1-5. other phrase constituent: adjective complement

1-5-1. adjective + that-complement clause

1. Descriptions
   • Post-predicate that-clauses feature adjectives that directly precede the clause, typically expressing affective psychological states or personal judgments. This construction emphasizes the subject's direct response or state in relation to the content of the that-clause, as illustrated in: (1) levels of certainty (e.g., certain, confident, evident), (2) emotional states (e.g., annoyed, glad, sad), or (3) judgment on events (e.g., appropriate, good, important) (p. 671).
   • We counted the examples with omitted that as that is frequently omitted in nominal that-clauses (pp.660-669).
     • I'm amazed you know him.
2. Tag
   • thatcls+jcomp is tagged on the main verb of the that-complement clause.
3. Examples
   • We're happy that the hunger strike has ended.
   • I'm glad that I found you again.
   • She was pleased that her family had remembered.

1-5-2. extraposed adjective + that-complement clause

1. Descriptions
   • Extraposed that-clauses utilize a structure where the adjective is part of a statement that often begins with "it" as a subject, slightly detaching the speaker's or writer's direct stance from the proposition. This can highlight the proposition itself or present the stance in a more generalized manner, as shown in:
     • certainty adjectives: They indicate the extent to which the speaker/writer regards the embedded proposition is probable, accepted, apparent, certain, plain, inevitable.
     • affective/evaluative adjectives: They mark other assessments or attitudes twoards the proposition in the that-clause: (un)acceptable, preferable, sensible, amazing, bad, funny, dreadful, odd, suprising, neat.
     • hypothetical adjectives: These constructions are marked by should or subjunctive verb forms (e.g: It is preferable that the marked cells [should be] identical in their behaviour to the unmarked cells. (p. 674))
     • necessity/importance adjectives: They reflect the writer's belief that a proposed course of action is essential or important (e.g., advisable, critical, crucial, essential, fitting, obligatory, vital)
2. Tag
   • xtrapos+thatcls+jcomp is tagged on the main verb of the that-complement clause.
3. Examples
   • It has been clear for some time that the demands of the arms control process would increasingly dominate military planning. (p. 673)
   • It is obvious that direct chilling of the udder depends as much on the thermal properties of the floor as on the air temperature. (p. 673)
   • It's horrible that he put up with Claire's nagging. (p. 673)
   • It is tragic that so many of his generation died as they did. (p. 673)
   • It is sensible that the breeding animals receive the highest protection. (p. 674)
   • It is important that it be well sealed from air leakage. (p. 674)
   • It is vital that leaking water is avoided. (p. 674)
4. Discussions
   • It's only if the sample is so bad, so contradictory to the (null) hypothesis, that we're going to reject (it).
   • Q: Is this an ‘extraposed adjective+that-complement' or a simple ‘adjective+that-complement clause'? Given that the phrase (‘so contradictory that~') suggests a cause-effect relationship (e.g., it was so bad that I did not want to go there again), how does this affect its classification?
   • A: This is not extraposed. The ‘it' is referential. And so the ‘that' clause is a adjective + that-complement clause (of the adjective ‘bad' in this case).

---

Adjective phrases

Adjective phrases feature an adjective as the core component, known as the head, and may include additional modifiers. These modifiers can be single words, extended phrases, or even full clauses. Modifiers in an adjective phrase typically intensify or specify the quality of the adjective (e.g., very fortunate, fortunate to meet her; modifiers answer to the question of ‘how fortunate'?). These accompanying elements, known as complements, often consist of prepositional phrases or clauses and serve to provide full meaning to the adjective (p. 101).

Adjective complement clauses

Building on the discussion in the verb complement clauses section, complement clauses serve a role in completing the meaning of adjectival predicates within a main clause (p. 658). Both (1) adjective + that-complement clause and (2) extraposed adjective + that-complement clause are included, each conveying stance within three primary semantic domains: degrees of certainty (e.g., certain, confident, evident); affective psychological states (e.g., annoyed, glad, sad); and evaluations of situations, events, etc. (e.g., appropriate, odd, good, important, advisable). These structures, while similar, offer distinct ways of expressing adjectival predicates.