Number, Person,

Comparison and
Voice
Number
The grammatical category of number
distinguishes between one and more than
one; or between one, two and more than two.

Nouns and pronouns are affected by the

category of number.

They distinguish between singular and plural

Number
A noun or pronouns number reflects its
meaning:
- individual people and things are referred by
singular nouns or pronouns
ex. person, student, pleasure, I, she, it

- Collection of people and things are referred

by plural nouns or pronouns
ex. people, students, pleasures, we, you,
they
Number
Verbs and determiners are affected by number
indirectly through agreement

ex. the verb be has to agree with the

number of the subject (she is or they are)
ex. this/that/a student
these/those students
ex. reflexives generally agree with number
(they hurt themselves)
(Arent you ashamed of
yourself/yourselves?)
Number
Noun phrases take their number from the
head noun
ex. One student of the group is here.
The students of the English Department
are here.

Some languages have singular, plural but

also dual (denoting just two things)
Person
The grammatical category of person
distinguishes between:
1st person identifies expressions referring
to current speaker or writer or groups of
people which include the current speaker or
writer

2nd person identifies expressions referring

to the current hearer(s) or addressee(s)

3rd person identifies expressions referring

to people other than current speaker,
writer, hearer(s) or addressee(s)
Person
It affects pronouns:
pronouns person
I, we 1st person
you 2nd person
she, he, it, they, one 3rd person

Most noun phrases are 3rd person.

The man in the bus
Some friends that I ran into last night
Mary
Person
The grammatical category of person can
combine with the category of gender
ex. she 3rd person singular feminine
pronoun
The grammatical category of person can also
combine with the category of case
ex. me 1st person singular accusative
The grammatical category of person is
involved in agreement
ex. verb be (am-1st, are-2nd, is-3rd)
ex. verbs take suffix s in 3rd person (she
talks, the baby sleeps)
Comparison
The grammatical category of comparison
affects adjectives and some adverbs
It distinguishes between comparative and
superlative degree
A comparative is used to express a
difference along some implicitly one-
dimensional scale

ex. bigger, harder, easier, better, worse

more beautiful, more intelligent
Comparative
Comparative degree is realized with the suffix
er or with more which is added to adjectives
or adverbs
English comparatives use the special
preposition than.

There are adjectives which cannot be

compared have no natural comparative
value
ex. asleep, male, unique, wooden, British

The comparative idea can be expressed with

nouns and verbs
Superlative
Superlative expresses a value at the extreme
limit of a its normal meaning
Superlative is marked by the suffix est or by the
word most
ex. biggest, fastest, most interesting, most
beautiful, most happily
Only adjectives and adverbs have superlative
forms; and only those that indicate some scale
along which there can be variation and which has
extreme ends.
ex. cold/coldest; heavy/heaviest

Superlative adjectives are almost always used with

the definite article.
Superlative
Adjectives which do not indicate scales (of
values) do not have superlative forms such as:
ex. French, legal, identical, primary,
wooden

If they are, by any case, used in superlative,

then they are used in ways which stretch their
normal meanings or they are used
metaphorically.
ex. Goran is more British than Patrisha.
The indefinite article is sometimes used with
superlative and the meaning is very
Voice
The grammatical category of voice expresses
the way sentences may alter the relationship
between a subject and an object of a verb
without changing the meaning of a sentence.
- active voice the doer of the action is the
subject
- passive voice the recipient of the action
is the subject
- middle voice half-way between active
and passive
Voice
The reasons for using passive voice:
1. as a device for expressing impersonal
meaning i.e. for avoiding identifying the
person responsible for an action:
ex. Kennedy was assassinated.
Paul was converted into Christianity.
2. as a device for foregrounding or giving a
certain kind of emphasis to one part of a
clause in relation to another:
ex. John was run over by bus.
Voice
3. as a device for cohesion:
ex. They sold all the tickets, so I was told
to try another shop.
(instead of: They sold all the tickets and they
told me to try another shop.)

4. when the doer is not important

ex. English is spoken all over the world.
Voice
How to distinguish between passive voice and
clauses which contain adjectives that look like
past participle
ex. I am delighted to accept your offer
* Someone delight me to accept your offer

He was ashamed of his crimes.

* Someone ashamed him of his crimes.

Are you interested in trains?

* Does someone interest you in trains?
Voice
In English active clauses with (transitive)
verbs such as cost, weigh and have do not
have corresponding passive clauses.
ex. The book costs 20 $.
* 20 $ is cost by the book

The elephant weighs 10 tons

* 10 tons are weighed by the elephant.

She has three castles.

* Three castles are had by her.
Middle passive
Middle passive is half-way between actives
and passives.
The grammar is similar to that of an active
clause, having no passive auxiliary be, but
their subject is in fact the recipient of the
activity rather than the doer of the activity.
ex. Detergents sell well.
The meat cooks fast.