Chapter 4 形容词
4.1 形容词在名词短语中的位置
4.1 形容词在名词短语中的位置
形容词在名词短语中可以放在被修饰名词的前面或后面，于是便构成前置修饰和后置修饰。因此，本节主要讲述前置修饰名词和后置修饰名词。
4.1.1 前置修饰名词
一、单个形容词在名词短语中的位置
在一个名词短语中，若是单个形容词作定语修饰一个名词，其结构通常是“限定词+形容词+名词”，即形容词要放在名词的前面、限定词的后面。请看下表：
请看例句：
1 I am reading an interesting book. 我正在看一本有趣的书。
2 He has a beautiful smile. 他面带灿烂的微笑。
3 He is my best friend. 他是我最好的朋友。
再比如下面的名词短语：
4 a typical mistake 一个典型的错误
5 the popular songs 流行歌曲
不过，读者要注意，修饰something, anything, nothing, everything, somebody/someone, anybody/anyone, nobody/no one和everybody/everyone等不定代词时，形容词要后置。例如：
6 I have something important to say. 我有一些重要的事情要说。
7 There is something wrong with my computer. 我的电脑出故障了。
二、多个形容词修饰名词时的词序排列
一个中心名词若有多个形容词修饰，此时这些形容词先后的位置关系要遵循一定的规则。这个规则一般是：
观点形容词(opinion adjective)+描绘形容词(descriptive adjective)
所谓“观点形容词”，即完全是表述个人主观上对事物的看法的形容词。如：good, lovely, beautiful, handsome, comfortable等。
所谓“描绘形容词”，又称为描述事实形容词（fact adjective），即用来描述事物本身固有特征的形容词，是对事物进行客观上的表述，如事物的颜色（blue, yellow, dark, white）、事物的形状（round, square）等。请看下表：
由于事物客观上的属性可以有许多种，因此，描绘形容词又有以下进一步的分类。请看下表：
综上所述，在名词短语中，名词前面的形容词修饰语的排序可能是：
限定词（my, the, three, this）—观点形容词（beautiful, famous）—尺寸大小（large, small, long）—形状（round, square）—新旧、年龄（new, old, ancient）—颜色（white, yellow）—国籍、出处或产地（Chinese）—质地、材料（wood）—中心名词。
8 Li Bai was a famous ancient Chinese poet. 李白是中国古代一位著名的诗人。
9 This beautiful, big, old, red, Chinese wooden table was my grandmother's.
这张红色的、中式的旧木桌是我奶奶的，它又大又漂亮。
10 On a table in my home library rests an attractive little old yellowed book printed in 1551.
在我家书房的桌上放有一本外观很精致、发黄了的旧书，是1551年出版的。
11 There was a large round wooden table in the room. 房间里有一张很大的圆木桌。
12 The man was carrying a small black plastic bag. 那男子当时手里正拿着一个小黑塑料袋。
从以上例句我们看到，最靠近名词的形容词是表示事物的材料、质地的，因为它是与名词的关系最为密切的，因而必须要紧靠名词。另外，如果有表示“用途（purpose）”的修饰语，则其位置是“材料+用途+名词”，即表示“用途”的修饰语要紧靠名词。请看例句：
13 a crystal, drinking glass 一个水晶饮水玻璃杯
这里的drinking就是表示“用途”的，所以要比表示“材质”的crystal还要靠近名词，对此读者要注意。
选择最佳答案填空。
1. a ______ dress that the movie star wore
A. silk, long, gorgeous, red
B. red, long, silk, gorgeous
C. gorgeous, long, red, silk
D. long, gorgeous, silk, red
2. a pair of ______ boots that were kept in the stable
A. smart, brown, leather, riding
B. brown, smart, riding, leather
C. leather, brown, smart, riding
D. riding, smart, brown, leather
3. a ______ glass which we used for special occasions
A. tall, Czech, drinking, crystal, rare
B. rare, tall, Czech, crystal, drinking
C. drinking, Czech, crystal, rare, tall
D. Czech, rare, crystal, drinking, tall
4. the ______ beach we walked along hand-in-hand
A. wind-swept, sandy, Florida, vast
B. Florida, sandy, vast, wind-swept
C. vast, wind-swept, Florida, sandy
D. Florida, vast, sandy, wind-swept
5. a ______ scarf knitted by my grandmother
A. stripy, warm, winter, woolen
B. winter, woolen, warm, stripy
C. woolen, winter, stripy, warm
