Adjectives that do not fall into the category of determiners are considered descrip-tive adjecdescrip-tives. Below are examples that show a descripdescrip-tive adjecdescrip-tive in front of the noun that it modifies.
left hemisphere nervous system
frontal lobe cognitive functions
Here are examples of descriptive adjectives that come after linking verbs and modify the subjects.
The message was garbled. Language behavior can seem complex.
Self-talk is common. The brain’s cortex is bumpy.
Many descriptive adjectives have comparative and superlative forms, meaning that they are gradable (e.g., tall, taller, tallest). Most often, this is done by adding the suffixes “–er” and “–est” to descriptive adjectives with one syllable, such as “smart”
(smart, smarter, smartest). The comparative and superlative forms of adjectives with two or more syllables (except adjectives ending in “–y,” e.g., bumpy, bumpier, bumpiest), are preceded by “more” (comparative) and “most” (superlative):
She is intelligent.
She is more intelligent than her roommate.
She is the most intelligent of all.
One test to find gradable adjectives is the very test. If the suspected adjective can be intensified by the adverb “very,” then it could be an adjective. Here is an example of the adjective “intelligent” being intensified by the adverb “very”:
She is intelligent. = She is very intelligent.
Not all adjectives are gradable. For example, you are either married or not (al-though you may hear the expression “She is very married,” which indicates some-thing more than a legal commitment, or “She is very pregnant,” indicating size rather than status). In addition, many adjectives that can function as another word class (e.g., noun) are not gradable, such as “language” in “language area.” Here,
“language” functions as a descriptive adjective, and it is not gradable.
WARNING!
You will see that some adverbs can also be preceded by “very.” We will dis-cuss these later in this chapter.
Like nouns, descriptive adjectives are continually being added to our language.
Young adults are often pioneers in using these new words, some of which have longer life spans than others. Think of some of the adjectives used to describe someone who has imbibed too much alcohol (other than “drunk”)—it is most likely a long, colorful list of creative (and not so creative) adjectives.
In sum, adjectives modify nouns and pronouns, and they are often found in two positions in relation to the nouns and pronouns that they modify: preceding the noun or following a linking verb (referring back to the subject).
Exercise 1.2 Getting a Grip on Adjectives
Underline all of the adjectives in the sentences below. Draw a line to the noun that each adjective modifies. To help you complete this exercise, the verbs are set in bold so that they don’t distract you from the nouns and adjectives.
Example:
The left hemisphere of the brain regulates many language processes.
1. Artificial intelligence copies human behavior.
2. New experimental designs have emerged.
3. Your left side is regulated by the right hemisphere.
4. Dysgraphia is a writing disorder.
5. Speech errors provide researchers with helpful information.
6. The brain processes positive words faster than negative words.
7. Brain activity can be measured while a person is reading.
8. A brain processes ambiguous words more slowly than unambiguous words.
9. Researchers study the psycholinguistic mechanisms that affect language production.
10. There is evidence that young girls have better language skills than young boys.
Pronouns 13
Pronouns
Here we examine four types of pronouns: personal, reflexive, demonstrative, and indefinite. (Relative pronouns are examined in Chapter 5.) The traditional definition of a pronoun is that it substitutes for a noun:
Children acquire language easily. They are amazing learners.
The child’s grammar may seem irregular. However, it is very normal.
In the first example above, they replaces children; children is called the anteced-ent of the pronoun they. Because children is a plural noun, the plural pronoun they is used. In the second example, The child’s grammar is the antecedent of it. (Note that the pronoun substitutes for the noun and its adjectives.)
The mismatching of pronouns and their antecedents is one place where beginning writers and English language learners often make errors. They may use a plural pro-noun when referring to a singular pro-noun, for example, *“The problem was easy to fix, and I took care of them quickly” (in this case, “them” refers back to the singular noun “problem”).
Pronouns occupy the same slots as nouns (subject, object, etc.), which makes sense given that they replace nouns. The inventory of pronouns is stable, meaning that we don’t add new ones to English as we do with nouns and adjectives. However, we can get creative with pronouns. For example, some dialects have “youse” for the plural form of “you,” as in “I saw youse.” The Southern plural version is “y’all” or “all y’all.”
My use of “you guys” as a plural form of “you” reflects my Chicago dialect.
We now examine each type of pronoun starting with personal pronouns. We will also practice differentiating personal pronouns from the adjectives that share the same or similar forms.
DID YOU KNOW?
Research by Professor James W. Pennebaker shows that when someone is lying, he or she tends to avoid the personal pronoun “I.” In a short YouTube video, he uses the example of former congressman Anthony Weiner lying about posting sexually explicit photos of himself. You can see the lies multiply in this interesting video. Search for “Language of Truth and Lies: I-Words” or go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vc073RIC7_M.