图解：
2．描绘形容词
1558 He is a good boy．She has a clear voice．
I like her gentle，graceful manner．We went into a dirty，dark，lonely temple．（一系列描绘形容词）
It is a long，long story．He has a great，great power．（通过重复一个形容词来加强语气）
It was a rainy and windy night．* He sang a strange，funny and silly song．（由and连接的两三个形容词有同样的重要性）
It was a rainy but pleasant season．He sang a melodious but sorrowful song．（but后面的形容词比它前面的形容词重要）
It was a pleasant though rainy season．He sang a sorrowful though melodious song．（though后面的形容词较不重要，因此这两句的意思和上面两句一样）
It is a comfortable “fast train”．*（comfortable修饰fast train，后两词为一个整体）
He is a sickly “old man”．We shall have a happy “new year”．Nobody cares about this commonplace “open secret”．
I am amazed at the sheer nonsense（or absolute lie，total madness，outright arrogance）of this perfect fool（or complete idiot）．（像sheer，absolute这类强化形容词，用在名词前能对它加以强调，但不宜用在be，seem这类系动词后，如“His madness is total．”就不对了）
更多例子：a real scholar，a great supporter，a close comrade，a big fool，an old friend，a plain lie，an extreme folly，a clear failure，pure nonsense，an out-and-out conservative，utter confusion．
This is a nice and（=wonderfully）cool place（or a fine and fast car）．She is a rare and pretty girl．
1559 Those（or The，His）three expensive round Swiss gold watches are lost．John's black curled walking-stick is kept in a sleeping-room of his．不同类型的形容词放在一起时各有不同的位置。大体顺序是：指示词（或物主代词）＋数词＋描绘形容词＋表示颜色或形状的形容词＋分词＋由专有名词变成的形容词＋名词＋作定语的动名词＋名词。如果指示词和物主代词或名词所有格连用，其顺序是：指示词＋名词＋of＋物主代词或名词所有格。不过，有些人不完全赞成上述顺序。
The last three acts（or The other two sides）are longer．
The first（or next）two chapters are interesting．（这样用比the three last，the two other等要好）
Bo th（or All，Half）the（or those，these）visitors are my good friends．
I paid double（or half，quarter）that price for it．
He drank half a（or a half）bottle of water after he walked half a（or a half）mile．
What a fool you are！You are such a fool！I saw many a fool．
（a，the，this，that通常用在修饰同一名词的其他形容词前面，但放在both，all，half等词之后）
1560 He is a probable winner（=man who will probably win，而不是winner who is probable），a quick thinker，a frequent offender，a heavy loser，a good swimmer，a bad speaker，a long resident，a big eater，a hard worker．（这些形容词起副词的作用，修饰隐藏在名词里的动词）
He is a criminal lawyer（=lawyer expert in criminal law，不是lawyer who is criminal），a natural philosopher（不是philosopher who is natural），a practical joker，a tragical dramatist，a yellow journalist，a historical novelist．
White slavery（=business of white slaves）is forbidden．
Old bachelorship（=state of old bachelors）was respected here．
He is a public schoolboy（=boy of a public school，不是public boy），an old bookseller（=seller of old books，不是old seller），a historical novelist．It is a dirty clothesbasket．
He works with the Foreign Office（=Office of Foreign Affairs，而不是office which is foreign）．He is in the sickroom（=room of sick men）．The dead list（=list of dead men）has been published．He is fed up with his married life．He is on sick leave．His dying wish is unknown．He is a mad-doctor．They are playing a dead march．They learned the deaf and dumb alphabet．
1561 They sold almost everything：leather gloves，silk hats，air guns，glass eyes，brass buttons，gold rings，silver coins，stone jars，salt butter，ice cream，wooden chairs，woolen socks，earthen ware，oak（en）chests，lead（en）roofs，hemp（en）ropes，flax（en）thread，oat（en）bread．（表示物质的名词或形容词）
It is a golden age（or a golden opportunity）．He made me an airy promise，gave me an icy welcome．He made an oily speech．He gave me a glassy look and a wooden smile．He has an iron will but a stony heart．She has a leaden heart though she has a silvery voice．I love her silky manners．I can't stand his brazen impudence．（用于引申意义的表示物质的形容词）
