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adjective phrases

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paco2004  #146606  Mon, 10 Oct 05 11:05 PM

Hello Hela

A subject should be a nominal phrase, though it contain some adjective phrases that modify the core noun.

paco 

  
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Hela  #146608  Mon, 10 Oct 05 11:12 PM

Thanks Paco for you prompt answer.Smile [:)]

Hela

  
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miriam  #146676  Tue, 11 Oct 05 03:34 AM

And hello yet again, Hela!

In the sentences in your first post there is only one adjective phrase: "very little", in sentence # 3.

An adjective phrase is a construction that has an adjective as its "head" (the most important word. In "very little", "little" is the head -it's an adjective- and the adverb "very" is a premodifier.

In your other sentences there are adjectives but not adjective phrases. For example, in "a beautiful young girl", "beautiful" and "young" are separate adjectives that modify the same noun, but they are not an adjective phrase.

You also ask if a subject could a subject have the form of an adjectival phrase or is it always a nominal. The answer to that is "yes". Certain adjectives can function as heads of noun phrases and so they can be subject of the sentence, complement, object, and object of a preposition. Have a look at these examples. In all of them, the words underlined are adjectives acting as nouns:

Adjective as subject: "The old and sick were helped out of the building."

Adjective as object: "He admires the mystical."

Adjective as subject complement: "The T.V programme you're talking about is The young and the restless".

Adjective as object of a preposition: "He is a big magnet for the undesirable."

In the examples above, determiners (such as the definite article) are part of the adjective phrases, but that is only because the adjectives are "acting" as nouns. On the other hand, in the sentences you posted, the articles are not part of any adjective phrase. They are sort of "independent" modifiers of the nouns.

Miriam

 

  
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Hela  #146680  Tue, 11 Oct 05 03:49 AM

Thanks a million, Miriam.Smile [:)]

Hela

  
miriam  #146687  Tue, 11 Oct 05 04:12 AM

And a million times you're welcome, Hela. Wink [;)]

Miriam

 

  
Welkins2139  #146754  Tue, 11 Oct 05 07:44 AM

Someone remarkable saved her uncle's life. Is it a correct sentence

I think it is ok because " someone "  seems to me is indefinite pronoun as somebody. " remarkable " is postpone adjective which is a part of the noun phrase.

  
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Welkins2139  #146756  Tue, 11 Oct 05 07:47 AM

I think it is ok because " someone "  seems to me is indefinite pronoun as somebody. " remarkable " is postpone adjective which is a part of the noun phrase

  
Anonymous  #280045  Fri, 13 Oct 06 07:10 AM
yes ok
  
Anonymous  #300671  Tue, 05 Dec 06 03:14 AM
 Hela wrote:

Dear teachers,

Would you please tell me if the following phrases are adjectival or nominal ?

1) A beautiful young girl won the race.

2) The French boy will leave in June.

3) The very little boy broke his leg.

4) The old building opposite our school is being pulled down.

5) Someone remarkable saved her uncle’s life.

How do you differenciate a nominal phrase from an adjectival one?
Thanks a lot,

Hela

  
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