Grammatical Rules of the Adjectival Phrase

Read the bilingual lesson for Grammatical Rules of the Adjectival Phrase and test your understanding with a focused quiz.

Lesson

1. Incomplete Phrases and the Adjectival Phrase

● In this section, we will study a group of two or more nouns that gives an incomplete meaning, called an incomplete phrase. ● We will be introduced to its first major type: the adjectival phrase. ● We will identify the adjective and the noun it describes and learn their grammatical rules. ● We will learn the four important ways in which the adjective agrees with the noun it describes.

2. Definition of the Adjective and the Noun It Describes

● Definition of an adjectival phrase: ○ A group of at least two nouns in which one describes a quality, condition, good feature, or bad feature of the other is called an adjectival phrase. ● It has two basic parts: 1. Noun described (mawṣūf): The noun whose condition or quality is described, such as 'boy.' 2. Adjective (ṣifah): The word that gives the description, such as 'righteous.' ● Difference in order: In English, the adjective comes before the noun, as in 'righteous boy,' but in Arabic the order is reversed: the noun comes first and the adjective comes after it. ○ Arabic order = noun described + adjective

3. The Four Basic Rules of Agreement

● In Arabic, an adjective agrees with the noun it describes in all four of the following ways: 1. Definiteness: If the noun is definite, the adjective is definite; if the noun is indefinite, the adjective is indefinite. 2. Number: If the noun is singular, dual, or plural, the adjective is also singular, dual, or plural respectively. 3. Gender: If the noun is masculine, the adjective is masculine; if the noun is feminine, the adjective is feminine. 4. Case: The adjective takes the same nominative, accusative, or genitive case as the noun it describes.

4. Practical Examples of Adjective Agreement

● Study this chart of agreement between the adjective and the noun it describes in all four ways: English phraseArabic phraseGender and numberGrammatical case The righteous boyاَلْوَلَدُ الصَّالِحُMasculine singularNominative (marfūʿ) The righteous girlاَلْبِنْتُ الصَّالِحَةُFeminine singularNominative (marfūʿ) The two righteous boysاَلْوَلَدَانِ الصَّالِحَانِMasculine dualNominative, with the final nūn The two righteous girlsاَلْبِنْتَانِ الصَّالِحَتَانِFeminine dualNominative, with the final nūn The righteous boysاَلْأَوْلَادُ الصَّالِحُونَMasculine pluralNominative (marfūʿ) The righteous girlsاَلْبَنَاتُ الصَّالِحَاتُFeminine pluralNominative (marfūʿ)

5. The Rule for a Non-Rational Plural Noun Described

● In an adjectival phrase, when the noun described is a non-rational plural, its adjective is generally feminine singular. ● Arabic grammar also permits a feminine plural or broken plural adjective with a non-rational plural. For example: ○ Open doors: -> أَبْوَابٌ مَفْتُوحَةٌ (مَفْتُوحَةٌ is a feminine singular adjective). ○ Purified pages/scriptures: -> صُحُفٌ مُطَهَّرَةٌ. ○ A limited number of days: -> أَيَّامٌ مَعْدُودَةٌ or أَيَّامٌ مَعْدُودَاتٌ (a feminine plural adjective). ○ Known months: -> أَشْهُرٌ مَعْلُومَاتٌ. ○ Fat cows: -> بَقَرَاتٌ سِمَانٌ (سِمَانٌ is a broken plural adjective meaning 'fat').

Practice questions

Question 1

What is the order of the adjective and the noun it describes in Arabic grammar?

  • The noun described comes first, and the adjective comes after it
  • The adjective comes first, and the noun described comes after it
  • Both the adjective and noun described always take al- together

Question 2

In an Arabic adjectival phrase, if the noun described is indefinite, the adjective may be definite.

  • True
  • False

Question 3

Why is the adjective feminine singular in the Arabic phrase أَبْوَابٌ مَفْتُوحَةٌ, 'open doors'?

  • Because the noun described is a non-rational plural
  • Because the noun described is feminine singular
  • Because the noun described is a rational plural

Question 4

Match the following nouns with their correct adjectives according to the rules of agreement:

Question 5

Sort the following words into the correct groups of nouns described and adjectives according to their written form:

Question 6

Which word is the noun described in the adjectival phrase أَشْهُرٌ مَعْلُومَاتٌ, 'known months'?

  • أَشْهُرٌ
  • مَعْلُومَاتٌ
  • أَشْهُرُ

Question 7

In the Arabic phrase صُحُفٌ مُطَهَّرَةٌ, 'purified pages,' the adjective is in the feminine singular form.

  • True
  • False

Open the interactive quiz