Argument
Adjective
Overview
An adjective (abbreviated ADJ) is a word that describes or defines a noun or noun phrase. Its semantic role is to change information given by the noun.
The adjective is considered one of the main parts of speech of the English language, although historically they were classed together with nouns. Nowadays, certain words that usually had been classified as adjectives, including the, this, my, etc., typically are classed separately, as determiners.
Examples:
That used to be an immensely funny idea. (Prepositive attributive)
That idea is funny. (Predicative)
Tell me something funny. (Postpositive attributive)
The good, the bad, and the funny. (Substantive)
Clara Oswald, completely funny, died three times. (Appositive)
Overview adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0; see the article history for authors).
Possible passages
Found by search and not yet checked by a person; they may only mention the idea in passing.
An adjective, however, is capable of standing by itself as the predicate of a proposition; as when we say, Snow is white; and occasionally even as the subject, for we may say, White is an agreeable colour. The adjective is often said to be so used by a grammatical ellipsis: Snow is white, instead of Snow is a white object; White is an agreeable colour, instead of, A white colour, or, The colour white, is agreeable…
John Stuart Mill, A System of Logic
States what Adjective is; names Adjective several times.
The difference of termination in the noun adjective is accompanied with no sort of difference in the meaning. An adjective denotes the qualification of a noun substantive. But the different relations in which that noun substantive may occasionally stand, can make no sort of difference upon its qualification.
Adam Smith, The Theory of Moral Sentiments
Names Adjective several times; states what Adjective is.
Nouns adjective are the words which express quality considered as qualifying, or, as the schoolmen say, in concrete with, some particular subject. Thus the word _green_ expresses a certain quality considered as qualifying, or as in concrete with, the particular subject to which it may be applied.
Adam Smith, The Essays of Adam Smith
States what Adjective is; opens on Adjective.
Philosophers who discussed Adjective
Related ideas
- French language
- Greek language
- Language
- Latin
- Predicate (grammar)
- Spanish language
- Semantics
- Noun
- Bantu languages
- Part of speech
- Epithet
- Quantity
- Disjoint sets
- Intersection
Place in the tradition
Part of Logic translation.