VOA慢速英语2021--Phrases, Adjectives, Determiners to Describe Autumn

 

North America is now in the fall season – a time of cooler temperatures, colorful leaves, and seasonal¹ treats.

Fall is a season we describe in terms of colors and feelings. Yellow or orange leaves fill many trees. And people feel happiness or calmness when they walk outdoors.

In this week's Everyday Grammar, we will explore the connection between fall and grammar. You will learn about how to describe fall through noun phrases, adjectives and determiners – markers of nouns.

Let's start with a few important terms and ideas.

Noun phrases, adjective, determiners

Noun phrases are groups of words that act like a noun in a sentence. Noun phrases can appear as the subject of a sentence, or they can appear in the predicate – the part of the sentence that says something about the subject.

Consider the following statement:

A cool wind suggested the arrival of fall.

The words a cool wind make up a noun phrase and act as the subject of the sentence. In the sentence's predicate, the words the arrival of fall are another example of a noun phrase.

Let us consider each of the words in a cool wind individually. Wind is a noun. Cool is an adjective. The word a is a determiner – it identifies the beginning of the noun phrase and tells whether it is general or specific.

Determiners can mark the beginning of noun phrases

Think of determiners as markers of nouns or noun phrases. They act like a sign to show that a noun is coming. These determiners mark the beginning of a noun phrase – much like the way changing leaves might mark the arrival of fall.

Determiners include words such as the, a, an, this, those. Some grammar books say some kinds of pronouns – his, her, their – act as determiners as well.

For example:

Their new tree has such beautiful leaves!

Determiners can help you identify nouns and adjectives

When you can identify determiners, your ability to identify nouns and adjectives will improve. And you will be better able to understand sentences in which you do not know the meaning of all of the individual words.

Imagine you are reading a book that describes the fall. You might read something like the following:

The -[blank]- leaves fell from the tree.

The sentence begins with the determiner the. Then there is the noun leaves. But what about the missing word?

You know that it is likely an adjective. It is a term that describes something about the noun. Ask yourself what kinds of adjectives usually describe leaves.

Now let's add the word:

The radiant² leaves fell from the tree.

You can probably tell that radiant means something close to bright or colorful. After all, the term is describing leaves. And leaves are generally described as bright or colorful.

But the sentence could have been different, as in:

The amber³ leaves fell from the tree.

In this case, amber means a color that is between yellow and orange. But still, the adjective connects with the general idea of light and color.

What if you don't see a determiner?

All the examples we have explored use a determiner to mark the beginning of a noun phrase.

But English sentences do not always have such words.

Consider the following statement:

Large pumpkins⁴ lined the road.

In this case, the subject is large pumpkins – a noun phrase that consists of an adjective, large, and a noun, pumpkins.

Still, the general idea is that the adjective comes before the noun.

The next time you read in English, pay careful attention to how the writers use determiners, adjectives and noun phrases. Note when determiners are present and when they are not.

With time, you will use adjectives, noun phrases and determiners to create your own descriptions – perhaps of a happy fall day, perhaps of another time altogether.

Words in This Story 

fall – n. the season between summer and winter : the season when leaves fall from trees

grammar – n. the entire system and structure of a language

specific – adj. precise or exact

pumpkin⁵ – n. a large, round, orange vegetable used as food and sometimes as a decoration

1 seasonal   

adj.季节的，季节性的

参考例句：

• The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
• The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。

2 radiant   

adj.容光焕发的，光芒四射的，辐射的

参考例句：

• He gave a radiant smile when he heard the news.他听到这个消息后露出欣喜的微笑。
• She was radiant with joy.她高兴得容光焕发。

3 amber   

n.琥珀；琥珀色；adj.琥珀制的

参考例句：

• Would you like an amber necklace for your birthday?你过生日想要一条琥珀项链吗？
• This is a piece of little amber stones.这是一块小小的琥珀化石。

4 pumpkins   

n.南瓜( pumpkin的名词复数 )；南瓜的果肉，南瓜囊

参考例句：

• I like white gourds, but not pumpkins. 我喜欢吃冬瓜，但不喜欢吃南瓜。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Then they cut faces in the pumpkins and put lights inside. 然后在南瓜上刻出一张脸，并把瓜挖空。 来自英语晨读30分（高三）

5 pumpkin   

n.南瓜

参考例句：

• They ate turkey and pumpkin pie.他们吃了火鸡和南瓜馅饼。
• It looks like there is a person looking out of the pumpkin!看起来就像南瓜里有人在看着你！