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1. Bài soạn "Tính từ và cụm tính từ" số 4
I - Features of Adjectives
Question 1: Identify the adjectives in the following sentences:
a) The frog thought the sky above its head was only as small as a cooking pot and it felt as powerful as a lord.
(The frog sitting at the bottom of the well)
b) The faint sunlight turns yellowish. In the garden, clusters of yellow-orange loquat fruits sway in the wind. Each guava leaf turns yellowish. The papaya tree's leaf withers and reveals five bright yellow petals.
(Tô Hoài)
Answer:
The adjectives are:
a) small, powerful.
b) yellowish, yellow-orange, yellowish, bright yellow.
Question 2: List some other adjectives you know and explain their general meanings.
- Adjectives describing character: quick-tempered, gentle, modest, ...
- Adjectives describing sound: soft, gentle, echoing, piercing, ...
- Adjectives expressing evaluation: ugly, beautiful, cruel, kind, ...
- Adjectives describing tone: cheerful, gloomy, excited, ...
- General meaning of adjectives: They describe characteristics, qualities of things, actions, and states...
Question 3: Compare adjectives with verbs:
- Regarding the ability to combine with words like 'already', 'will', 'currently', 'also', 'still', 'let', 'don't', ...
- Regarding the ability to be subject or predicate in a sentence.
Answer:
- Adjectives can combine with words like 'already', 'will', 'currently', 'also', 'still', but they are rarely combined with 'let', 'don't'. Verbs can combine with all the above words.
- Adjectives can be either the subject or predicate of a sentence, while verbs typically function as predicates.
Note:
- Adjectives are words that describe the characteristics, qualities of things, actions, or states.
- Adjectives can combine with words like 'already', 'will', 'currently', 'also', 'still', etc. to form adjective phrases. However, adjectives have limited ability to combine with words like 'let', 'don't'.
- Adjectives can function as predicates or subjects in sentences, but their use as predicates is more limited than verbs.
II - Types of Adjectives
Question 1: Among the adjectives identified in Part I:
- Which words can combine with degree words like 'very', 'a bit', 'quite', 'too', ...?
- Which words cannot combine with degree words?
Answer:
- Adjectives that can combine with degree words: small, powerful
- Adjectives that cannot combine with degree words: yellowish, yellow-orange, yellowish, bright yellow.
Question 2: Explain the phenomenon above.
- The group that can combine with degree words includes adjectives that describe relative characteristics. The group that cannot combine with degree words consists of adjectives that describe absolute characteristics.
- 'Small', 'powerful' are adjectives indicating relative characteristics, while 'yellowish', 'yellow-orange', 'yellowish', 'bright yellow' are adjectives indicating absolute characteristics.
Note:
There are two notable types of adjectives:
- Adjectives indicating relative characteristics (can combine with degree words)
- Adjectives indicating absolute characteristics (cannot combine with degree words)
III - Adjective Phrases
Question 1: Draw the structural model of the bold adjective phrases in the following sentences:
- At the end of the day, Hue often returns in an unexpectedly quiet atmosphere, making me feel like something is gently settling down in the already very quiet city.
(According to Hoàng Phủ Ngọc Tường)
- [...] The sky is now clear, deep, and high, with the moon becoming smaller, shining brightly above.
(Thạch Lam)
Front - Central - Rear
already very - quiet
small - again
bright - shining brightly above the river
Question 2: Find additional words that can serve as modifiers before or after the central adjective in the adjective phrases. What meanings do these modifiers add to the central adjective?
- Words that can modify before: time relations ('already', 'currently', 'will', ...), continued action ('again', 'still', 'also', ...), degree ('very', 'quite', 'too', ...), affirmation or negation.
- Words that can modify after: location ('this', 'that', 'here', ...), comparison ('like', ...), degree, scope, or cause...
Note:
- Adjective phrase structure model:
Front - Central - Rear
still/again/currently
young
like a young man
- In adjective phrases:
+ Modifiers before the central adjective can indicate time relations; continued action, degree of the characteristic; affirmation or negation, etc.
+ Modifiers after the central adjective can indicate position; comparison; degree, scope, or cause of the characteristic, etc.