D. warm, stripy, woolen, winter
6. a ______ cake that was in the baker's window
A. chocolate, delicious, round, mouth-wateringly
B. round, mouth-wateringly, delicious, chocolate
C. mouth-wateringly, delicious, round, chocolate
D. mouth-wateringly, chocolate, delicious, round
4.1.2 后置修饰名词
我们知道，单个形容词作定语，一般是置于被修饰的名词前面。但形容词短语作定语，一般只能置于被修饰名词的后面，即充当后置定语。请比较：
1 1） a typical mistake
2） a mistake typical of beginners of English
妙语点睛 这里我们看到，在例1）这个名词短语中，单个形容词typical作定语，放在被修饰的名词mistake的前面。而在例2）这个名词短语中，typical后面接有介词短语of beginners of English，构成形容词短语，此时整个形容词短语typical of beginners of English后置修饰名词mistake，即作后置定语。
2 1） the popular songs
2） the songs popular in the 1970s
妙语点睛 这里我们看到，在例1）这个名词短语中，单个形容词popular作定语，放在被修饰的名词songs前面。而在例2）这个名词短语中，popular后面接有介词短语in the 1970s，构成形容词短语，此时整个形容词短语popular in the 1970s后置修饰名词songs，即作后置定语。
这里讨论的形容词作定语的语序问题，对于读者在写作造句过程中应该有所启发，比如我们造出的句子可以不再是表意单一的、形容词前置修饰的这样的简单句子，而可以是表意更加丰富的、形容词短语后置修饰的复杂句子，而且这样还能显得你的句式结构灵活多变。这就需要读者能够善于构造形容词短语。下面我们就向大家揭示形容词短语的构造规律，请读者在写作中注意灵活运用。形容词短语的构成主要可以有两类，一类是“形容词+补足语”构成的形容词短语，即在一个形容词的后面接一个介词短语或一个非谓语动词短语作它的补足语。另一类是多个形容词并列使用，从而也构成形容词短语。
一、“形容词+补足语”构成的形容词短语
这类形容词短语因其后的补足语不同，又可以分为三小类，即“形容词+介词短语”“形容词+不定式短语”以及“形容词+动名词短语”。请看例句：
1. 形容词+介词短语
3 a jacket similar to yours
妙语点睛 这里的形容词短语similar to yours后置修饰jacket。
4 A campaign on the harsh terrain of a nation as large as California could be longer and more difficult than some predict.
妙语点睛 这是2003年3月20日布什在对伊拉克开战时的讲话。这里的形容词短语as large as California后置修饰nation。其中第一个as是副词，修饰large；第二个as是介词，因此as California是介词短语。
形容词的后面除了接介词短语外，还可以接非谓语动词短语作它的补足语，从而构成形容词短语。这里的非谓语动词短语主要是不定式短语或动名词短语。请看例句：
2. 形容词+不定式短语
5 parents eager to support their children's efforts
妙语点睛 这里的形容词短语eager to support their children's efforts后置修饰parents。该形容词短语由形容词eager接不定式短语to support their children's efforts构成。
6 Students brave enough to attempt the course deserve to succeed.
妙语点睛 这里的形容词短语brave enough to attempt the course后置修饰students。该形容词短语由形容词brave接不定式短语enough to attempt the course构成。
3. 形容词+动名词短语
7 a waiter busy serving the guests
妙语点睛 这里的形容词短语busy serving the guests后置修饰waiter。该形容词短语由形容词busy接动名词短语serving the guests构成。
有时我们还可以在形容词的后面接一个that从句来构成形容词短语。请看例句：
8 If a diamond is heated without oxygen, it will turn to graphite, a form of carbon so soft that it is used as a lubricant.
妙语点睛 这是一道TOEFL语法题。这里的形容词短语so soft that it is used as a lubricant是由形容词soft后接that从句构成。这里的so...that是一个表示结果的固定搭配。该形容词短语后置修饰名词carbon，然后整个名词短语a form of carbon so soft that it is used as a lubricant作graphite的同位语，是对graphite作进一步解释说明。
在上面的例句中，构成形容词短语的中心形容词与其补足语（如介词短语）都是紧密地连在一起的。但有时候两者之间也可能会插入其他成分，因而造成形容词与其补足语被分隔。这种形容词短语被分隔的情况往往会增加句子理解的难度，因为读者很可能看不到形容词与其补足语遥相呼应的语义联系。我们来看下面这道考研真题：
9 Vitamins are organic compounds necessary in small amounts in the diet for the normal growth and maintenance of life of animals, including man.
