Questões de Concurso

Most adjectives can be used in two positions: attributive adjectives occur before the noun they describe, while predicative adjectives are used after certain verbs:

a black cat [attributive]

The cat was black. [predicative]

There are some adjectives that can only be used in one position or the other. For example, these two sentences are grammatically correct:

✓ She was alone that evening. ['alone‘ = predicative ]

✓ It was a mere scratch. ['mere‘ = attributive]

These sentences, on the other hand, are not correct:

✗ I saw an alone woman. ['alone‘ cannot be used in the attributive position]

✗ The scratch was mere. ['mere‘ cannot be used in the predicative position]

Most adjectives are gradable. This means that their meaning can be modified (made stronger, weaker, or otherwise altered) by placing one or more adverbs in front of them. For example: an expensive house - a very expensive house - a fairly expensive house - an extremely expensive house

The adverbs very, fairly, and extremely tell where this particular house belongs on the scale of 'expensiveness‘. By using them, we can make a significant difference to the meaning of an adjective.

Non-gradable adjectives are those with meanings which cannot be modified by adverbs. For example: the western side of the mountain - electronic devices - a nuclear reactor

All the adjectives have two different forms: the comparative, and the superlative:

                    comparative          superlative

sad              sadder                   saddest 

happy          happier                  happiest

unusual       more unusual        most unusual

The simple subject is the main noun or pronoun that tells what the sentence is about.

1- The batter swung at the third ball. (main noun as simple subject)

2- She hit a high pop foul. (main pronoun as simple subject)

A simple predicate is the verb or verb phrase that expresses action or being about the subject.

1- The crowd cheered after the touchdown. (main verb as simple predicate)

2- The team will practice on Saturday. (main verb phrase as simple predicate)

A complement completes the meaning of a verb. It may be one word or a group of words. One kind of complement is the direct object. A direct object answers the question what? or whom? after an action verb: Mario picked some flowers for the mantel. (Mario picked what?)

A direct object may have more than one part.

The farmer carried the calf and the lamb through the floodwaters.

Another kind of complement, the indirect object, answers these questions following an action verb: to whom? for whom? to what?

The child threw her father and mother a kiss. (The child threw a kiss to whom?)

The crowd gave our team a cheer. (The crowd gave a cheer to what?)

In Her father died when she was very young,. we have:

Her father died (main clause)

when (subordinating conjunction)

she was very young (adverbial clause)

A complex sentence consists of an independent clause (simple sentence) and one or more dependent clauses (subordinating clauses). The dependent clause is introduced by either a subordinate conjunction (for an adverbial clause) or a relative pronoun (for an adjectival clause).

1. Some common subordinating conjunctions (adverbial clauses): after, (al)though, as, because, before, if, once, since, unless, until, when, while

2. Relative pronouns (adjectival clauses): who/that, whom, whose (people); that, which (animals, things).