--- title: "Predicate-Argument Structure of English Adjectives — Ikeya 1995" description: "The paper asks how many arguments an English predicate adjective really has. 10 references, cited by 1 paper here." authors: ["Akira Ikeya"] year: 1995 venue: "Proceedings of the 10th Pacific Asia Conference on Language, Information and Computation" source: "https://aclanthology.org/Y95-1020/" doi: "http://hdl.handle.net/2065/11874" licence: "CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 (ACL Anthology, before 2016)" licence_url: "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/" summary_licence: "Elamur Cosmic License" canonical: "https://research.elamur.ai/free/en/papers/ikeya-1995-predicate-argument-structure-english-adjectives/" --- [Elamur Research](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://research.elamur.ai/free/en/papers/ikeya-1995-predicate-argument-structure-english-adjectives/) [home](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [papers](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/papers/) / [1995](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/papers/1995/) / Predicate-Argument Structure of English Adjectives # Predicate-Argument Structure of English Adjectives **Authors:** Akira Ikeya · **Year:** 1995 · **Venue:** [Proceedings of the 10th Pacific Asia Conference on Language, Information and Computation](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/venues/paclic/) ([PACLIC 1995](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/venues/paclic/1995/)) · **Publisher:** [City University of Hong Kong](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/publishers/city-university-of-hong-kong/) · **Licence:** [CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 (ACL Anthology, before 2016)](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/) **Links:** [Publisher's page](https://aclanthology.org/Y95-1020/) · [PDF](https://aclanthology.org/Y95-1020.pdf) · [DOI http://hdl.handle.net/2065/11874](https://doi.org/http://hdl.handle.net/2065/11874) · [OpenAlex](https://openalex.org/W2786341898) **Citations:** 4 citations (OpenAlex, 2026-10-14) · 1 in our library, of the 149,439 papers whose bibliographies we read ## Summary The paper asks how many arguments an English predicate adjective really has. Prepositional phrases and to-infinitives such as *good at tennis*, *wise of Tom to go*, *easy for John to read* and *similar to mine* make adjectives look two- or three-place. Ikeya extends his earlier framework (Ikeya [4]) in which degree adjectives are interpreted along three contextual dimensions. He then works through the adjective classes of Silva and Thompson: tough predicates, Class A (Types I and II), Class S, *fond of* adjectives and *similar to* adjectives. For each, he assigns predicate-argument structures built from constructed example sentences. His central device is the predicate modifier, an expression that narrows the predicate's denotation to a subset. Syntactically, in HPSG terms, these phrases are adjuncts; only the surface NP is subcategorized. The conclusion is that adjectives are basically one-place predicates. Their single argument can be an entity, a nominalized property or a proposition. This matters because it gives a principled test for telling genuine arguments from apparent ones. ## Key points - Degree adjectives are interpreted along three dimensions: - THEMATIC DIMENSION (TD, the respect: *at basketball*), taken from Bartsch; - COMPARATIVE DIMENSION (CD, the comparison class: *for a short Japanese*); - DEGREE DIMENSION (DD, the degree: *very*). - In the unmarked case, only an implicit CD is present. - Against Jacobson's three-place analysis of tough predicates, *for NP* and *to VP* are treated as predicate modifiers of type \<\,\>. The adjective plus its modifiers forms a complex predicate. - A single argument slot can hold one of three kinds of filler: - an entity (*This book is easy to read*); - a nominalized property (*To read this book is tough*); - a proposition (a complete *for NP to VP* clause as subject, as in the example where the wife's accepting the view is what would be *tough*). - Thematic role (agent, experiencer, beneficiary, following Silva and Thompson) is kept separate from semantic function (predicate modifier). *of NP* and *for NP* have a thematic role but function as modifiers. - Obligatory complements (*fond of*, *worthy of*) are also analysed as modifiers. *similar to*, *parallel to* and *same as* are treated as one-place predicates whose subject must denote two entities (*These cars are the same*). ## Interesting ideas - Degree adjectives get three slots (respect, comparison class, degree), and a sentence's truth depends on filling them, explicitly or from context. - A predicate modifier restricts the predicate to a subset. By Berman's point, *Mary is unpleasant to argue with* does not mean Mary is unpleasant overall. - Separating a phrase's thematic role from its semantic function lets an *of NP* be the agent while still structurally modifying the adjective. - Extraposed *it* sentences, infinitival subjects and plain subjects map onto one structure that differs only in the argument kind (entity, nominalized property, proposition). - Relational adjectives like *similar to* are recast as one-place predicates over a plural subject. ## For Mova