Mr. K's Grammar World: adjective

As children grow up, they begin to experiment with more and more complex language structures. My four-year-old son’s language development is a great example of the scientific method. He hears new language and forms his own hypotheses. Then he tests these hypotheses by using this new language and finally judges the results by the reactions he gets from the adults around him and modifies his hypotheses when things don't seem right. This process is very logical and research has found a standard order that is more or less followed by all native-speaker children. There’s a reason why Skyler doesn’t use the past perfect. He doesn’t need it yet and won’t for many years.

Similarly, ESL students need to adopt this same approach. There are certain advanced structures that they just don’t need at a basic or intermediate level. Be patient and be satisfied with what you can do rather than worrying about what you can’t do in English.

The following is an explanation of an advanced structure with causative verbs. If you are ready for it and can learn to use it, your English will make a big leap very quickly. If you don’t get it right away, don’t lose any sleep. You will be ready someday.

SVOC Clauses with Make

This structure begins with a basic SVOC clause with the causative verb make.

Remember that a complement is a word that describes another word within the clause. The most common clauses with complements are SVC clauses.

I am sleepy.
I feel sleepy.
I’m getting sleepy.

In all of these sentences, the adjective sleepy is the complement. The complement sleepy describes the feeling of the subject, I. Complements are connected to a clause by a relatively small group of verbs called linking verbs. In the above sentences, am (the “be” verb), feel and get are examples of linking verbs.

A more advance clause with complements is the SVOC clause.

Warm milk makes me sleepy.

In this example, the complement sleepy is describing the feeling of the direct object me. The warm milk is what causes this feeling.

Unlike most causative patterns, the bare infinitive (be or feel) is understood but doesn’t need to be written or said. Very often, the adjective complement in this pattern is in the comparative form (w/ ~er or more).

Lifting weights will make you stronger.
Using English regularly will make you more confident.

The comparative form is used to show that something is increasing. I am already strong, but I want to get stronger. The speaker already has some confidence, but they need more.

Causative Verbs from Adjectives

Students will often spend lots of time, especially in vocabulary classes, studying prefixes and suffixes. Prefixes are added at the beginning of words to change or add meaning to the original word. For example, the prefix un~ means not. If something is so amazing it is not believable, you can also say it is unbelievable. The prefix re~ means again. If you made a mistake when you did something the first time, you might have to redo it.

Suffixes, on the other hand, are added to the ends of words and are used to change parts of speech. For example, the suffix ~able means something can be done.

Even though there is a hole in the sleeve, I can still wear this shirt.
Even though there is a hole in the sleeve, the shirt is still wearable.

Both of these sentences mean the same thing, but by adding ~able to the verb wear, the verb becomes and adjective.

Similarly, adjectives can be turned into causative verbs. This change begins with simple SVOC clauses. For example:

I need to make my lunch hot.
I need to heat up my lunch.

I want to make the room cooler.
I want to cool down the room.

In the first examples, a microwave will do the trick. In the second, I need a fan or an air-conditioner. In both of these examples, the advective hot and cool already have causative verb equivalents: heat and cool. (Sometimes you get lucky and both forms are the same.)

In other cases, you have to “make” your own verbs with suffixes. For example:

The construction workers are making the road wider.
The construction workers are widening the road.

Illustrations in books can make explanations clearer.
Illustrations in books can clarify explanations.

You can use your computer to make digital copies of music.
You can use your computer to digitize your music.

These three pairs of examples show the most common suffixes that can be used to make causative verbs from adjectives. Other examples include:

~en -- weaken / strengthen* / worsen
~ify -- beautify / purify / unify
~ize -- modernize / maximize / publicize

(Click here for a more extensive list of causative verbs from adjectives and exercises to help you learn them. If you can think of any that should be added to this list, please email me.)

How to Practice

Like everything else in life, practice makes perfect. To learn to use these causative verbs, I recommend a three-step process. Start by making a simple SVOC clause with the verb make.

Planting flowers will make your garden more beautiful.

Next, change the adjective to its causative verb form. In this example, beautiful becomes beautify. Then, simply replace the verb make with the new verb.

Planting flowers will beautify your garden.

Finally, change this new sentence to the passive voice following the basic rules.

Your garden will be beautified by planting flowers.

Here is another example:

This toothpaste will make your teeth whiter.
This toothpaste will whiten your teeth.
Your teeth will be whitened with this toothpaste.

