3-3. other phrase constituent: adjective complement

3-3-1. prepositional phrases as adjective complement

1. Descriptions
   • Prepositional phrases can function as adjective complements when they follow an adjective and complete/enhance its meaning.
   • They begin with prepositions, commonly in, about, to, etc.
   • They cannot exist on their own due to being depedent (non-clausal) phrases.
2. Tag
   • in+jcomp is tagged on the preposition of the complement prepositional phrase.
3. Examples
   • The solution was obvious to everyone in the room.
   • She was happy about the promotion.
   • He is interested in ancient history.
   • The novel is relevant to current events.
4. Discussions
   • …two is bigger than point one
     • Q: We understand that the comparative structure is not a typical prepositional phrase as an adjective complement (e.g., I am happy about the solution). However, this structure does still fit the pattern of adjective + preposition (than) +noun phrase. Should we include it in this tag, or should comparatives simply be considered a different structure/pattern?
     • A: We'd vote for comparatives being a different structure. There are many different structural options for creating comparatives in English, and they are all idiosyncratic.