types of Determiner

Based on the functions that they perform, there are two types of determiner: specific determiners and general determiners. You put them at the beginning of a noun group.

(a) Specific determiners include the definite article, demonstratives, possessives, multipliers, fractions, cardinals and ordinals. (i) Definite article (the) – the most common specific determiner in English. The company is expanding gradually. (ii) Demonstratives (this, that, these, those) Those squatter houses ought to be pulled down. (iii) Possessives (my, your, his, her, our, its, their, AnitaÊs) Our movie is going to be shown in cinemas soon. (iv) Multipliers (once, twice, thrice, two times, three times, double, triple). I need a double helping of the food as I am famished. (v) Fractions (a quarter, two-thirds, half). She inherited two-thirds of the old manÊs property. (vi) Cardinal numbers (one, two, three, four). Three bars of chocolate is the limit for children after dinner. (vii) Ordinal numbers (first, second, third). She was the first woman to win the world wrestler title.

(b) General determiners include indefinite articles, quantifiers, general ordinals, wh-words and determiners which express attitudes. The following sentences illustrate their use.

(i) Indefinite article (a, an) – the most common general determiners in English. • We need a pan and an egg now!

(ii) Quantifiers - also used in comparisons (All, every, each, both, some, any, either, neither, many, much, more, most, enough, a few, few, a little, little, fewer, fewest, less, least, several, plenty of, a lot of, lots of, a great/large/good/small number of, a great/large/good/small amount/deal of, no) • All parties were punished for the riot.

(iii) General ordinals (next, last, another, other, further). • There are five other people stranded inside the cave.

(iv) Wh-words and wh-ever words (what, whose, whatever, which, whichever). • She just yelled whatever names that came to her mind.

(v) Words to express attitudes. (what, such, rather, quite). • Such information is shocking.

EXERCISE 5.1 Underline the determiners in the following sentences and identify them according to their type at the end of each sentence. An example has been done for you.

Example: Twenty-five students are in this class. (cardinal, demonstrative) 1. Second winners will receive a hamper each. 2. Which vehicle have you bought? 3. I have no idea about homeopathy. 4. She is quite a helper. 5. Brad looked over WhitneyÊs shoulder. 6. Were any tables broken? 7. The farewell will cost three times the amount we have collected. 8. She got two-thirds of the total marks. 9. Most of the students in this class realise that English is a very interesting subject. 10. Another teenager dropped out.

5.1.3 Determiners or Pronouns?

Some determiners appear to be the same or similar to some other word classes as well. For example, the same word may function as a determiner or pronoun. You may see further illustrations of this below.

Examples:

1a. All school boys have to keep short hair. (determiner) All is a determiner which appears with the head noun school boys to form the noun phrase.

1b. You can take all if you want. (pronoun) All is a pronoun which appears on its own to form the noun phrase.

2. This car is mine. (determiner) This is my car. (pronoun)

3. Which house is hers? (determiner) Which is your house? (interrogative pronoun)

4. There is no such person here. (determiner) Cricket was boring. Such was her opinion. (pronoun)

EXERCISE 5.2

Sort out the difference between the following pairs of sentences by explaining the function of the underlined words. Note their position and their relationship with other words in the sentences. You may write your answer in the grid provided. An example is given below. 1a. Most like it colourful. 1b. Most people like it colourful. 2a. This book is really exciting. 2b. This is a really exciting book. 3a. Which is the bus to Keluang? 3b. Which bus goes to Keluang? 4a. Much food is wasted. 4b. Much is wasted. 5a. Some friends will be there. 5b. Some will be there.

1a. Most is a pronoun which 1b. Most is a determiner which appears on its own to form the appears with the head noun noun phrase. people to form the noun phrase.

5.1.4 Order of Determiners

ACTIVITY 5.2 Note the position of the determiners in the sentences in 5.1.2. What word class do they precede?