IV - Practice
Question 1: Below are five sentences from five fortune-tellers describing an elephant (the story of The Fortune Teller's Elephant). Identify the adjective phrases in each sentence.
a) It sways like a leech.
b) It waddles like a threshing stick.
c) It is as broad as a winnowing basket.
d) It stands firm like a temple pillar.
e) It moves stiffly like a worn-out broom.
Answer:
The adjective phrases are: sways like a leech / waddles like a threshing stick / as broad as a winnowing basket / stands firm like a temple pillar / moves stiffly like a worn-out broom.
Question 2: How do the use of adjectives and comparison modifiers in these sentences criticize and humorously depict the fortune-tellers?
Suggestions:
- What is the structure of the adjectives in these sentences? What effect does this structure typically have?
- Do the images created by these adjectives seem grand or vast?
- What are the objects compared to the elephant, and what does that say about the fortune-tellers?
Answer:
- The modifiers in the adjective phrases mainly serve to add meaning to the comparison, rather than clearly describing the actual object.
- The objects compared to the elephant (a leech, threshing stick, winnowing basket, temple pillar, worn-out broom) are all small, mundane, and not at all fitting for an elephant's grand size.
- This reflects the narrow, shallow, and limited understanding of the fortune-tellers.
Question 3: In the story of The Old Man and the Golden Fish, the poor old man must go to the sea five times to ask the golden fish to fulfill his wife’s insatiable greed. Each time, the sea is described differently. Compare the use of verbs and adjectives in the five descriptions of the sea and explain what the differences convey.
- Time 1 (asking for a new pigsty): the sea has gentle waves.
- Time 2 (asking for a new house): the sea has green waves.
- Time 3 (asking for a noble title for his wife): the sea has strong waves.
- Time 4 (asking for his wife to be a queen): the sea has a murky wave.
- Time 5 (asking for his wife to be the Dragon King): a terrible storm arises, and the sea has booming waves.
Answer:
- The verbs and adjectives used in each instance show an increasing intensity: from gentle waves to rising waves.
- The image of the waves evolves: gentle → rising → strong → murky → booming.
- Symbolic meaning: The waves represent the sea’s anger, growing as the wife’s insatiable greed increases.
Question 4: The transition from having nothing to having something, and then back to nothing, in the life of the fisherman and his wife (from the story of The Old Man and the Golden Fish) is reflected in the adjectives used in the following noun phrases. How do these adjectives illustrate this transition?
a) The broken pigsty → a new pigsty → the broken pigsty again.
b) A dilapidated hut → a beautiful house → a huge mansion → a magnificent palace → the old hut from the past.
Answer:
Here are the adjectives used at each step:
a) broken → new → broken again
b) dilapidated → beautiful → huge → magnificent → dilapidated
These adjectives clearly show the changes in the life of the fisherman and his wife: from poverty → wealth → poverty again.
2. Lesson on "Adjectives and Adjective Phrases" - Version 5
I. CHARACTERISTICS OF ADJECTIVES
1. Identifying Adjectives
a) Sentence a contains the following adjectives: small, majestic.
b) Sentence b contains the following adjectives: pale yellow, faded yellow, bright yellow, withered, vibrant yellow.
2. Additional Adjectives: short, long, tall, short, black, white, red, crooked, floating, sluggish, quick, frail, strong, towering... These adjectives describe the shape, size, color, or state of an object.
3. Comparing Adjectives with Verbs:
Similar to verbs, adjectives can combine with words like: already, will, currently, also, still...
However, adjectives, like verbs, have limited combinations with words like 'let', 'don’t'.
In terms of usage, adjectives can serve as subject or predicate, but their role as a predicate is more restricted compared to verbs.
Summary:
Adjectives describe the characteristics or qualities of objects, actions, or states.
They can combine with words like 'already', 'will', 'currently', etc., forming adjective phrases. However, adjectives cannot easily combine with words like 'let' or 'don’t'.
Adjectives can be both subjects and predicates in sentences, though their role as predicates is more limited than that of verbs.
II. TYPES OF ADJECTIVES
Question 1. - Adjectives that combine with degree words (very, a bit, quite, too, etc.): short, long, tall, small, black, white, red, sluggish, quick, frail, strong.
- Adjectives that do not combine with degree words: crooked, floating.
