10-05 Nouns and Adjectives in Sentences

10-05 Nouns and adjectives in Sentences

Grammar

We can use adjectives in two ways. We can make a statement about a noun:

The dinner was hot.

In Grammar, we say that this kind of sentence contains a subject (The dinner) and a predicate, which contains the main verb (is hot). An adjective connected to the noun by a verb is therefore called a predicative adjective.

Or we can use the adjective as part of a noun phrase: here the adjective describes or 'qualifies' the noun:

The hot dinner was ready when we came in.

Here the adjective describes a quality or an attribute of the noun. Hence it is called an attributive adjective.

In Irish, if we use the first type of sentence, the form of the adjective does not change for gender or number:

The dinner was cold Bhí an dinnéar fuar

The beer was cold Bhí an bheoir fuar

The street was wet Bhí an tsráid fliuch

The streets were wet Bhí na sráideanna fliuch

In the second type, the adjective "follows" the noun: it may change for gender, case or number.

The cold dinner was on the table Bhí an dinnéar fuar ar an mbord

The cold beer was on the tray Bhí an bheoir fhuar ar an tráidire

The wet street was full of people Bhí an tsráid fhliuch lán de dhaoine

The friendly people were on holiday Bhí na daoine cairdiúla ar saoire

(See below for full treatment).

“Types” (or “declension”) of attributive adjectives

Singular

Nominative and Genitive: The beginning of the adjective follows the usual rules for masculine and feminine nouns.

Dative: In Standard Irish the beginning of the adjective in the Dative takes lomú in the masculine and séimhiú in the feminine, whatever happens to the noun:–

Masculine: The hard table An bord crua

In front of the hard table Os comhair an bhoird chrua

On a hard table Ar bhord crua

On the hard table Ar an mbord crua

Feminine: The hard rock An charraig chrua

In front of the hard rock Os comhair na carraige crua

On a hard rock Ar charraig chrua

On the hard rock Ar an gcarraig chrua

Notice that the pattern for masculine is the exact reverse of the pattern for the feminine.

The ending of the word

There are three ways to modify the ending of the adjective, and these follow the pattern of the first four Types of a Noun. Since the adjective takes the gender of the noun, Types 1 & 2 are combined into one:

Singular

Nominative and Genitive

Type1/2:

Masculine: add glide-vowel -i- to Genitive

The big man An fear mór

The big man's coat Cóta an fhir mhóir

Feminine: add -e to Genitive

The large shoe an bhróg mhór

The colour of the large shoe dath na bróige móire

Type 3:

Masculine and Feminine: Add -a to Genitive

Masculine: an fear misniúil

cóta an fhir mhisniúla

Feminine:

The brave daughter an iníon mhisniúil

The brave daughter's coat cóta na hiníne misniúla

Type 4:

Masculine and Feminine: No change to ending

an bóthar fada, an oíche fhada

radharc an bhóthair fhada, i rith na hoíche fada

N.B. The adjective follows the gender of the noun, but the Type of noun does not affect the Type of the adjective; 'mór is always a type 1/2; cairdiúil is always a Type 3 etc.

MT 10-05 Nouns and adjectives in Sentences