1562 He did it in the early morning（=the early part of the morning），in the late summer，in the mid-nineteenth century．He has lived in West（ern）Germany（=the western part of Germany），Central India，North（ern）Korea，Upper Austria，the Lower Danube，East（ern）Africa．（这些表示部分的形容词多用在时间或地点名称前）
图解：
这个符号表示and是一个并列连词。（而是表示从属连词的符号）
3．名词
1563 名词可以用作定语，可以用三种方式加在另一名词前。这两个名词可以写成一个词，如fireplace，sunlight，armchair；两者中间也可加一个连字号，如hour-hand，volley-ball，blood-letting；也可分写成两个词，如arithmetic class，wedding march，birthday party。此外还有airline，airfield，airplane；air-gun，air-hostess，air-spray；air letter，air raid，air cover。有些这类合成词可以用两种方式写，如classmate，class-mate；daytime，day-time；gunfire，gun-fire；gunboat，gun-boat；wet-nurse，wet nurse；fire-station，fire station；post-office，post office。
有少数这样的合成词可以用三种方式写，如headmaster，head-master，head master。
1564 这没有严格的规律可以遵循，不过下面几点可供参考：
如果这种合成词包含两个音节，那么它们大多都连着写。
classmate handbag penknife gunboat
lawsuit headache rainbow armchair
firefly inkstand fireplace goldsmith
但如果第一个音节需加以强调，或与同类的其他东西加以区别，则这类合成名词需要分开写。例如Stone Age表示它不是Iron age或其他Age，air mail不同于sea mail，sun bath不是sea bath或任何其他的bath，night school不同于day school。又如ice cream，marsh gas，law court，club fee，air raid，moon cake or germ charge也都表示是某样东西中特殊的一类。
1565 如果这些合成词包含三个或更多音节，那么它们大多都分开写。
water pressure fire station chimney sweep
birthday party* trade mission paper mill
water problem air transport barber shop
railway regulations peace conference morning hours
woman receptionist war council fountain pen
不过有些也可以连写，以表示它们是一种独立的东西，并不与其他东西对比。例如：horsepower并不表示它是一种power，而和其他power加以区别。下面的合成词都各自表示自成一类的东西。
watermelon sandpaper sidesaddle
newspaper schoolfellow battlefield
waterfall silverfish dragonfly
masterpiece fatherland lumberman
1566 可以认为这种合成词只有两种基本写法。这两种写法很少可以互换。例如rainbow不能写作rain bow，armchair不能写成arm chair，firefly不能写成fire fly；另一方面，Iron Age不能写成Ironage，night school不能写成nightschool，law court不能写成lawcourt。包含两个音节的合成词情况如此，同样的，包含三个或更多音节的词更是如此：birthday party不能写成birthdayparty，paper mill不能写成papermill，fire station不能写成firestation；另外一方面watermelon，newspaper，battlefield，waterfall，fatherland都不能分开写。总之，一个词的形式和两个词的形式之间很少互换。
不过这两种合成词中可加一个连字号（虽然不是经常如此），于是这种合成词就有两种写法，即不加连字号和加连字号。在下面合成名词中连字号都可以不加。
1．class-mate（or classmate） hand-bagpen-knife
fire-fly ink-stand arm-chair
gun-boat law-suit
2．chamber-maid（or chamber maid）master-key
motor-cycleshop-windowstory-book
slaughter-house shuttle-cock weather-glass
waste-basket whore-master silver-fish
thunder-clap station-master summer-school
1567 至于这种合成词的意义，第一个名词多表示第二个名词所表示东西的地点、时间、目的等（在括号内指出）。
skylark，homework，schoolfellow，city life（地点）
night-club，morning star，Christmas gift（时间）
gunpowder（=powder for gun），bird-cage，saltspoon；mousetrap，kitchen things，tea things（目的）
insect bite，footmark，gunfire（来源）
gingerbread，mushroom soup，ball-pen，oil-lamp（整体中的一部分）
mountain-top，finger-end，horseback，kitchen-door（包含部分的整体）
gold ring，paper tiger，silver cup，stone wall（材料）
firefly，butterfly-table，pot-belly，iron-heart（相似）
man-servant，billy-goat，cow-elephant（性别）
pullman cars，Oxford University，the Diamond Restaurant（专有名词）
story-book，fairy tale，newspaper（内容）
birthday party，*harvest festival，peace conference，war victim，hunger march（原因、理由）
water-power，hunger-strike，power politics，object lesson（手段）
1568 一个形容词可以用下列方式和一个作定语的名词并列放在另一名词的前面：
these political and business affairs；his personal or party problems；either Medieval or the last century literature（[形容词＋连词＋名词]＋名词）
money and other problems；art or scientific activities（[名词＋连词＋形容词]＋名词）
that cold “skeleton hand”；the dirty dark “stone temple”（形容词＋作为整体的[名词＋名词]）
the town “young men”；my silk “high hat”；a morning “conserva-tive paper”（名词＋作为整体的[形容词＋名词]）