妙语点睛 这是一道考研完形填空题。我们看到，这里有一个形容词necessary，它置于名词compounds的后面。由此我们可以判断，这里的necessary不应该是一个孤立的形容词（否则就要前置修饰compounds了），而应该与其后面的某个成分构成形容词短语，所以要后置修饰名词compounds。那么现在的问题是，necessary是与后面的哪个成分构成语义上的呼应呢？知道necessary基本用法的读者都应该知道，necessary通常与介词for构成搭配，所以整个句子的逻辑结构如下表所示：
即：Vitamins are organic compounds necessary in small amounts in the diet for the normal growth and maintenance of life of animals, including man. 这里的形容词短语necessary...for the normal growth and maintenance of life of animals, including man被分隔开了，即在necessary和for引导的介词短语之间插入了另外两个介词短语in small amounts和in the diet。我们可以把它们提取出来翻译。
还有一种不同于上述形容词短语分隔的情况，即是把单个的形容词提到名词前，而把形容词的补足语留在名词的后面。请看例子：
10 1） a man taller than John
2） a taller man than John
妙语点睛 这里我们看到，在例1）这个名词短语中，形容词短语taller than John作为一个整体紧密地连在一起，后置修饰man。而在例2）这个名词短语中，它却被分隔开来，其中taller前置修饰man，而介词短语than John后置修饰man，这里的than John是与taller遥相呼应的。
二、多个形容词并列构成的形容词短语
两个或两个以上的形容词（短语）并列作定语，一般是放在被修饰词的后面，而且还用逗号将形容词与句子的其他部分隔开。这时，作定语的形容词通常是对所修饰词作补充性的说明或解释。
11 He bought a set of furniture, simple and beautiful.
妙语点睛 并列的形容词短语simple and beautiful后置修饰furniture。
12 All countries, large or small, should be equal.
妙语点睛 并列的形容词短语large or small后置修饰countries。这个形容词短语含有让步状语的意味，可以改写成让步从句whether they are large or small。
13 This was not a terrorist attack against the mighty and the powerful... It was aimed at ordinary, working-class Londoners, black and white, Muslim and Christian, Hindu and Jew, young and old.
妙语点睛 这是英国伦敦市长肯·利文斯通（Ken Livingstone）针对2005年7月7日发生在伦敦的自杀式炸弹袭击（on the suicide bombings in London, 7 July, 2005）说的一番话。这里并列的形容词短语black and white, Muslim and Christian, Hindu and Jew, young and old后置修饰名词Londoners。
上面例句中的形容词短语是由两个单个的形容词并列组成的，当然还有单个的形容词与上面讨论过的“形容词+补足语”这样的形容词短语并列而成。比如下句：
14 Each person has his or her own purpose and distinct path, unique and separate from anyone else's.
妙语点睛 并列的形容词短语unique and separate from anyone else's后置修饰path。该短语是由单个的形容词unique与形容词短语separate from anyone else's并列而成。
顺便提醒一下，有时，这样的并列形容词不是修饰名词，而是修饰动词或整个句子，此时具有状语的意味。请看例句：
15 Flying the F-16 straight and level is easy.
妙语点睛 这里的straight and level是形容词短语，作状语，修饰flying。
再比如：
16 A man approached the official, timid and hesitant.
妙语点睛 这里的timid and hesitant就是一个并列的形容词，作状语，描述该男子在approached the official（走向那个官员）时的神态。
请找出下面各句中的形容词短语，并试着把句子译成汉语。
1. I know an actor suitable for the part.
2. They have a house larger than yours.
3. many brave soldiers willing to volunteer
4. The boys easiest to teach were in my class.
5. American life has always had its element of change, of movement, some say of restlessness, and this is still so now. In some states only one house in five has people living in it who have been there for more than five years. Now there is movement, short and long, in every direction.
6. We can easily point to inequalities, social and economic, but there is still a deep-seated belief that, no matter what his wealth or his job, each man is fundamentally equal with every other.
7. John was a ranchman, big, quiet, unlettered and strong as a horse. He had begun with fifty head of sheep. Ambitious and frugal, in ten years he owned two thousand ewes and ample pasture for them.
8. An education that aims at getting a student a certain kind of job is a technical education, justified for reasons radically different from why education is universally required by law.
9. Darwin had a phrase to describe those ignorant of evolution: they “look at an organic being as a savage looks at a ship, as at something wholly beyond his comprehension.”
10. Strangely, some people find that they can smell one type of flower but not another, whereas others are sensitive to the smells of both flowers. This may be because some people do not have the genes necessary to generate particular smell receptors in the nose. These receptors are the cells which sense smells and send messages to the brain. However, it has been found that even people insensitive to a certain smell at first can suddenly become sensitive to it when exposed to it often enough.