Question 2. Explanation:
- Adjectives such as short, long, tall, black, white, red, sluggish, quick, frail, strong are relative adjectives, so they can combine with degree words.
Adjectives like crooked, floating, and towering are absolute adjectives, so they cannot combine with degree words.
Summary: There are two main types of adjectives:
Relative adjectives (combine with degree words)
Absolute adjectives (do not combine with degree words).
III. ADJECTIVE PHRASES
Question 1. Draw the structural model of the bold adjective phrases in the following sentences:
- At the end of the day, Hue often returns in an unexpectedly calm atmosphere, making me feel as if something is gently settling in the already tranquil city.
(According to Hoàng Phủ Ngọc Tường)
- [...] The sky is now clear, deep, and high, with the moon becoming smaller, shining brightly above.
(Thạch Lam)
Front - Central - Rear
already very - calm
small - again
bright - shining brightly above the river
Question 2. Find additional words that can serve as modifiers before or after the central adjective in adjective phrases. What meanings do these modifiers add to the central adjective?
- Words that modify before: time indicators ('already', 'currently', 'will', ...), continuing actions ('again', 'still', 'also', ...), degree ('very', 'quite', 'too', ...), affirmation or negation.
- Words that modify after: location ('this', 'that', 'here', ...), comparison ('like', ...), degree, scope, or cause...
Summary:
- Adjective phrase structure model:
Front - Central - Rear
still/again/currently
young
like a young man
- Modifiers before the central adjective can specify time, ongoing actions, degree of the feature, affirmation or negation, etc.
- Modifiers after the central adjective can indicate position, comparison, degree, scope, or cause of the characteristic, etc.
IV. PRACTICE
Question 1. Underline the adjective phrases in the following five sentences from fortune-tellers describing an elephant (The Fortune Teller's Elephant).
a) It sways like a leech.
b) It waddles like a threshing stick.
c) It is as broad as a winnowing basket.
d) It stands firm like a temple pillar.
e) It moves stiffly like a worn-out broom.
Answer:
The adjective phrases are: sways like a leech / waddles like a threshing stick / as broad as a winnowing basket / stands firm like a temple pillar / moves stiffly like a worn-out broom.
Question 2. How do the use of adjectives and comparison modifiers in these sentences criticize and humorously depict the fortune-tellers?
Suggestions:
- What is the structure of the adjectives in these sentences? What effect does this structure typically have?
- Do the images created by these adjectives seem grand or vast?
- What are the objects compared to the elephant, and what does that say about the fortune-tellers?
Answer:
- The modifiers in the adjective phrases mainly serve to add meaning to the comparison, rather than clearly describing the actual object.
- The objects compared to the elephant (a leech, threshing stick, winnowing basket, temple pillar, worn-out broom) are all small, mundane, and not at all fitting for an elephant's grand size.
- This reflects the narrow, shallow, and limited understanding of the fortune-tellers.
Question 3. In the story of The Old Man and the Golden Fish, the poor old man must go to the sea five times to ask the golden fish to fulfill his wife’s insatiable greed. Each time, the sea is described differently. Compare the use of verbs and adjectives in the five descriptions of the sea and explain what the differences convey.
- Time 1 (asking for a new pigsty): the sea has gentle waves.
- Time 2 (asking for a new house): the sea has green waves.
- Time 3 (asking for a noble title for his wife): the sea has strong waves.
- Time 4 (asking for his wife to be a queen): the sea has a murky wave.
- Time 5 (asking for his wife to be the Dragon King): a terrible storm arises, and the sea has booming waves.
Answer:
- The verbs and adjectives used in each instance show an increasing intensity: from gentle waves to rising waves.
- The image of the waves evolves: gentle → rising → strong → murky → booming.
- Symbolic meaning: The waves represent the sea’s anger, growing as the wife’s insatiable greed increases.
Question 4. The transition from having nothing to having something, and then back to nothing, in the life of the fisherman and his wife (from the story of The Old Man and the Golden Fish) is reflected in the adjectives used in the following noun phrases. How do these adjectives illustrate this transition?
a) The broken pigsty → a new pigsty → the broken pigsty again.
b) A dilapidated hut → a beautiful house → a huge mansion → a magnificent palace → the old hut from the past.
