Descriptive Adjectives

For help in coding adjectives, click here.

Non-participial, Descriptive Adjectives are organized as a single Superset with seven  sets.  Most of these sets contain subsets.

As with most other parts of speech in SAL, adjectives are subclassified according to the syntactic relationships that they tend to have with other words.  

The sets within the Descriptive Adjective Superset are: 

Caution:  Many adjectives fit in more than one category (e.g., lucky fits in most of the above categories).  In such cases, it is essential to choose the highest category according to the order of priority shown above. 

Pre-Clausal Adjectives

An adjective belongs in this set if it can be followed by a subordinate clause (E.g., It is mandatory that . . .; John was certain that... ). 

Some adjectives in this set may also be pre-verbal if they can be followed by a verbal complement.  (E.g., It is mandatory to V;  John is good at V'ing, etc. ).  

There are three subgroupings of pre-clausal adjectives, as follows:

Pure logical: (It is ADJ that/to)
These adjectives take the logical it as a subject.  (E.g., It is apparent that . . . or It is urgent that/to . . . )  Pure Logical subsets are:

urgent type (that/to)
clear type (that)

Mixed logical: (It/NP is ADJ that/to)
These adjectives take either a normal NP subject or the logical it.   (E.g., She is certain that/to . . . or It is certain that/to . . . ).  Mixed logical subsets are:

certain type (that/to)
good type (that/to)

Non-logical: (NP is ADJ that/to)
These adjectives take a normal NP subject, but cannot take the logical it.   (E.g., He is happy that/to . . . or She is hopeful that . . . ).

happy type (that/to)
aware type (that)

pre-clausal: urgent type

[mnemonic: PCurgent]  [code: 13 86 432]

Definition:   Urgent-type adjectives, when used as predicate adjectives, have the following characteristics:

Examples:  appropriate, absurd, better, best, bizarre, compulsory, convenient, crucial, essential, feasible, important, irrelevant, mandatory, natural, necessary, optional, possible, proper, ridiculous, typical, unfair, unusual, urgent

Patterns:

It is ADJ that . . .
     It was urgent that food be rushed to the refugees.
It is ADJ to NP that . . .
     It is essential to the democratic process that voters be informed.
It is ADJ to V.
     It is crucial to meet the deadline.
It is ADJ for N to V.
     It is feasible for the two companies to merge.

Tips:  For some adjectives in this subset, the test for that clause complementation may be extended to include wh- clauses.  E.g., It is optional whether they do this or not.

For help in coding preclausal adjectives, click here.

Caution:   When in the predicate adjective position, PCurgent adjectives cannot take a normal NP subject and have that clause complementation ( e.g. *He is essential that...).

When in the predicate adjective position,  PCurgent adjectives that do have a normal NP subject (e.g. Vitamins are important) cannot simultaneously take infinitive clause complementation.  For example, in sentences (1) and (2) below, the infinitive clause is adverbial.  (In both (1) and (2), the particle to has the sense of in order to.)

(1) John's contribution is essential to accomplish this task.
(2) John is the best person to accomplish this task.

Developers' Tips:  

(1)  It was important for the citizens of Boston that the team won.
(2)  The coach held aloft the Keys to the City of Boston that the team won.
(3)  It was important for the citizens of Boston to win this series.
(4)  The team needed the support of the citizens of Boston to win this  series.

In (1), the assignment of PCurgent to the adjective important allows a deterministic parser to interpret that the team won as a subordinate clausal complement to the adjective, and not as a relative clause as in (2).  This code also allows the parser to see the verb won as intransitive rather than transitive (as it is in (2)). 

pre-clausal: certain type

[mnemonic: PCcertain]  [code: 13 87 438]

Definition:    Certain-type adjectives, when used as predicate adjectives, have the following characteristics:

Examples:    certain, curious, fortunate, likely, lucky, sure, unfortunate, unlikely

Patterns:  

It is ADJ that . . .
     It is unlikely that the winds will shift.
It is ADJ for NP that . . . (for some adjectives in this subset)
     It is fortunate for our investors that the market rose.
NP is ADJ to VP . . .
     The women's team was certain to win.

