OMISSION OF THE ARTICLE

Sometimes the article is not used where we naturally expect to find it in accordance with the rules. No change of meaning is observed in these cases.

The article is often omitted in newspaper headings, telegrams, in stage directions.

Gas Blast Kills Woman. (Dally Worker) Girl Gymnast Keeps Title. (Moscow News)

The article is often omitted with homogeneous members closely connected with each other and joined by the conjunction and. In most cases they go in pairs.

The breakfast was taken away, and that meal over, it was the general custom of uncle and niece to separate. (Ch. Bronte)

Chapter III THE ADJECTIVE

§ I. Theadjective is a word expressing aquality of a sub­stance.

§ 2. The adjective has the following morphological character­istics:

Most adjectives have degrees of comparison:the comparativedegree and the superlativedegree.^J

The comparative degreedenotes a higher degree of a quality.

She is tallerthan her sister. My box is smallerthan hers.

The superlative degreedenotes the highest degree of a quality.

She is the tallestof the three sisters. Her box is the smallestof all our boxes.

(The noun modified by an adjective in the superlative degree has the definite article because the superlative degree of the adjective always implies limitation.)

Adjectives form their degrees of comparison in the following way:

(a) by the inflexion -er, -est (synthetical way);

(b) by placing more and most before the adjective (analytical
way).

Monosyllabic adjectives usually form their comparatives and superlatives in the first way, and polysyllabic adjectives in the second way.

The following polysyllabic adjectives, however, generally form their comparative and superlative degrees inflexionally:

1. Adjectives of two syllables which end in -y, -ow, -er, -le.

¹ Some adjectives have no degrees of comparison (see § 7). 48

Some adjectives have irregular forms of degrees of comparison,
e. g.:

good better (the) best

bad worse (the) worst

many, much more (the) most

far old

(the) (the) {

little less (the) least

farthest furthest oldest eldest

f farther \ further ( older \ elder

Spelling rules.

1.If the adjective ends in a consonant preceded by a stressed short vowel the consonant is doubled before -er, -est.

sad big

sadder bigger

(the) saddest (the) biggest

2. If the adjective ends in -y preceded by a consonant, у is changed into i before -er and -est.

busy happy

busier happier

(the) busiest (the) happiest

3. If the adjective ends in -e the e is dropped before -er and -est.

brave fine

braver finer

(the) bravest (the) finest

§ 4. The adjective has the following syntactical characteristics:

In a sentence the adjective may be used as an attribute or as a predicative.

A little fat chap thrust out his underlip and the tall fellow

frowned. (Mansfield) (attributes)

Laura was terribly nervous. (Mansfield) (predicative)

The air was motionless... (Mansfield) (predicative)

§ 5. Morphological composition of the adjective.

Adjectives are divided into simple, derivative and "compound.

1. Simple adjectives are adjectives which have neither prefixes
nor suffixes. They are indecomposable: e. g. good, red, black.

2. Derivative adjectives are adjectives which have derivative
elements, suffixes or prefixes or both: beautiful, foolish, hopeless,
unkind, unimportant.

Productive adjective-forming suffixes are:

-less; friendless, harmless, ho'peless

-like: childlike

-ish: childish, foolish

-ed (-d): beaded, blue-eyed

Unproductive suffixes are:

-ful: careful eg

-ible: responsible I

-able: reliable -ant: important -ent: dependent -en: woollen -ous: dangerous -some: troublesome

Productive adjective-forming prefixes are:

un-: unhappy pre-: prewar

The unproductive prefix of the adjective is:in-: incorrect

3. Compound adjectivesare adjectives built from two or more stems.

The main types of compound adjectives are as follows:

(a) noun-stem -f adjective-stem: snow-white.

(b) noun-stem -f- participle-stem: life-giving, smoke-dried.

(c) adjective-stem + adjective-stem: deaf-mute.

(d) adjective-stem -f- noun-stem -f suffix -ed: cold-hearted.

(e) noun-stem -f noun-stem + suffix -ed: lynx-eyed.

(f) numeral-stem + noun-stem + suffix -ed: four-wheeled.

(g) adverb-stem -f- noun-stem + suffix -ed: over-peopled.

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 1013