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Adjective phrase
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==Attributive vs. predicative== The adjective phrases are underlined in the following example sentences. The head adjective in each of these phrases is in bold, and how the adjective phrase is functioning—attributively or predicatively—is stated to the right of each example:<ref>See Ouhalla (1994:34, 39) and Crystal (1997:9) concerning the distinction between adjectives and adjective phrases used attributively and predicatively.</ref> {{ordered list | list-style-type=lower-alpha | Sentences can contain <u>tremendously '''long'''</u> phrases. – <small>Attributive adjective phrase</small> | This sentence is not <u>tremendously '''long'''</u>. – <small>Predicative adjective phrase</small> | A player <u>'''faster''' than you</u> was on their team gaining weight. – <small>Attributive adjective phrase</small> | He is <u>'''faster''' than you</u>. – <small>Predicative adjective phrase</small> | Sam ordered a <u>very '''spicy'''</u> but <u>quite '''small'''</u> pizza. – <small>Attributive adjective phrases</small> | The pizza is <u>very '''spicy'''</u> but <u>quite '''small'''</u>. – <small>Predicative adjective phrases</small> | The people, <u>'''angry'''</u> because of the high prices, were protesting. – <small>Attributive adjective phrase</small> | The people are <u>'''angry''' with the high prices</u>. – <small>Predicative adjective phrase</small> }} The distinguishing characteristic of an attributive adjective phrase is that it appears inside the noun phrase that it modifies.<ref>For an overview of the differences in the use of adjective phrases, i.e. their distribution, see Greenbaum (1996:290ff.).</ref> An interesting trait of these phrases in English is that an attributive adjective alone generally precedes the noun, e.g. ''a <u>proud</u> man'', whereas a head-initial or head-medial adjective phrase follows its noun, e.g. ''a man <u>proud of his children</u>''.<ref>See Haegeman and Guéron (1999:71) and Osborne (2003) concerning the distribution of pre- and post-noun modifiers in noun phrases.</ref> A predicative adjective (phrase), in contrast, appears outside of the noun phrase that it describes, usually after a linking verb, e.g. ''The man is <u>proud of his children</u>''.
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