Tips:  For some adjectives in this subset, the test for that clause complementation may be extended to include wh- clauses.  E.g., It is not certain when/whether they will come.

For help in coding preclausal adjectives, click here.

Caution:   Note that some adjectives, like indisputable, undecided, uncertain, incurious, etc., which bear a partial resemblance to PCcertain type adjectives, nevertheless do not satisfy all the conditions of this subset and hence should not be so encoded.   E.g. *John is undecided to vote in the election.

pre-clausal: good type  

[mnemonic: PCgood]  [code: 13 87 439]

Definition:    Good-type adjectives, when used as predicate adjectives, have the following characteristics:

Examples:   excellent, good, great, horrible, mad, nice, odd, optimistic,  prudent, selfish, sensible, silly, smart, vital

Patterns:  

It is ADJ that . . .
     It is silly that . . .
It is ADJ for NP that. . .
     It is good for the employees that . . .
It is ADJ to VP
     It is smart to exercise.
It is ADJ for NP to VP
     It was silly for them to expect. . .
It is ADJ of NP to VP
     It was optimistic of them to expect. . .
It is ADJ V'ing. . .
     It is smart doing the right thing. 
NP is ADJ to VP.
     John is smart to exercise.

Patterns specific to good-type sub-groups:

It is ADJ to NP that. . .
     It was vital to him that . . .
NP is ADJ V'ing. . .
     He is smart doing the right thing.  . .
NP is ADJ at V'ing. . .
     She is good at teaching.
NP is ADJ in V'ing. . .
     He was selfish in doing this.
 NP is ADJ for V'ing. . .
     Salt is good for seasoning food.
It was an ADJ NP to VP . . . (see Tips, below)

Tips:   Note that this type of adjective, when used attributively (e.g., nice gesture) may still take its verbal complementation.  For example:
          
               It was a great party to attend  (i.e. It was great to attend that party)

For help in coding preclausal adjectives, click here.

Caution:   Note that good-type adjectives do NOT take that clause complementation when used attributively. E.g., the that clause in It was a great game that we won is a relative clause, not an adjective complement.

pre-clausal: happy type  

[mnemonic: PChappy]  [code: 13 88 442]

Definition:    Happy-type adjectives, when used as predicate adjectives, have the following characteristics:

Examples:    afraid, anxious, ashamed, careful, desperate, frantic, furious, glad, grateful, happy, overjoyed, proud, sad, sorry, unhappy

Patterns:      

NP is ADJ that . . .
     The team was proud that they won the World Cup.
NP is ADJ to VP.
     She is glad to help.
NP is ADJ V'ing. . .
     He is unhappy looking for work.
NP is ADJ for N to VP.
     They are anxious for us to come. 

Adjective-Specific Patterns:

NP is ADJ of V'ing. . .
     The team was proud/afraid/ashamed of having . . .
NP is ADJ for V'ing. . .
     He was sorry for having said it.
NP is ADJ about/over V'ing. . .
     Investors were anxious about/over losing money.
NP is ADJ with (one's) V'ing. . .
     He was unhappy with my doing that.

Tips:   Note that this type of adjective, when used attributively (e.g., proud father) may still take its usual verbal (but not clausal) complementation.  E.g.:
          
      He was a proud father to see his daughter graduate with honors.

For help in coding preclausal adjectives, click here.

Caution:  

pre-clausal: clear type  

[mnemonic: PCclear]  [code: 13 86 433]

Definition:    Clear-type adjectives, when used as predicate adjectives, have the following characteristics:

Examples:    apparent, arguable, clear, definite, evident, implicit, incongruous, inevitable, ironic, obvious, pertinent, probable, significant, true, worrisome

Patterns:  

It is ADJ that . . .
     It is probable that a crime was committed.
It is ADJ who . . .
     It is obvious who was to blame.
It is ADJ which . . .
     It is apparent which lawyer was most skillful.   
It is ADJ to N that . . .
     It is vital to the case that forensic evidence be submitted.

Tips:   For help in coding preclausal adjectives, click here.