Answer:
Here are the adjectives used at each step:
a) broken → new → broken again
b) dilapidated → beautiful → huge → magnificent → dilapidated
These adjectives clearly show the changes in the life of the fisherman and his wife: from poverty → wealth → poverty again.
3. Lesson on 'Adjectives and Adjective Phrases' - Version 6
Complete exercises 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 on page 81 of the Workbook (SBT) for Vietnamese Literature 6, Volume 1. 5. Find the modifiers of the bolded adjectives below. Indicate the meaning conveyed by each modifier.
Exercise
1. Exercise 1, page 155, SGK.
2. Exercise 2, page 156, SGK.
3. Exercise 3, page 156, SGK.
4. Exercise 4, page 156, SGK.
5. Find the modifiers of the bolded adjectives below and indicate their meanings.
The king drew a small gold bar, but it seemed too small, so he drew a second one larger than the first. Still too small, he drew a very large and long one, though its length was uncertain.
(The Magic Pen)
6. Identify the adjectives (or adjective phrases) in the following excerpt and explain their grammatical function.
Every day, it made a loud croaking noise that echoed throughout the well, frightening all the animals. The frog thought the sky was as small as a lid and it felt as mighty as a king.
[...]
Accustomed to its ways, the frog strutted around and croaked loudly. It curiously glanced upwards at the sky, oblivious to its surroundings, and was eventually squashed by a passing buffalo.
(The Frog Who Sat at the Bottom of the Well)
7. Find adjective phrases with comparative modifiers commonly used in daily speech.
Example: As cheap as a weed
Make three sentences using the adjective phrases you have found.
Suggested Approach:
Exercise 1. Students should identify adjectives and the words that modify them. For example, in sentence a:
- Adjective: "sunken"
- Modifier: "like a leech"
—> Adjective phrase: "sunken like a leech".
Exercise 2. Students should follow the clues provided in the exercises to find the most appropriate answer.
Note: Pay attention to the evocative nature of adjectives (such as "sunken", "shrunken", "flat", "sharp", "tiny", etc.) as they can vividly describe sensations or imagery.
Adjectives (especially reduplicative forms) are enhanced by comparative modifiers like: "like a leech", "like a buffalo’s yoke", etc., increasing their expressive power.
Objects compared are often everyday things, not grand or exaggerated. This subtly emphasizes the humble nature of the five fortune-tellers, who are supposed to have supernatural abilities, but in fact, they are not particularly impressive.
Exercise 3. Students should read and identify the verbs and adjectives used in each description of the sea:
gentle waves —> rising waves —> wild waves —> misty waves —> thundering waves.
Students should observe how the intensity of the sea’s waves increases gradually, and connect this progression to the growing frustration of the fisherman’s wife, whose demands become unreasonable.
Exercise 4. Students should identify the adjectives used to describe the changes in the lives of the fisherman and his wife.
Pay attention to how the return to their original life is depicted by using the same adjective both at the beginning and end of the process.
For exercise b, the transformation and return to their initial state is also reflected in the use of nouns:
Exercise 5. Find the modifiers as per the instructions in the exercise, which are words around the adjective that add meaning to it.
Students should identify adjective phrases and then extract the adjectives; the remaining words are modifiers. For example, in the phrase "too small" the words "too" and "small" function as modifiers.
Based on the meanings of these modifiers provided in the textbook, students should complete the second part of the exercise.
Example:
- too small
+ too: modifier indicating degree.
+ small: adjective describing size.
Exercise 6. Adjective phrase examples:
- Loud: modifier for the verb "croak".
- Echoing: modifier for the verb "to do".
Exercise 7. Consider these following adjective phrases:
as black as a burnt pillar, as white as ivory, etc.
4. Lesson on 'Adjectives and Adjective Phrases' - Version 1
I. Characteristics of Adjectives
1. Adjectives
a. small, powerful
b. pale yellow, faint yellow, bright yellow, fresh yellow
2. Some other adjectives: bright red, extremely salty, sour, noble, lingering...
→ These adjectives typically describe the color, quality, action, or state of things.
3. Comparing adjectives with verbs:
- Verbs and adjectives often combine with words like: has, will, is, and also share similarities.