more everyday manner；merely business grounds；purely government work；partly family viewpoint（[副词＋作定语的名词]＋名词）
1569 当名词用作定语时，通常都用单数形式，即使它（1）有复数意义，（2）前面有数词及连字号，若它（3）后面有复数的主体词或（4）单独用作名词，则应为复数形式。如果它（5）是不可数名词，或（6）表示一个东西，自然也只用单数形式。
(1)tooth-brush，orange tree，book-binder，head-hunting
(2)three-act play，thirty-page report，four-week course，five-mile trip，one-dollar book
(3)finger-tips，country-houses，fairy-tales
(4)checker board，billiard table，oat cake，green grocer，bowel complaint，slum clearance，gymnastic master
(5)coal mine，ash tray，oil well，music lover，fishing ground，reference book
(6)eyelash，table legs，picture frame，mountaintop，panhandle
1570 在下面的情况下，用作定语的名词可用复数形式：（1）是复数专有名词；（2）通常都为复数形式，不加-s可能造成误解；（3）在没跟有连字号的数词之后；（4）在法律术语中；（5）像gentlemen这样的特殊词；（6）跟随现在惯用复数的趋势。
(1)the United States Navy，Niagara Falls Power Company
(2)goods train，seconds-hand（注意：minute-hand），savings bank，clothes-brush，news boy，comics reader，salts bottle
(3)twenty pence books，a million dollars project，five thousand tons boat，six pounds sugar，five miles trip
(4)Samples Depot，Hotels Association，Excess Profits Tax，Highways Bureau，House Rules Committee，Companies Act
(5)gentlemen-farmer s，women-teacher s，Lord s-Justice s
(6)brains trust，works manager，public relations officer，reservations desk，stores check，sales department，glasses frame，sports jacket
图解：
4．物主代词或名词所有格
1571 We work for the country's good．A thirty miles' march is nothing to our troops．We shall have a three days' holiday．All night we heard the wind's sighing．* His job is to clean the house．
图解：
5．不定式
1572 作为定语，不定式很少放在它所修饰的名词之前。如果这样用，不定式必须与其他词构成合成词，而且不定式与有关词之间需加连字号。
his hard-to-be-governed passion，a soon-to-be-published plan，a never-to-be-executed project，* the much-to-be-longed-for peace，the ever-to-be-remembered occasion，the easy-to-see sign
图解：
6．动名词
1573 He is sitting in the smoking room*（=room FOR smoking，而不是room that smokes）．He is a dancing master．You must use better printing ink．
更多例子：
a walking stick，the boiling point，blotting paper，a laughing stock，a dining room，a swimming race，painting things
图解：
7．分词
a．现在分词
1574 It is an interesting（描绘）book．The flag of Japan shows the rising（经常发生的动作）sun．Did you see the burning（在谓语动词所表示时间里正在进行的动作）house？
a sleeping（不及物动词的现在分词）child（=child that is sleeping），the flying fish（=fish that fly），the smiling women，the coming months，the following chapter，the retreating army，a beginning student
a charming（及物动词的现在分词）girl（=girl who charms others），an amazing number，a puzzling question，scorching heat
a flesh-eating（名词＋及物动词的现在分词）animal（=animal that eats flesh），heart-breaking stories，* a self-sacrificing act，the record-breaking work
ill-smelling（形容词＋系动词的现在分词）things（=things that smell ill），a dirty-looking man，a high-sounding speech，a nice-looking girl
the fast-retreating（副词＋不及物动词的现在分词）enemy（=enemy that is retreating fast），a well-meaning man，frequently-occurring accidents，the on-coming tide
图解：
b．过去分词
1575 You should not eat rotten apples*（=apples that have been rotten）．It is not hard to learn spoken English．
a drowned（及物动词的过去分词）boy，my beloved son，a deserted vi-llage，a ruined palace，broken health，printed matter，the used car，a lighted candle
well-dressed（副词＋及物动词的过去分词）men（=men who are dressed well），* ill-written books，a long-remembered story，a much-needed plan；his stretched-out arms，speeded-up education；a long-drawn-out war，not-yet-ended horror
the unlooked-for（不及物动词的过去分词＋介词）revolt（=revolt that is unlooked for），unthought-of accidents，unpaid-for merchandise，an undreamed-of achievement，an uncalled-for war，the longed-for novel，this yet-unheard-of incident，the most-talked-about book