The following is a chart of the three groups of determiners with some examples in each category:

Table 5.1: Sequence of Determiners

Intensifiers Central Determiners/ Predeterminers Postdeterminers (Adverbs) Determiners 2 4 1 3 even 1." both (of), all 1." Articles: a, an, the 1." Ordinal numbers: only (of), half (of) first, third just 2." Demonstratives: this, 2." Multipliers: that, those, these 2." Cardinal numbers: once, one, two, three, twice, double, 3." Possessives: four, five triple, many my, your, hers, his times, five General ordinals: times, several 3." other, more, next, times, five Quantifiers: 4." last, following times no, some, any, each,

every, either, neither 4." Quantifiers: 3." Fractions: a many, few, third, a 5." Wh-determiners: quarter, three- several, little, eights what(ever), who(ever), which (ever), whose more, less

4." Attitude words: what, such, quite, rather

All determiners may be preceded by intensifiers of entire noun phrase.

The sentence below uses an intensifier and a range of determiners:

We say that this sentence consists of:

intensifier + DETERMINERS + noun + verb + DETERMINER + noun (predeterminer), (enjoyed) (central determiner/determiner), (postdeterminer)

EXERCISE 5.3

Arrange the determiners in the correct order and make changes where necessary. 1. Only (three, more) books are needed. 2. The candidates were placed in (other, two, every) seats for the final examination. 3. In (few, a, more) days we will be leaving for South Korea. 4. (Little, The, Even) appropriations granted last year will suffice for now. 5. I have (half, just, a) tank of petrol left.

5.2 ADJECTIVES

If you compare the semantics of the determiners with that of adjectives, you see that they are very different. Adjectives give qualities of nouns whereas determiners give grammatical information like quantity, possession, indication of whether the noun is near or far, definite or indefinite.

5.2.1 Definition

The adjective system includes all the words and phrases that modify a noun or pronoun. The function of adjectives is, typically, to add extra information to a noun phrase, such as the qualities of people, things and places.

5.2.2 Types of Adjectives

Based on the functions that adjectives perform, there are two large groups of adjectives – qualitative adjectives and classifying adjectives. However, if you were to examine the structure an adjective is in (e.g. before a noun or after a link verb), then it is said to be either attributive or predicative.

(a)" Qualitative Adjectives

Adjectives that identify a quality that someone or something has, such as ÂhardÊ, ÂrichÊ, ÂlowÊ, ÂbatteredÊ, ÂsmoothÊ, ÂcalmÊ, ÂinterestingÊ, and ÂgracefulÊ are called qualitative adjectives.

Examples: 1. Smooth fabric 2. A graceful ballerina 3. An interesting voice 4. A battered housewife

Gradable Adjectives Qualitative adjectives are gradable adjectives that describe qualities that we can measure or grade in some way. They can be modified by adverbs (ÂintensifierÊ) which convey the degree of intensity of the adjective.

The two ways in which you can indicate the amount of a quality someone or something has are by using: " A comparative or a superlative; or " Submodifiers such as Âvery; and ÂratherÊ in front of qualitative adjectives.

1. Using the comparative or superlative is the usual way to denote the amount of a quality. The positive form of a descriptive adjective can be raised to the comparative and superlative degrees. The following sentences show the three degrees of comparison of the adjective, ÂwarmÊ.

Positive (no comparison) : Today is warm. Comparative (compare two persons/ : Last night was things) warmer. Superlative (compare three/more persons/ : It was the warmest July things) 10 on record.

There are some rules which may help you to determine the comparatives and superlatives of adjectives.

ACTIVITY 5.3 Examine the following adjectives: tall, pretty, slim, splendid

Can you provide the comparative and superlative forms of each of them? You may want to consider the number of syllables in each word and their last letters to guide you.

Did you discover some of the rules below?

(i) Most adjectives of one syllable, form the comparatives by adding –er and the superlatives by adding –est.

• When the adjectives end with –y, y is replaced by i and then add –er or -est. Comparative : She looks prettier without makeup. Superlative : The beauty queen is the prettiest of all the models.

