Chapter published in:
Grammar of Spoken and Written English
Douglas Biber, Stig Johansson, Geoffrey N. Leech, Susan Conrad and Edward Finegan
[Not in series 232] 2021
► pp. 501–564

Chapter 7
Adjectives and adverbs

Article outline
  • 7.1Overview
    • 7.1.1Use of adjectives and adverbs
  • 7.2Defining characteristics of adjectives
    • 7.2.1Attributive and predicative adjectives across registers
      • corpus findings
      • discussion of findings
    • 7.2.2Central and peripheral adjectives
    • 7.2.3Adjectives strongly associated with attributive or predicative position
      • corpus findings ,
  • 7.3Semantic grouping of adjectives
  • 7.4Attributive adjectives
    • 7.4.1Semantic domains of attributive adjectives
      • corpus findings
      • discussion of findings
    • 7.4.2Most common attributive adjectives
      • corpus findings
      • DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS
  • 7.5Predicative adjectives
    • 7.5.1Most common predicative adjectives
      • corpus findings
      • discussion of findings
  • 7.6Adjectives in other syntactic roles
    • 7.6.1Postposed adjectives
    • 7.6.2Adjectives as noun phrase heads
    • 7.6.3Adjectives with a clause linking function
    • 7.6.4Adjectives as exclamations
    • 7.6.5Adjectives as detached predicatives
  • 7.7Comparative and superlative degree
    • 7.7.1Gradable adjectives with -er and -est
    • 7.7.2Inflectional v. phrasal comparison
      • corpus findings ,
      • discussion of findings
    • 7.7.3Inflectional comparison across registers
      • corpus findings
      • discussion of findings
    • 7.7.4Phrasal comparison with more and most
      • corpus findings
      • discussion of findings
    • 7.7.5Doubly marked comparatives and superlatives
    • 7.7.6Adjectives with superlative or absolute meanings
  • 7.8Comparative clauses and other degree complements
    • 7.8.1Comparative constructions across registers
      • corpus findings
      • discussion of findings
  • 7.9Formation of adjectives
    • 7.9.1Participial adjectives
      • 7.9.1.1Common participial adjectives
        • corpus findings
    • 7.9.2Derived adjectives
      • 7.9.2.1Common adjectives with derivational suffixes
        • corpus findings
        • discussion of findings
    • 7.9.3Adjectival compounds
      • 7.9.3.1Distribution of adjectival compounds
        • corpus findings
        • discussion of findings
  • 7.10Adjectives in combination
    • 7.10.1Repeated comparative adjectives
      • corpus findings
      • discussion of findings
    • 7.10.2The intensifiers good and and nice and
  • 7.11Overview of adverbs
  • 7.12The form of adverbs
    • 7.12.1Formation of adverbs
      • 7.12.1.1Adverb forms
        • corpus findings ,
        • discussion of findings
    • 7.12.2Adverbs and adjectives with the same form
      • 7.12.2.1 Good and real as adverbs
        • corpus findings ,
        • discussion of findings
    • 7.12.3Comparative and superlative forms
  • 7.13Syntactic roles of adverbs
    • 7.13.1Adverbs modifying adjectives
      • 7.13.1.1Adverbs modifying adjectives in conversation and academic prose
        • corpus findings
        • discussion of findings
    • 7.13.2Adverbs modifying other adverbs
      • 7.13.2.1Adverbs modifying adverbs in conversation and academic prose
        • corpus findings
        • discussion of findings
    • 7.13.3Adverbs modifying other elements
    • 7.13.4Adverbs as complements of prepositions
    • 7.13.5Adverbs as clause elements: Adverbials
    • 7.13.6Adverbs with degree complements
    • 7.13.7Adverbs standing alone
  • 7.14Semantic categories of adverbs
    • 7.14.1Importance of context in the semantics of adverbs
    • 7.14.2Description of semantic categories
      • 7.14.2.1Place
      • 7.14.2.2Time
      • 7.14.2.3Manner
      • 7.14.2.4Degree
      • 7.14.2.5Additive/restrictive
      • 7.14.2.6Stance
      • 7.14.2.7Linking
      • 7.14.2.8Other meanings
    • 7.14.3Semantic domains of adverbs in conversation and academic prose
      • corpus findings ,
      • discussion of findings
  • 7.15Discourse choices for degree adverbs as modifiers
    • 7.15.1Amplifiers in conversation and academic prose
      • corpus findings ,
      • discussion of findings
    • 7.15.2Degree modifiers other than amplifiers in conversation and academic prose
      • corpus findings ,
      • discussion of findings