- Adjectives are less likely to combine with words like "please", "don't", or "stop", unlike verbs that can easily combine with such words.
- Adjectives have a more limited ability to serve as predicates compared to verbs.
- Both adjectives and verbs can function as subjects in sentences.
II. Types of Adjectives
1. Adjectives that combine with degree words (very, slightly, quite, so...): small, powerful
- Adjectives that do not combine with degree words: pale yellow, faint yellow, bright yellow, fresh yellow
2. Explanation:
- Words like small and powerful are relative adjectives.
- Words like pale yellow, faint yellow, and bright yellow are absolute adjectives.
III. Adjective Phrases
1. Structure of an adjective phrase
Modifier before - Main - Modifier after
Already very - Quiet
bright - clear in the sky
small - again
2. Words that can act as modifiers before an adjective phrase: very, extremely, originally...
After modifiers: very, a lot...
IV. PRACTICE
Exercise 1 (page 155, Vietnamese Literature 6, Volume 1)
Adjective phrases:
- sticky like a hoe's handle
- sunken like a leech
- flattened like a rice fan
- towering like a temple pillar
- small like a worn broom
Exercise 2 (page 156, Vietnamese Literature 6, Volume 1)
- All adjectives are reduplicated words: sunken, sticky, flattened, towering, small
- Objects compared to an elephant are familiar, everyday things that are tiny and insignificant compared to the elephant’s grand scale.
→ This reflects the shallow, narrow, and limited understanding of the fortune-tellers.
Exercise 3 (page 156, Vietnamese Literature 6, Volume 1)
- Verbs and adjectives are used in five instances with progressive intensity: from gentle waves to violent waves.
The image of the waves intensifies: calm → rising waves → violent waves → misty waves → thundering waves.
- The symbolic meaning of waves: it represents the people's response to the greed of the fisherman’s wife.
Exercise 4 (page 157, Vietnamese Literature 6, Volume 1)
- Different adjectives are used in sequences:
+ chipped → new → chipped
+ broken → beautiful → large → majestic → broken
Adjectives that show clear changes in the lives of the fisherman and his wife:
+ Poor → rich → poor
5. Lesson on 'Adjectives and Adjective Phrases' - Version 2
I. Characteristics of Adjectives
Answer to Question 1 (page 153, Vietnamese Literature 6, Volume 1):
Identify the adjectives in the following sentences:
a) The frog thought that the sky above was only as small as a pot lid and it was as majestic as a ruler.
(The frog sitting at the bottom of the well)
b) The weak sunlight turned yellowish. In the garden, the clusters of jujube fruits swayed, turning pale yellow […]. Each jackfruit leaf turned a faded yellow. The papaya tree’s leaf curled, revealing five bright yellow tips.
(Tô Hoài)
Answer:
Adjectives:
a) small, majestic
b) yellowish, pale yellow, faded yellow, bright yellow.
Answer to Question 2 (page 154, Vietnamese Literature 6, Volume 1):
List additional adjectives you know and briefly explain their meanings.
Answer:
- green, red, purple, yellow, white, bright red...
- sour, sweet, bitter, salty, spicy...
- crooked, straight, tilted...
* General meaning of adjectives: They describe the characteristics or qualities of things, actions, or states.
Answer to Question 3 (page 154, Vietnamese Literature 6, Volume 1):
Compare adjectives with verbs:
- Regarding their ability to combine with words like "has", "will", "is", "also", "still", "please", "don’t".
- Regarding their role as subjects or predicates in sentences.
Answer:
- Both adjectives and verbs can combine with words like "has", "will", "is", "also", "still".
- Adjectives have more limited use with words like "please", "don’t", compared to verbs.
- Both adjectives and verbs can function as subjects.
- Adjectives have a more limited capacity to serve as predicates compared to verbs.
III. Types of Adjectives
Answer to Question 1 (page 154, Vietnamese Literature 6, Volume 1):
Among the adjectives found in section I, which ones can combine with degree words (very, slightly, quite, so...)?
Answer:
- The adjectives that can combine with degree words (very, so, a lot) are: small, majestic.
- The adjectives that cannot combine with degree words are: yellowish, pale yellow, faded yellow, bright yellow.