• When a one-syllable adjective ends with a single consonant, the consonant is doubled and then add –er or -est. Comparative : My friends think I look slimmer in black clothes. Superlative : The whale is the biggest sea animal.

(ii) Most adjectives of two or more syllables form the comparative by using more before the positive followed by than and for the superlative by using the most before the positive. Comparative : Their fireworks display was more splendid than yours. Superlative : The laser display was the most splendid of all.

Some adjectives have irregular comparatives and superlatives as illustrated in the following table:

Table 5.2: Comparison of Adjectives (Irregular)

Positive Comparative Superlative good better best bad worse worst many more most

2. Since qualitative adjectives are gradable, you are more likely to use submodifiers with them than with other types of adjectives. Many submodifiers are adverbs of degree intensifiers or downtoners.

Intensifiers (extremely, very, really, totally⁄) make adjectives stronger and are applicable to both gradable and non-gradable adjectives. • We are very hungry. • I am totally confused. • SheÊs an extremely calm counsellor.

Conversely, downtoners (fairly, quite, rather⁄) make adjectives weaker and are only used with gradable adjectives. • That was a fairly fast switch. • I baked a rather hard cake.

(b)" Classifying Adjectives Some adjectives do not lend themselves to comparison. These are the classifying adjectives.

Non-gradable Adjectives Since classifying adjectives place things or people either in a particular class or not, they do not have comparatives and superlatives. They are not gradable in the way that qualitative adjectives are. Examples of non- gradable adjectives include complete, perfect, universal, unanimous and faultless. Non-gradable adjectives are not normally used with submodifiers like ÂveryÊ and ÂratherÊ.

For example, if you say ÂnaturalÊ oil, you use the adjective ÂnaturalÊ to classify the noun ÂoilÊ. There are other kinds of oil, like Âfully-syntheticÊ and Âsemi-syntheticÊ oil. ÂNaturalÊ oil is one of them. You are unlikely to say Âvery natural oilÊ, right? Exceptions to this rule are found in Collins COBUILD English Grammar, page 95.

Only intensifiers can be added to classifying adjectives to stress the extreme or absolute nature of them. • Extreme qualities: e.g. terrified, furious, starving The rabbit is utterly terrified. NOT (The rabbit is very terrified.) • Absolute qualities: e.g. alive, correct, dead, male, human It is completely dead. NOT (It is fairly dead.)

Special cases: Certain words seem to suit either gradable or non-gradable adjectives. The word very is an intensifier that can only go with gradable adjectives. It is strange to talk about Âvery uniqueÊ when ÂuniqueÊ indicates Âone of its kindÊ – a non-gradable adjective.

However, there are words that can be used with both gradable and non- gradable adjectives. For example, quite is used with gradable and non-

gradable adjectives (and related adverbs), and its meaning changes accordingly. Quite functions as a downtoner with gradable adjectives, and expresses absoluteness with non-gradable adjectives. • She was quite tired. (gradable) • She was quite exhausted. (non-gradable)

While some adjectives are qualitative and others classifying, you should also note that some adjectives like ÂreligiousÊ can be either qualitative or classifying depending on the meaning that you wish to convey.

As a qualitative adjective, ÂreligiousÊ is gradable: • The headman is a very religious man. • The headman is a rather religious man.

As a classifying adjective, ÂreligiousÊ is used as below: " The council met over religious matters. " The council did not meet over financial nor social matters but religious matters.

IsnÊt this interesting? Would you like to know more about this? You may refer to Collins COBUILD English Grammar, page 67.

EXERCISE 5.4

Some of the underlined adjectives have been wrongly used. Write the correct forms of the adjectives in the spaces provided. If the adjective is correct, put a dash in the corresponding space. An example (0) is given below.

Agent: YouÊll find this apartment (1) attractive than (1)

Apartment 8C. Just a minute, please, while

I unlock the door... Oh dear, this lock is

(2) more difficult to open than the one for 8C. (2)

Okay, here we are... Please come in.

Mr John: Hmm! It does have (3) moderner furniture than 8C.

Mrs John: Yes, and the arrangement is (4) tastefuller. (4)

Agent: Please sit down. YouÊll find the seats are very

(5) comfortable. (5)

Mr John: Yes, they are.

Mrs John: TheyÊre the (6) comfortablest seats IÊve ever (6)

sat on.

Agent: IÊm glad you like them. Let me show you

around.

Mrs John: LetÊs start with the balcony ... ItÊs such a

(7) big balcony! Oh, and what a (7)

(8) lovely view of the city! (8)

Agent: Among all the apartments on this floor, this

Apartment gives you the (9) lovelier view of the (9) city.

Mrs John: It seems (0) cool here too. John, we could have (0) cooler some potted plants on the balcony and

it would still be (10) spacious. (10)

After examining the functions of adjectives, we shall now categorise them according to their position in a sentence; namely attributive and predicative adjectives.

(c)" Attributive Adjectives

Attributive adjectives come before the noun; between the determiner and the noun in a noun phrase and after the determiner in an adjective phrase. They can only pre-modify a noun. (You may refer to Topic 8 for more information on noun phrase and adjective phrase).

Examples of attributive adjectives are as below: 1. An excellent performance 2. A pink Persian carpet 3. An old black table 4. A tall pop singer 5. The adorable petite bridesmaid

Adjectival Order When more than one attributive adjective is present, they tend to come in a particular order. Which is the preferred order of the adjectives before the noun?

The model wears a tight black dress from Metrojaya. OR The model wears a black tight dress from Metrojaya.

If you have chosen the first sentence, you are correct. You may wonder, ÂIs there any basic logic to the order?Ê

Many grammars provide elaborate rules for adjectival order. One of them uses the guide: „Very Soon A Train Should COMe‰

Very VALUE e.g. fabulous, amazing, awesome Soon SIZE e.g. tiny, vast, heavy A AGE e.g. young, old, new Train TEMPERATURE e.g. cold, hot, warm Should SHAPE e.g. round, square, rectangular COMe COLOUR e.g. red, blue, violet ORIGIN e.g. Malaysian, Korean, suburban MATERIAL e.g. cotton, wooden, silk (PURPOSE e.g. shopping, chopping, cooling)

The following table contains the above phrases to illustrate another preferred order of adjectives:

Table 5.3: Order of adjectives

Adjectives Describing or Determiner Expressing Defining/ Noun Size Age Colour feeling Origin (Opinion) 1. excellent performance 2. a pink Persian carpet 3. an old black table 4. a tall pop singer 5. the adorable petite bridesmaid

It is arguable, however, that, not only are such rules of sequencing adjectives difficult to remember, but they encourage the idea that long strings of attributive adjectives are the norm in English. In fact, long adjective strings are peculiar only to certain specialised text types such as advertisements.

It may be more useful simply to draw learnersÊ attention to these three rules of ordering adjectives: • General qualities before particular/specific qualities (e.g. a small China tea cup NOT a China small tea cup; an attractive long blue coat NOT a blue long attractive coat). • Opinion before description/fact adjectives (e.g. a fantastic silk blouse NOT a silk fantastic blouse; an ancient Japanese note NOT a Japanese ancient note). • Qualitative (ugly, healthy, old) before classifying (plastic, electric, foreign, Indian).

EXERCISE 5.5 Rearrange the adjectives in the following sentences in their usual order in the spaces provided. 1. She lives in a new big luxurious condominium. 2. Is it true that bald fat short men are wealthy? 3. I wear a large-sized soft imported light-coloured cotton T-shirt for exercise. 4. That hypermarket sells a wide variety of heavy interesting chopping steel knives. 5. The humble doctor drives a German old small black rectangular- shaped car.

When we use adjectives from different groups together, we do not use a comma or ÂandÊ: The dancer wore an elegant orange Japanese costume. NOT (The dancer wore an elegant, orange, Japanese costume.) NOT (The dancer wore an elegant and orange Japanese costume.)