Twenty-five years of teaching have taught me two things. First, most students are very confused by this at first. Second, if they spend time practicing this three-step transformation exercise, they figure it out fairly quickly. To help you on your way, here are some online exercises.

In the immortal words of Porky Pig: B-dee-b-dee-b-dee-b-dee-b-That’s all folks!

Good luck and happy trails.

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(I really appreciate questions, comments and suggestions. Feel free to post them in the Comments section below. However, I don't often see them right away. Instead, you can use the Questions and Comments link below or join my Facebook group Mr. K's Grammar World.)

Useful Links

The "be" verb is the most irregular verb in the English language, but because it is so commonly used, learners stop making mistakes with subject/verb agreement fairly quickly. What makes the "be" verb so tricky is knowing when to use it and what form you are using.

Be Verb as the Main Verb

Adjective Complements

The first, most common use of the "be" verb is as a main verb. When an action or non-action verb is used as the subject of a clause, the noun that comes after the verb is the direct object, so the most common type of clause is an SVO clause. However, when the "be" verb is the main verb, the word (or phrase) that comes next is called a complement and the clauses are called SVC clauses. In English, there are four kinds of complements that can be connected to the "be" verb.

The most common complement that comes after the "be" verb is an adjective complement. The adjective describes the condition or state of the subject.

The runner is tired. (the tired runner)
The test was difficult. (the difficult test)
Everything is ready.

Noun Complements

The second most common type of complement is a noun complement. This is when a noun describes the subject, often a relationship or a job. The subject and the complement are the same person or thing.

My brother’s name is Justin. (brother’s name = Justin)
Mr. Smith is my math teacher. (Mr. Smith = math teacher)
London is the capital of Great Britain. (London = capital of Great Britain)

One feature of noun complements is that they can switch places with the subject. For example:

Justin is my brother’s name.
My math teacher is Mr. Smith.
The capital of England is London.

To decide which noun should be the subject and which should be the complement, you must decide which piece of information is most important. The most important piece of information should be the complement and the other should be the subject.*

Second language learners often use the "be" verb between two nouns when it shouldn’t be. If you are trying to decide whether to use the "be" verb or not, just ask this simple question. "Are the two nouns the same person or thing?" If the answer is yes, then you can use the ‘be" verb. If the answer is no, then you need something else, very often the verb have. For example.

I ≠ a cold. The cause of the accident = icy roads.
I have a cold. The cause of the accident was icy roads.
I ≠ high school. I = high school student.
I go to high school. I am a high school student.

Adverb and Prepositional Phrase Complements

The final two are less common, but they are regularly used. You can also connect an adverb to a subject with the "be" verb. The adverbial complement usually answers the questions when or where.

The test is tomorrow. (When is the test?)
The children are outside. (Where are the children?)

Finally, the "be" verb can connect a prepositional phrase to the subject. These also usually answer the questions when or where.

Jason is in the library. (Where is Jason?)
The test is on Monday. (When is the test?)

Be Verb as a Helping Verb

The Continuous Tense**

The second use for the ‘be’ verb is as a helping verb. The simplest and most common use is in the continuous tense. To do this, you simply add the gerund form of the main verb to the "be" verb. For example:

The children are playing...
The dog is barking...
We were sleeping...

Again, this is relatively simple, but there are frequent errors. The most common is putting the base form of the verb after the "be" verb rather than the gerund form. For example:

I was eat lunch in the cafeteria.
We aren’t have a pet.

One possible root of this error will be discussed later. To avoid this error, just remember you always need ~ing after the "be" verb.

The Passive Voice***

The final use of the "be" verb is also as a helping verb. It is used in the passive voice and followed by the past participle form of the main verb.

This blog was written...
The game was played...
The tests are taken...

This is it. This is how the "be" verb is used in English. With a little time and practice, the "be" verb isn’t that hard to master. The trick is knowing when to use it.

-- Back to Part I --

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*As a general rule, when organizing information, the least important information should go first and the most important information should go last. This is because you remember best what you hear or read last.

We will have a unit test next Friday.

(The day of the test is the most important.)

Next Friday, we will have a unit test.

(The plan for next Friday is the most important.)

**For more on the continuous tense, you can read this blog post. (I haven’t written the blog yet. Give me a little more time.)

***For more on the passive voice, you can read this blog post.

Mr. K's Grammar World

Monday, September 2, 2013

The Devil Made Me Do It: Causative Verbs (Part IV - Adjectives and Verbs)

Monday, June 10, 2013

That Crazy Little Thing Called the “Be” Verb (Part II)