Answer to Question 2 (page 154, Vietnamese Literature 6, Volume 1):
Explain the phenomenon above.
Answer:
- Small and majestic are relative adjectives.
- Yellow is an absolute adjective.
- Relative adjectives can combine with degree words.
- Absolute adjectives cannot combine with degree words.
III. Adjective Phrases
Answer to Question 1 (page 155, Vietnamese Literature 6, Volume 1):
Draw the structure of the adjective phrases highlighted in the following sentences:
- At the end of the day, Hue often returns in a strangely peaceful atmosphere, so much so that I feel as though something is quietly settling down in the already peaceful city.
(Hoàng Phủ Ngọc Tường)
- The sky now is clear, deep, and high, with the moon small and shining brightly in the sky.
(Thạch Lam)
Answer:
Modifier before - Main - Modifier after
already / very / quite
peaceful
small
bright
again
brightly / in the sky
Answer to Question 2 (page 155, Vietnamese Literature 6, Volume 1):
Find additional words that can function as modifiers before and after the adjective phrase. What meanings do these modifiers add to the main adjective?
- Words that can be used before an adjective phrase: time (has, is, will...), continuance (again, also...), degree (very, so, a lot...), affirmation or negation.
- Words that can be used after an adjective phrase: location (here, there...), comparison (like...), degree (a lot, too much...), scope or cause...
IV. Practice
Answer to Question 1 (page 155, Vietnamese Literature 6, Volume 1):
Below are five statements from five fortune-tellers about an elephant (from the story “The Fortune-Tellers and the Elephant”). Identify the adjective phrases in these sentences.
a) It’s squirming like a leech.
b) It’s hanging like a hoe’s handle.
c) It’s spreading like a rice fan.
d) It’s towering like a temple pillar.
e) It’s twitching like a worn-out broom.
Detailed answer:
The adjective phrases are:
a) squirming like a leech
b) hanging like a hoe’s handle
c) spreading like a rice fan
d) towering like a temple pillar
e) twitching like a worn-out broom.
Answer to Question 2 (page 156, Vietnamese Literature 6, Volume 1):
How does the use of adjectives and comparison modifiers in the above sentences function to criticize and evoke humor?
Detailed answer:
- The adjectives: squirming, hanging, spreading, towering, twitching → All are reduplicative adjectives, creating vivid and emotional imagery.
- The objects being compared to the elephant are familiar, everyday things, tiny and insignificant compared to the immense size of the elephant, which mocks the shallow and narrow understanding of the fortune-tellers.
Answer to Question 3 (page 156, Vietnamese Literature 6, Volume 1):
In the story “The Fisherman and the Golden Fish,” the poor fisherman had to go to the sea five times to ask the fish to fulfill his wife’s desires. Each time, the sea is described differently. Compare the use of verbs and adjectives in these five descriptions and explain the differences.
- First time (asking for a pigsty): The sea had gentle waves.
- Second time (asking for a new house): The sea had rising waves.
- Third time (asking for a first-class lady): The sea had violent waves.
- Fourth time (asking for a queen): The sea had misty waves.
- Fifth time (asking for a dragon king): A terrible storm arose, and the sea had thunderous waves.
Detailed answer:
The verbs and adjectives used in each successive request increase in intensity, showing the growing frustration of the golden fish in response to the wife’s increasingly excessive demands. Specifically:
- gentle waves
- rising waves
- violent waves
- misty waves
- thunderous waves
Answer to Question 4 (page 156, Vietnamese Literature 6, Volume 1):
How do the changes from having nothing to having everything, and back to having nothing, in the life of the fisherman and his wife (from the story “The Fisherman and the Golden Fish”) reflect in the use of adjectives in the following noun phrases?
a) the broken pigsty → a new pigsty → the broken pigsty.
b) a hut → a beautiful house → a large mansion → a majestic palace → the broken hut from before.
Detailed answer:
- The adjectives are used in a sequence as follows:
+ broken → new → broken
+ broken → beautiful → large → majestic → broken
- The adjectives highlight the dramatic changes in the lives of the fisherman and his wife:
+ Poor → wealthy → poor
6. Essay on "Adjectives and Adjective Phrases" No. 3