(d) Predicative Adjectives

Predicative adjectives are adjectives that occur without a noun in the predicate of a sentence. They most commonly occur after link verbs or copulas like ÂbeÊ, ÂseemÊ, ÂappearÊ and ÂlookÊ. In this position, the adjectives are called complement. They describe quality of the subject or the object.

Table 5.4 illustrates some examples of predicative adjectives functioning to complement the subject or the object.

Table 5.4: Predicative Adjectives

Predicative Adjectives Determiner Subject Verb Phrase Object (Complement) ⁄⁄ The road is narrow (here). It has been sunny (today). He made his wife elated. She left the door open.

• Although most adjectives can be either attributive or predicative, some can only be used in the attributive or predicative position. Example: the late prime minister. – attributive NOT (the prime minister is late. – the meaning is different from that in the original phrase) Example: The student felt unwell. – predicative NOT (The unwell student.)

More information on this can be found in Collins COBUILD English Grammar, p. 71 and Crystal, p. 145.

• A noun usually has to have a determiner in front of it (prenoun modifier).

• Determiners are a small group of words which signal nouns in a variety of ways.

• Determiners are classified into three groups according to their position before a noun – predeterminers, central determiners/determiners and postdeterminers.

• Qualitative adjectives can have degrees of the quality mentioned – very charming, less charming.

• Classifying adjectives do not normally allow degrees – very Indian, less Indian.

• Adjectives, like determiners, follow a particular order.

• Attributive and predicative adjectives are determined by their position in a sentence.

Adjective phrase Modification Classifying Noun phrase Intensifier Pronoun

Underline, with a single line, the pre and postdeterminers if they are found in the sentences and capitalise the central determiners/determiners. An example has been done for you.

Example: Just a little salt will do. - Just a little salt will do. 1. Some of the projects are pending approval. 2. Only my cookies disappeared. 3. Both those students played truant. 4. I have just enough money for the holiday. 5. The first five applications were chosen. 6. Half the cake is spoilt. 7. All of the money disappeared. 8. Several of his shoes are torn. 9. You need to double your savings in order to buy that outfit. 10. Only the next three workers will be promoted.

Examine the two phrases below. Briefly explain what they serve to illustrate. Which phrase would determine your choice of purchase? Why? Can you think of a typical context in which this phrase is used? Briefly explain this context and how it will be affected by your choice. (a)" Compact: The longer lasting outdoor snack (b)" Compact: A longer lasting outdoor snack

Underline the determiners and the adjectives in the text below. Then write them in the box provided. State the line number as well as the type of determiners and adjectives. Where the same determiner or adjective is repeated in the text and performs the same function, you need to identify it only once. An example of each word class is given:

DonÊt compromise or be cowed by student vandals. This is the message of SMK San MinÊs Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) and board of directors to the Teluk Intan school which was in the news recently after the houses of its administrators were splashed with motor oil. 5 The incidents took place after the school extended its „crew cut for boys‰ rule to senior students. On Wednesday, Nanyang Siang Pau and China Press reported that unknown persons threw some 20 packs of used motor oil into the houses of the headmaster, senior assistant, disciplinary master and former headmaster on 10 April 21. The reports said the students, a small group of problematic seniors, were also responsible for vandalising school property and cars belonging to their teachers. Following the incidents, the PTA called a press conference on Tuesday to expose the schoolÊs disciplinary problem. 15 Many of those interviewed by the papers condemned the acts and believed stern disciplinary action should be taken, including expulsion, if students were indeed involved. Chairman of the school board Chan Hong Kee said: „In spite of some hurdles, the hair rule has to be implemented. Our stand is clear and we will not 20 compromise or bow to pressure.‰ Source: The Sun, 5 May 2005.

No. Word Word class Type (Attributive/ Qualitative/Classifying (line no.) Predicative adjectives adjectives) 1 student (1) adjective attributive classifying 2 This (1) determiner demonstrative - 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20.

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