Syntactic functions of the adjective

Note the adjectives highlighted in the song excerpt Lost time, by the band Legião Urbana:

"Our sweat sacred

It's much more beautiful that this blood bitter

Is so Really

AND wild,

Wild,

Wild."

As you already know, the adjectives they are words that characterize, delimit and qualify the noun. Also, he can exercise different syntactic functions. In the excerpt above, the adjective sacred act like adnominal deputy of the noun sweat, and the adjectives beautiful, Really and wild are yours predicative. the adjective bitter is adnominal adjunct to the noun blood.Thus, by establishing this relationship with the noun, these are the only syntactic functions that the adjective will perform: adjunct or predicative adjunct. We will analyze them in this text.

  • Adjective in the predicative function

a) In this function, the adjective is an essential term of the sentence, that is, without it the sentence is incomplete:

the day was beautiful.

b) As a predicative, the quality expressed by the adjective is marked in time:

He was anxious, although it always showed calm.

Note that the adjectives anxious and calm they present a time stamp expressed by the verbs that make up the sentences.

  • Adjective in Adjunct Adjunct Function

a) In this function, the adjective is a accessory term of the sentence, that is, it is a term whose absence would not harm the syntax of the sentence:

The day beautiful streaked on the horizon.

b) In this case, there is no reference to the idea of ​​time:

O well worker is always renewed.

See that the adjective well,added to the student, does not mark any temporality of the quality expressed by him.

By Mariana Rigonatto
Graduated in Letters

Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/gramatica/funcoes-sintaticas-adjetivo.htm

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