How these ideas could serve Mova, our small open language model — its files, stages and tests: - **I1** (world): Store adjective states with optional respect, comparison-class and degree fields, so that *tall for his age* is never recorded as plain *tall*. - **I2** (frames): Attach *to VP* and *for NP* to the adjective frame as restrictors, and block the inference to the unrestricted property, so contrasts like *nice, but unpleasant to argue with* stay consistent. - **I3** (frames): Keep two annotation layers in adjective frames, one for role labels and one for structural function, so explanations can say both who acted and what narrowed the predicate. - **I4** (frames): Normalize the expletive-*it* + *to VP*/*that* clause UD patterns and their fronted variants into one frame with a typed argument, so paraphrases yield identical meaning graphs. - **I5** (world): Store *X is similar to Y* and *X and Y are similar* as one symmetric fact over the group {X, Y}, so a QA question in either form finds it. *Our summary of the paper, in our own words — not its text. 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Predicate-Argument Structure of English Adjectives. Proceedings of the 10th Pacific Asia Conference on Language, Information and Computation. The paper itself, not this page. BibTeX from the library's record of the work. ```bibtex @inproceedings{ikeya1995predicate, title = {{Predicate-Argument Structure of English Adjectives}}, author = {Akira Ikeya}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the 10th Pacific Asia Conference on Language, Information and Computation}, year = {1995}, doi = {http://hdl.handle.net/2065/11874}, url = {https://doi.org/http://hdl.handle.net/2065/11874} } ``` - [← previous An Implemented Formalism for Computing Linguistic Presuppositions and Existential Commitments](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/papers/marcu-1995-implemented-formalism-computing-linguistic-presuppositions/) - [next → Analyzing Coordinate Structures Including Punctuation in English](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/papers/kurohashi-1995-analyzing-coordinate-structures-including-punctuation/) - [↑ back to papers of 1995](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/papers/1995/) ## References 10 references, 0 of them with a card of ours. ↗ leads to the work, «find» searches for one we have no id for yet. 1. R Bartsch. The Construction of Properties under Perspectives. Journal of Semantics 5:293-320, 1986/87. [↗](https://doi.org/10.1093/jos/5.4.293) 2. A Berman. Adjectives and Adjective Complement Constructions. Doctoral dissertation, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass. 1974. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=A+Berman%2E+Adjectives+and+Adjective+Complement+Constructions%2E+Doctoral+dissertation%2C+Harvard+University%2C+Cambridge%2C+Mass%2E+1974%2E) 3. R Fiengo & L Howard. Complement object deletion. Linguistic Inquiry. 5:535-571, 1974. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=R+Fiengo+%26+L+Howard%2E+Complement+object+deletion%2E+Linguistic+Inquiry%2E+5%3A535%2D571%2C+1974%2E) 4. A Ikeya. A Contextual Approach to Japanese Adjectives. In The Sixth Japanese-Korean Joint Conference on Formal Linguistics. ed. A Ikeya, 64-90, Logico-Linguistic Society of Japan: Tokyo, 1991. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=A+Ikeya%2E+A+Contextual+Approach+to+Japanese+Adjectives%2E+In+The+Sixth+Japanese%2DKorean+Joint+Conference+on+Formal+Linguistics%2E+ed%2E+A+Ikeya%2C+64%2D90%2C+Logico%2DLinguistic+Society+of+Japan%3A+Tokyo%2C+1991%2E) 5. A Ikeya. Japanese Tough Constructions in HPSG Framework. In Language Information & Computation. ed. C Lee & B Kang. Seoul:Thaehaksa. 1992. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=A+Ikeya%2E+Japanese+Tough+Constructions+in+HPSG+Framework%2E+In+Language+Information+%26+Computation%2E+ed%2E+C+Lee+%26+B+Kang%2E+Seoul%3AThaehaksa%2E+1992%2E) 6. P Jacobson. The Lexical Entailment Theory of Control and the Tough Construction. In Lexical Matters. ed. I Sag & A Szabolcsi 268-299, Stanford: CSLI, 1992. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=P+Jacobson%2E+The+Lexical+Entailment+Theory+of+Control+and+the+Tough+Construction%2E+In+Lexical+Matters%2E+ed%2E+I+Sag+%26+A+Szabolcsi+268%2D299%2C+Stanford%3A+CSLI%2C+1992%2E) 7. 0 Jespersen. A Modern English Grammar on Historical Principles. III. London, George Allen & Unwin. 1954. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=0+Jespersen%2E+A+Modern+English+Grammar+on+Historical+Principles%2E+III%2E+London%2C+George+Allen+%26+Unwin%2E+1954%2E) 8. C Pollard & S Ivan. Information-based Syntax and Semantics. Stanford: CSLI, 1987. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=C+Pollard+%26+S+Ivan%2E+Information%2Dbased+Syntax+and+Semantics%2E+Stanford%3A+CSLI%2C+1987%2E) 9. G Silva & S Thompson. On the Syntax and Semantics of Adjectives with 'it' Subjects and Infinitival Complements in English. Studies in Language, 1:1 109-126, 1977. [↗](https://doi.org/10.1075/sl.1.1.06sil) 10. R Stalnaker & R Thomason. A Semantic Theory of Adverbs. Linguistic Inquiry 4:195-220. 1973. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=R+Stalnaker+%26+R+Thomason%2E+A+Semantic+Theory+of+Adverbs%2E+Linguistic+Inquiry+4%3A195%2D220%2E+1973%2E) *Updated 1 November 2026*