Grammatical Rules of the Adjectival Phrase

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').