Caution:   PCclear type adjectives do not take verb clause complementation. Also, PCclear adjectives do not take the subjunctive.

pre-clausal: aware type  

[mnemonic: PCaware]  [code: 13 88 443]

Definition:    Aware-type adjectives, when used as predicate adjectives, have the following characteristics:

Examples:   adamant, apologetic, angry, aware, bitter, cognizant, confident, downcast, emphatic, exuberant, hopeful, indignant, insistent, joyful, mindful, unconvinced, unconcerned, unimpressed, unsure

Pattern:

NP is ADJ that . . .
     Investors are confident that the economy will improve.

Possible Verbal Clause Complementation Patterns:

NP is ADJ of V'ing. . .
     He is unsure of succeeding.
NP is ADJ about V'ing. . .
     Managers are emphatic about keeping to schedules.
NP is ADJ with Process Noun. . .
     Voters were angry with ballot-box tampering.
NP is ADJ at V'ing. . .
     The team was downcast at losing

Complex Patterns:  

NP is ADJ with/at/to NP for/about V'ing  . . .
     They were apologetic to him about V'ing . . .
     They are indignant at him for V'ing. . .
     They were pleased with him for V'ing . .

Tips:   For help in coding preclausal adjectives, click here.

Caution:  PCaware adjectives do not take infinitive clause complements.
Also note that PCaware adjectives, unlike PCurgent adjectives, would not cause the parser to see the that clause in (1) below as a that clause complement.

(1)  They were exuberant at the response from the citizens of Boston that the team won.

Developers' Tips:   The PCaware code allows a deterministic parser to recognize the clause for fishing in shallow waters as complementing the adjective in (1).  In (2) the clause is an adverbial clause.

(1) They were indignant at him for fishing in shallow waters.
(2) They criticized him for fishing in shallow waters.

pre-verbal adjectives [PV]

An adjective belongs to the pre-verbal set if, in the predicate adjective position, it can take verb clause complementation of one kind or another.

Note that pre-verbal adjectives DO NOT govern that clauses.     

There are three subgroupings of pre-verbal adjectives:

Pure logical: (It is ADJ to VP)
These adjectives may take the logical it as a subject when in the predicate adjective position.  (E.g., It is meaningless to VP. All such adjectives fall into a single Pure Logical subset:

valid type (It is awkward to VP)

Mixed logical: (It/NP is ADJ to VP)
These adjectives take both the logical it subject and a normal NP subject.  Mixed Logical subsets are:

easy type (It was easy to VP / NP is difficult to VP)
wise type (It is wise to VP / NP was rude to VP)
akin type (NP is akin to V'ing)

Non-logical:  (NP is ADJ to VP)
These adjectives only take normal NP subjects. Non-Logical subsets are

eager type (NP is eager to VP)
first type (NP is next to VP)
busy type (NP is adverse to VP)

When pre-verbal adjectives occur in the predicate adjective position, certain transformations are possible, depending on the subset type.  For example, in the valid subset, the adjective modifies the action rather than the agent, as in (1) below. This characteristic is also true of the easy and wise subsets.It is true in a more restricted sense in the case of the akin subset, as sentence (2), below, illustrates.  

(1) It is awkward to say such things-->Saying such things is awkward.
(2) It is akin to lying to do such things--> Doing such things is akin to lying.

In all the remaining subsets, eager, first, and busy, the adjective modifies the agent rather than the activity, as illustrated in (3), below

(3) John is eager to please-->*Pleasing John is eager.

Caution:  A great many adjectives can take verbal complements when preceded by the intensifier too. (E.g., His hands were too cold to turn the knob.)  Unless such adjectives also take verbal complementation without the adverb too, they do NOT qualify as pre-verbals.

For help in coding pre-verbal adjectives, click here.

pre-verbal: valid type  

[mnemonic: PVvalid]  [code: 13 83 418]

Definition:    Valid-type adjectives, when used as predicate adjectives, have the following characteristics:

Examples:     arduous, awkward, bad, beneficial, common, counter-productive, fraudulent, healthy, impractical,   meaningless, pointless, profitable, tedious, treacherous, useful, valid, wholesome, worthwhile

Patterns:

It is ADJ to VP
    It would be counter-productive to appeal the verdict.
It is ADJ for NP to VP
    It would not be healthy for her to exercise.

Tips:  For help in coding pre-verbal adjectives, click here.

Caution:   PVvalid adjectives cannot take that clause complementation. 
PVvalid adjectives that have a normal NP subject (e.g. Jogging is wholesome) cannot simultaneously take infinitive clause complementation (See (1) below).  

pre-verbal: easy type  

[mnemonic: PVeasy]  [code: 13 84 420]

Definition:    Easy-type adjectives, when used as predicate adjectives, have the following characteristics:

Adjectives preceded by a noun which becomes the direct object of the infinitive when the adjective is patterned as follows:
(NOUN) is easy TO (VERB) = It is easy TO (VERB) (NOUN). 
Other examples are: 
Golf is difficult to master = It is difficult to master golf.  
Sky diving is dangerous to attempt = It is dangerous to attempt sky diving.

Examples:    calamitous, catastrophic, costly, dangerous, difficult, easy, hard,   hazardous, pleasant, safe, safer, simple, tough, unpleasant, unsafe

Patterns: 

It is ADJ to VP
    It is pleasant to sail.
It is ADJ to VP
     It is easy to fix the pipe.
It is ADJ for N to VP
    It is easy for a plumber to fix the pipe.
NP is ADJ to VP
     The pipe is easy to fix.

Tips:  In the case of the normal NP subject, easy-type adjectives always require the main verb of the VP (in the above patterns) to be transitive.  (See Developers' Tips, below).

For help in coding pre-verbal adjectives, click here.

Caution:  

pre-verbal: wise type 

[mnemonic: PVwise]  [code: 13 84 423]

Definition:    Wise-type adjectives, when used as predicate adjectives, have the following characteristics:

Examples:    audacious, astute, bestial, bold, brilliant, careless, childish, discriminatory, early, far-sighted, heroic, humane, impudent, intelligent, late, negligent, noble, perceptive, polite, provocative, reckless, rude, shrewd, thoughtful, undiplomatic, unprincipled, wise

Patterns:

He is ADJ to V.
     He was reckless to speed.
It is ADJ (of N ) to V.
     It was reckless of him to speed.
     It was perceptive of the doctor to notice.
It is ADJ (for N ) to V.
     It was humane for the judge to acquit.
ADJ V'ing
     He was impudent speaking that way.
ADJ in V'ing
     Congress was far-sighted in planning so carefully.

Tips:  The ADJ in NP is ADJ to V  ( e.g., John was wise to leave) modifies the NP subject, unlike easy-type pre-verbal adjectives which modify the V complement.

For help in coding pre-verbal adjectives, click here.

Caution:  

pre-verbal: akin type  

[mnemonic: PVakin]  [code: 13 84 419]

Definition:    Akin-type adjectives, in the predicate adjective position, have the following characteristics:

Examples:   akin, analogous, conducive, tantamount

Patterns:

NP is ADJ to V'ing. . .
    Vacationing in France is conducive to learning French.
It is ADJ to V'ing to VP
      It is akin to lying to conceal such facts.
It is ADJ to NP to VP
     It is conducive to health to eat well.
It is ADJ to V'ing/NP the way NP VP
     It was hardly conducive to building up confidence the way things went.

Tips:  This is a very restricted subset. Note that the construction NP is ADJ, without further complementation, is not normal with akin-type adjectives.

For help in coding pre-verbal adjectives, click here.

Caution:  Akin-type adjectives can only be used with the logical it subject in constructions like those shown above.   Otherwise an it subject with akin-type adjective represents a pronoun subject(with antecedent) (E.g., It was hardly conducive to building our confidence).

pre-verbal: eager type 

[mnemonic: PVeager]  [code: 13 85 428]

Definition:    Eager-type adjectives, when used as predicate adjectives, have the following characteristics:

Examples:   able, apt, available, competent, eager, eligible, free, hesitant, liable, powerless, prone, quick, ready, reluctant, swift, unfit, untrained, unwilling, worthy

Patterns:  

N is eager for X.
     John is eager for vacation.
N is ADJ to VP.
     The suspect was unwilling to cooperate with the police.
N is ADJ for V'ing.   
     Mary is eligible for training. 
It is liable/apt to VP
    It is apt to rain

Tips:  The great majority of eager-type adjectives effect an intransitive bias to the V in the VP complementation in cases where the V has no object.  (E.g., He was hesitant to argue.)  The adjective unfit is an exception: (E.g., The food is unfit to eat).

For help in coding pre-verbal adjectives, click here.

Caution:   Except for the adjectives liable and apt, an it subject with eager-type adjective always denotes a pronoun subject(with antecedent) (E.g., It was ready to begin).

pre-verbal: first type

[mnemonic: PVfirst]  [code: 13 85 429]

Definition:    Valid-type adjectives, when used as predicate adjectives, have the following characteristics:

Examples:   first, next, second, slow, eighteenth, fifth, seventh, thirtieth, etc.

Patterns: 

He is ADJ to V.
     We were the first to know.
     She is the first to win such an honor.
He is ADJ in V'ing.
     His work was slow in gaining recognition.
He is ADJ V'ing?
     The police proved too slow pursuing the thief.  

Tips:  For help in coding pre-verbal adjectives, click here.

Caution:  The adjectives last and second normally should be coded as first-type adjectives, but because these words are so ambiguous with respect to their part of speech,, they are coded as noun/adjective homographs. (Click here for explanation)

Adjectives late and early belong to the wise-type subset (they can take a logical it subject).

pre-verbal: busy type

[mnemonic: PVbusy]  [code: 13 85 430]

Definition:    Valid-type adjectives, when used as predicate adjectives, have the following characteristics:

Examples:    adept, aggressive, allergic, assiduous, averse, busy, candid, capable, conscientious, deft, diligent, effective, forceful, handy, inept, proficient, resolute, resourceful, selective, thorough, unused, versatile

Patterns:

NP is ADJ V'ing. 
     He is busy answering phone calls.
NP is ADJ to V'ing 
     He is unused to speaking in public.
NP is ADJ to V.  
     The candidate was deft to escape criticism.
NP is ADJ of V'ing    
     That team is capable of winning the series.
NP is ADJ in V'ing. 
     They were selective in choosing the candidates.
NP is ADJ at V'ing
     The student was adept at learning languages.
He is ADJ at/in PN. 
     The new dean is adept at crisis management.
     She is conscientious in the performance of her duties.

Tips:  In some of the patterns above ), the number of applicable adjectives may be as few as one (e.g. ADJ at V'ing: adept at V'ing). 

For help in coding pre-verbal adjectives, click here.

Caution:   The adjective close normally should be coded as busy-type adjectives (closer and closest are so encoded), but because close is ambiguous with respect to its part-of-speech,, it is coded as a noun/adjective homograph. (Click here for explanation)

adverbial adjectives [AV]

Definition:    Adverbial type adjectives are a broad adjectival class distinguished by the following characteristics:

Types: There are seven subsets under the adverbial adjective set.

Tips:   adverbial adjectives provide the translation system with information pertaining to stylistic transformations that may be required by the target language. 

For example, if an adverbial adjective is followed by a Process Noun (e.g., swift movement), the NP can be transformed stylistically in the target language as move swiftly.  Such transformations are made possible because the lexical entry for the adjective points to both a target adjectival transfer and a target adverbial transfer (called the alternate word class).  (These transfers are entered during the TermBuilder session.)

On the other hand, NP's like inner movement are NOT thus transformable and its adjective code would tell the system not to attempt such a transformation.

For help in coding adverbial adjectives, click here.

Caution: In coding adverbial adjectives, be sure to consider prepositional governance.  If an adverbial adjective governs a preposition (as, e.g., adjacent to) this fact preempts any other consideration for this type of adjective. (For more on this, see Developers' Tips)

Developers' Tips:  Codes for preposition governance are often of critical importance to parsing decisions. For example, in (1), below, the adjective tall is a state/manner type adverbial adjective, which does not govern prepositions, whereas in (2), adjacent is a prep governance type adjective, coded as governing the preposition to.

