Cambridge Grammar of English Hardback with cd-rom a comprehensive Guide

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539 Glossary for any unfamiliar terms

Introduction to word classes and phrase classes | 309

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ADJECTIVE PHRASES

161

Adjective phrases: forms

161a

An adjective phrase can consist of a single adjective or an adjective which is

modified or complemented. 

Adjectives are typically modified by adverb phrases (in bold):

That’s 

really interesting

.

He’s a 

very tall

man.

That’s not

good

enough

.

It’s 

too expensive

.

They were only 

very slightly injured

.

Occasionally, modification may be by a noun phrase (in bold):

She’s only 

seven years old

.

His farm is 

300 acres bigger

than his brother’s.

Adjectives can be followed by complements, most commonly in the form of 

a prepositional phrase (in bold), or also by a that-clause (in bold). Different

adjectives require different complementation patterns:

Lucy is 

proud

of you

.

Lucy is 

good

with children

.

Lucy is 

keen

on golf

.

Lucy is 

safe

from criticism from her family

.

Lucy is 

clever

at avoiding work

. 

Lucy is 

sure

that she saw someone

. 

Adjective phrases: attributive and predicative

161b

Two main syntactic functions of adjective phrases are attributive and predicative. 

An adjective phrase is attributive when it modifies a noun or pronoun:

the 

tall, grey building

an 

interesting idea

poor you!

a court 

martial

An adjective phrase is predicative when it occurs in the part of the sentence which

says what the subject is, does or experiences (the predicate):

The teacher was 

ill.

That’s 

very good.

It made me 

really nervous.

310 | Introduction to word classes and phrase classes

Cambridge Grammar of English

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Most adjectives can be used in either way, but some adjectives have only an

attributive or only a predicative function (

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240

).

ADVERBS

162

Adverbs are a class of words which perform a wide range of functions. Adverbs

are especially important for indicating the time, manner, place, degree and

frequency of an event, action or process. 

Adjectives and adverbs are frequently based on the same word. Most adverbs

have the form of their related adjective plus -ly ending:

She’s a 

beautiful girl. 

(adjective)

She sings 

beautifully. 

(adverb)

They were 

careful not to wake the baby. 

(adjective)

They walked 

carefully across the narrow bridge.

(adverb)

Other suffixes which denote adverbs are -ward(s) and -wise: