TYPOLOGY OF THE

ADJECTIVE
WHAT IS ADJECTIVE?
The adjective as a part of speech is characterised in English and
Ukrainian by its common implicit lexico-grammatical nature and
common functions in the sentence. It expresses the quality of things or
substances (a nice flower, urgent measures) and can serve as a
predicative complement after the copula-verb (the child was
small, she grew nervous; дитя було маленьке, вона стала
нервовою), etc.
TYPOLOGICAL CLASSES OF ENGLISH VS. UKRAINIAN ADJECTIVES
Qualitative adjectives in both contrasted languages undergo grading, whereas relative
adjectives express qualities characterising objects and phenomena through their relation to
other objects and phenomena (Cf. economic progress, private property, urban
population; економічний розвиток, приватна власність, міське населення).

Relative adjectives in the contrasted languages, as was shown above, fall into two
subgroups: a) possessive and relative (присвійно-відносні), which are formed in English
from nouns denoting family names or names of countries by adding the suffixes -ic, -
ian (Aesopian, Shakespearian, Shevchenkinian); b) genuinely relative adjectives which
have some inherent possessive meaning (Cuban, Brazilian, western) or: Kyiv parks, Taras
Shevchenko Prise winners etc.
Ukrainian possessive and relative adjectives are formed by adding the suffixes -евк/-івськ-/-
цьк-, -зьк- to the noun stem: батьківський, учнівський, Шевченківський, Малишківський,
вояцький, козаць-кий, запорізький, or only by adding the suffixes -ин/-ін, -ач/-яч- to the
root: журавлиний, качиний, зміїний, солов'їний, гусячий, жаб'ячий, телячий, волячий.
Pertaining only to Ukrainian (and to some other Slavonic languages), however, are possessive
adjectives, which are formed from common and proper nouns denoting living beings by
adding to their roots/stems the suffixes -ів/-їв, -ин/-їн, -ов-а, -ов-е, -ев-а, -ач/-яч: батьків,
Сергіїв, Миколин, сестрин, Маріїн, лікарів, водіїв, командирів, лисячий, комарів,
цвіркунів, жабин, равликів/равликова. Their corresponding forms in English are genitive
case forms of nouns: father's, Nick's, lion's (hunger), her brother-in-laws (book), frog's (leg),
(my) sister's dress, fox's tail, etc.
STRUCTURE OF ADJECTIVES
As to the structure of adjectives they fall in English and Ukrainian into three far from equal
by their number groups:

1. Base (simple) adjectives, which are regular root words (cf. big, bold, clean)

Such base adjectives are few though structurally regular stems in Ukrainian. Cf. винен,
годен/згоден, давен, дивен, зелен, певен, ладен. Regular base adjectives, like those in
English, are rather rare a few in Ukrainian. They are: варт, рад, жив (і здоров).

2. Derivative adjectives which are in English regular stems: boy ish, capable, despotic)

STRUCTURE OF ADJECTIVES

The Ukrainian language has many derivative adjectives though almost all of them are
structurally non-stem adjectives. They are formed with the help of different suffixes, the main
of which are as follows: -н-, -езн-, -ськ-/-зьк, -цьк- (товариський, паризький); -ан-/-ян-, -
ов-/-ев, -ев (гречаний, кропив'яний); -льн- (поїльник); -ч-(виборчий), -езн-, -ач-,- яч-, -
ущ-, -ющ-, -уват-, -еньк-, -есеньк-, etc. as: добрячий, багатющий, синюватий,
гарнесенький, etc.
STRUCTURE OF ADJECTIVES

Derivative adjectives are formed in English with the help of the following suffixes: -al/-
ial (annual, bacterial); -able/-ible (capable, sensible); -ary/-ory (contrary, advisory); -an/-
ian: (urban, Ukrainian); -ant/-ent (defiant, divergent); - ern (eastern, western); -ful (tactful,
useful); -ic/-ical (basic, political); -ish (bookish, womanish); - ive (active, conclusive), -
less (careless, hopeless); -ous (tedious, poisonous); -ow (narrow, yellow); -ward (westward,
backward)', -y (milky, tidy) and some others.
STRUCTURE OF ADJECTIVES

3. Compound adjectives unlike basic and derivative ones are characterised in the contrasted
languages by some structural or lexical allomorphisms. Thus, they may sometimes not correlate
in English and Ukranian semantically. For example, the English compound adjective breast-
high can have in Ukrainian only a phrase equivalent занурений до грудей/що дістає до
грудей; ice-cold is холодний як лід/ крига. The English compound adjective upright on the
other hand corresponds to the Ukrainian simple derivative adjective чесний or прямий,
вертикальний, which are structurally non-equivalent (they are not compound in Ukrainian).
STRUCTURE OF ADJECTIVES
• Absolutely allomorphic (for English) is the formation of Ukrainian adjectives with the help
of diminutive and augmentative suffixes, the most often used being -еньк-, -есеньк-, -
ісіньк-, -юсіньк-(гарненький, малесенький, чистісінький, тонюсінький), and -езн-, -
енн-, -ач-/-яч-, -ущ-/-ющ- for augmentatives (величезний, здоровенний, добрячий,
багатющий, клятющий), etc.

• Absolute isomorphism is observed, however, in the existence of derivative prefixal and

suffixal (префіксально-суфіксальних) adjectives in English and Ukrainian. For
example: abnormal/subnormal - анормальний/субнормальний, anti-
national - антинародний, archbischopic - архієпископський, counteractive -
протидіючий, ultra-leftist - ультралівацький, indisputable - незаперечний/
безперечний, etc.
STRUCTURE OF ADJECTIVES
Of allomorphic nature in both contrasted languages are also compound adjectives consisting of
the initial adjectival, substantival, numerical, pronominal, or adverbial component and a
concluding substantival, verbal or some other root/stem. These adjectives in Ukrainian have
always, naturally, their endings for gender, case and number, whereas in English they are
mostly marked by the participial -ing or -ed endings (sometimes by the -ty suffix or without
any markers at all), eg: black-maned — чорногривий (чорногрива, чорногриве/-і), easy-
going — добродушний (-а: добродушна, -е: добродушне, -і: добродушні), well-
known — добре відомий (добре відома, добре відоме, добре відомі), silk-
like — шовковидний (-а: шовковидна, -е: шовковидне, -і: шовковидні), etc.
GRADING OF ADJECTIVES IN ENGLISH AND UKRAINIAN

Most qualitative adjectives in English and Ukrainian are gradable. Gradibility in both
contrasted languages is achieved by means of the positive (звичайний), the comparative
(вищий), and the superlative (найвищий) degrees markers. The way of grading in the
contrasted languages may be synthetic or analytical. The employment of the synthetic way of
grading is restricted in English mostly to base adjectives, eg: big, bigger, biggest; long, longer,
longest etc. This way of grading have also English adjectives in -able, -er, -ow, -y (narrow,
narrower, narrowest; happy, happier, happiest; clever etc.) and the two-syllable adjectives with
the concluding stressed syllable (eg: concise, conciser, concisest; polite, politer, politest, etc.).
In colloquial emphatic speech base and disyllabic adjectives may be graded in the analytical
way too: The roar grew more loud; the passengers more numerous, the shops more
busy... (Dickens).
GRADING OF ADJECTIVES IN ENGLISH AND UKRAINIAN

The analytical forms of grading are more often employed in English than in Ukrainian,
eg: important, more/less important, the most/the least important; interesting, more/less
interesting, the most/the least interesting, etc. But: більш/менш, найбільш/найменш
придатний, більш/менш економний; більш/менш дозрілий.

In Ukrainian the synthetic way of grading is more often used. It is formed by means of the
suffixes -іш-/-ш - and the prefixes най-, щонай-or якнай-, eg: добрий, добріший,
найдобріший / якнайдобріший; сміливий, сміливіший, найсміливіший; молодий,
молодший, щонаймолодший; добрий, добріший, щонайдобріший, etc.
GRADING OF ADJECTIVES IN ENGLISH AND UKRAINIAN

Some groups of adjectives in the contrasted languages have no grading. They are a) adjectives
denoting a constant feature of the noun
referent (blind — сліпий, deaf — глухий, barefooted — босий, nude — голий); 
b) adjectives expressing the similarity of
colour (lilac — бузковий, lemon — лимонний, cream — кремовий, ruby — яскраво-
червоний;
с) adjectives denoting colour of hair or eyes (dun — буланий, raven-
black — вороний, bay — карий); 
d) adjectives expressing the intensive property with the help of suffixes or prefixes (bluish,
reddish, yellowish; синявий, синюватий, жовтуватий, жовтісінький, здоровенний,
злющий, прегарний, супермодний).
GRADING OF ADJECTIVES IN ENGLISH AND UKRAINIAN

Isomorphic is the process of adjectivation of some parts of speech, eg: prince

charming (чарівний принц), beaten track (битий шлях), the accurst enemy (клятий
ворог), biting frost (пекучий мороз), folding-chair (складаний стілець). In English some
infinitives and adverbs can also become adjectivised which is an allomorphic feature unknown
in Ukrainian. Eg: the president elect (новообраний президент), clasp-knife (складаний
ніж), the only chance (єдина можлива нагода), the well-to-do people (заможні люди), the
then trainer (тодішній тренер).

The functions of adjectives in the sentence are common in the contrasted

languages.