(1)  He built his garage tall to store his truck.
(2)  He built his garage adjacent to mine.

adverbial adjectives: state/manner

[mnemonic: AVstate]  [code: 13 80 180]

Definition:   state/manner type adjectives constitute the largest class of adjectives.  They have the following characteristics:

Examples:    charismatic, exhaustive, graphical, intrepid, inveterate, iridescent, irreverent, jovial, joyless, laconic, personable, sly

Tips:  See Tips for the adverbial adjective set.

For help in coding adverbial adjectives, click here.

Caution:   All adjectives in this class MUST be convertible to adverbs.

adverbial adjectives: time/order

[mnemonic: AVtime]  [code: 13 80 181]

Definition:   time/order type adjectives have the following characteristics:

Examples:    bi-annual, cyclical, consecutive, daily, final, former, hourly, immediate, momentary, part-time, primary, random, recent, secondary, sequential, sporadic, temporary, weekly, yearly

Tips:  See Tips for the adverbial adjective set.

For help in coding adverbial adjectives, click here.

Caution:   All adjectives in this class MUST be convertible to adverbs. Thus, the adjective untimely, for example, does not belong here (it should be placed in predicate subset of the non-adverbial adjective set).

A very few time/order type adjectives may not function as predicate adjectives, e.g., former.

adverbial adjectives: locative

[mnemonic: AVloc]  [code: 13 80 182]

Definition:   locative type adjectives have the following characteristics:

Examples:  above, backward, forward, homeward, inward, nationwide, outbound, overseas, regional, skyward

Tips:  See Tips for the adverbial adjective set.

For help in coding adverbial adjectives, click here.

Caution:  All adjectives in this class MUST be convertible to adverbs. Thus, the adjective interoffice, for example, does not belong here (it should be placed in non-predicate subset of the non-adverbial adjective set).

Note, however, that some locative type adjectives lose their adjectival function and becomes adverbs when in the predicate adjective position, e.g., The answer is above.   Their son is overseas.  Also note that whereas above can function as an adjective (e.g. the above example) the morpheme below is never an adjective.

adverbial adjectives: quantity/measure

[mnemonic: AVquan]  [code: 13 80 183]

Definition:   quantity/measure type adjectives have the following characteristics:

Examples:   approximate, colossal, countless, endless, enormous, extensive, huge, immeasurable, immense, lengthy, massive, minimal, monumental, numberless,  numerous, slight, voluminous

Tips:  See Tips for the adverbial adjective set.

For help in coding adverbial adjectives, click here.

Caution:  All adjectives in this class MUST be convertible to adverbs. Thus, adjectives such as extra, gargantuan, king-size, large-scale, oversized do not belong here (they should be placed in the predicate subset of the non-adverbial adjective set).

adverbial adjectives: degree

[mnemonic: AVdegree]  [code: 13 80 184]

Definition:   degree type adjectives have the following characteristics:

Examples:   actual, acute, comprehensive, downright, entire, intense, interminable, mere, outstanding, profound, real, substantial, utter

Tips:  See Tips for the adverbial adjective set.

For help in coding adverbial adjectives, click here.

Caution:  All adjectives in this class MUST be convertible to adverbs.

non-adverbial adjectives [NAV]

Definition:    non-adverbial type adjectives have the following characteristics:

The non-adverbial adjective set has two subsets:

non-adverbial: predicate adjective

[mnemonic: NAVpred]  [code: 13 81 186]

Definition:   non-adverbial predicate type adjectives constitutes a broad class of adjective having the following characteristics:

Examples:  above-mentioned, adversarial, all-purpose, auditory, bivalent, bombproof, cellular, cordless, deluxe, editable, exploratory, far-reaching, fungible, grainy, hard-core, hereditary, inferior, jobless, leaky, marbled, non-partisan, scholarly, slow-acting, undamaged, wooded, untimely

Tips:  See Tips for the adverbial adjective set.

For help in coding non-adverbial adjectives, click here.

Caution:  All adjectives in this class MUST NOT be convertible to adverbs.

non-adverbial: non-predicate adjective

[mnemonic: NAVnpred]  [code: 4 81 187]

Definition:   non-adverbial non-predicate type adjectives is a small adjective class with the following characteristics:

Examples:    Atlantic, bridal, naval

Tips:  See Tips for the adverbial adjective set.

For help in coding non-adverbial adjectives, click here.

Caution:  All adjectives in this class MUST NOT be convertible to adverbs.

pure post nominals

[mnemonic: POST]  [code: 4 81 417]

Definition:   An adjective which can only occur in post nominal position; i.e., NP ADJ.  (E.g., The lottery winner suddenly had money galore.)

Examples:    galore, ablaze, abloom, astir, fraught, replete, unacquainted, asleep, unafraid, alike, alone, unalike, unsuited, afire, aflame, aglow, awash, alive, indebted, resistant, aground, ajar, amiss, awake, awry, aground,

Tips:   Pure post nominals, like galore, are rare in English. More often, when these adjectives occur, they usually stand for collapsed relative clauses.  For example, the phrase The house ablaze with light can be parsed as a short form of The house that is ablaze with light. . . ..  

Frequently, a pure post nominal may govern a particular preposition.  E.g., awash with, unsuited for, fraught with, indebted to.  In such cases, the adjective is coded to reflect the prepositional governance. 

Click here to view the Prepositional Governance Codes for Adjectives. 

Caution:   An adjective should only be coded as a pure post-nominal if it can never be preposed, such as galore, ablaze or alike.  Adjectives which may occasionally function as postposed, but which are normally preposed, should not be coded as post- nominal; e.g., green in the following example: She flashed eyes green with envy.  The reason for this is made clear in the following examples:

(1) He painted a house with shutters galore.
(2) He painted the house with shutters green.

In (1), if galore is correctly coded as pure post nominal, the parser would see it correctly as an adjective modifying shutters.  However, in (2), if green were incorrectly coded as pure post nominal, the parser would be unable to see green as a predicate complement and would therefore parse it incorrectly.

prefixes

[mnemonic: PRE]  [code: 13 82 100]

Definition:  Adjectives that appear exclusively in pre-nominal position.  E.g., anti-, pro-, omni-, etc.

Examples:  aero-, anti-, bi-, non-, omni-, mid-, contra-, infra-, micro-, multi-, semi-, pseudo-, trans-, re-

Tips:  Since these prefixes are used used with hyphenation, they need to be in the lexicon as distinct entities.

Caution:  

Participial Adjectives

Past Participial
[mnemonic: PAST] [code: 16] [form: 50]
Present Participle
[mnemonic: PRES] [code: 15] [form: 60]
-ABLE Participles
[mnemonic: ABLE] [code 16] [form: 23]

Definition:   An adjective belongs in this category if it is a participial form of a verb in current usage. Participles are of three kinds:

Participial adjectives derive their coding automatically from their respective verbs.

Tips: Participial adjectives may also function as attributive descriptive adjectives, as in a telling glance, the known world, adjustable amount.  However, it is the participial function that determines their classification (e.g., the reporter covering this meeting, or the reporter assigned to cover this meeting.

Caution.  A fair number of present participles are used only attributively and in effect lose their verbal coloration.  Consider the following sentences:

(1) This book is interesting, fascinating, riveting, pleasing, etc.
(2) The author's reputation is growing. 

In (1) the proper parse for is interesting, etc. is BE + PREDICATE ADJ. In (2) the parse for is growing would be V(PRES PROGRESSIVE TENSE).  The verbal -ING form in (2) can always be modified by an adverb (...is growing slowly).  This is never the case in (1), indicating that it is no longer verbal in function. (The adjectival -ING form of course can be modified by intensifier adverbs like very, exceedingly, etc.) 

Much the same can be said of certain -ABLE participles. For example:

(1) This kitten is adorable.
(2) This book is obtainable from the author.

In (1) the proper parse for is adorable is BE + PREDICATE ADJ.  In (2) the parse would see obtainable as the main verb.

All adjectival -ING and -ABLE forms are stored in the lexicon as participles. Parsing rules that draw upon the the Semantic Table are responsible for recognizing when an -ING form or -ABLE form is functioning purely attributively. In such cases, the Semantic Table will change the target language transfer supplied by the lexicon, where necessary.