the blood-stained（名词＋及物动词的过去分词）hands（=hands that are stained by blood），the famine-stricken area，the love-stricken girl，hand-made paper
faded（不及物动词的过去分词）flowers（=flowers that have faded），swollen legs，the vanished jewels，the exploded bomb，a retired officer，a drunken fellow，a learned scholar，his deceased partner，a professed Buddhist，a perjured man；newly-arrived（副词＋不及物动词的过去分词）guests，a well-read man，out-spoken people，grown-up children，a well-behaved child
图解：
8．地点及时间副词
1576 地点及时间副词可用作定语，但放在名词前的情况不是很多。
the above statement，* the downward movement，the abyssward drift，this here boy，that there girl，a far country，an inside story，an upstairs teahouse，the outdoor game，their near relative，the in-patient，the out-patient，the up train，the down stroke；his now mistress，the once Mrs．Jackson，his late wife，his then opinion，the after events，my off time，the off season
图解：
9．各类短语
1577 定语短语有许多形式：
a kind of（限定词＋kind或类似词＋of）car，that sort of man，* those funny types of houses，other brands of pencils
a cup of（表示数量或数目、以of结尾的短语）wine，* five bowls of rice，ten years of service，fifty miles of distance，a good deal of rice，a band of thieves，three broods of chicks
that pig of a（=piglike）fellow，* that idiot of a（=idiotic）woman，his ideal of a wife，my angel of a Jane，my hell of a life，this skeleton of a dog，a gem of a poem，a palace of a house
knee-deep（名词＋形容词）water（=water as deep as the knee），ice-cold hands；a far-sighted（形容词＋名词ed）politician（=politician who can see far），a one-sided opinion；the iron-hearted（名词＋名词ed）hero（=hero who has a heart like iron），a gold-laced skirt；a dark-brown（形容词＋形容词）umbrella（=umbrella dark and brown）
a wide-open（副词＋形容词）gate，the all-important（=extremely powerful）money，ever-happy children
a far-too-rapid（副词＋副词＋形容词）decision，* a not-too-hard problem
this by-no-means-easy（状语短语＋形容词）job，the on-the-whole-fair solution
a good-for-nothing（形容词＋介词＋名词）（=useless）fellow，the ho-nest-to-God truth，lighter-than-air craft，a warmer-than-average welcome，his next-to-nothing profit
a mile-long（名词＋形容词）street，a four-week-long vacation，a ten-year-old ship
the overseas（介词＋名词）Indians，the underground rail-ways，an uphill walk，an upstairs room，his offhand easy manner；this under-the-table agreement，the up-to-date hotel，an out-of-season snowfall，the on-the-spot reporter，their out-of-door activities
that end-of-the-century（名词＋介词＋名词）period，his man-in-the-street opinion，her woman-of-the-world way，a stick-in-the-mud fellow，an every-man-for-himself fight
a word-for-word（名词＋介词＋同一名词）translation，hand-to-hand conflicts，room-to-room telephones，this day-to-day life，a face-to-face talk，the eye-for-an-eye argument，the year-by-year progress，their step-by-step aggression
a stand-up（动词＋地点副词）drink，a tumble-down house，a sit-down strike，the go-ahead nation，a hand-round supper，those stand-off people，knockdown arguments
stay-at-home（动词＋介词＋名词）people，a come-by-chance child，go-to-meeting clothes
push-button（动词＋名词）warfare，take-leave visits，cut-rate tickets，a breakneck speed，my do-nothing days，her telltale face，a help-yourself fight；his eat-less-bread advice，a let-it-alone attitude
a yes-or-no（名词＋or＋名词）answer，an all-or-nothing settlement，a liberty-or-death war；kill-or-cure（动词＋or＋动词）medicine，a believe-it-or-not statement，his take-it-or-leave-it attitude
a life-and-death（名词＋and＋名词）struggle，bread-and-water wages，a cat-and-dog life，the question-and-answer method of teaching；hit-and-run accidents（动词＋and＋动词），a wait-and-see policy，the live-and-let-live agreement，his eat-drink-and-be-merry philosophy*
图解：
10．从句
1578 作定语的从句若要放在它所修饰的名词之前，必须加连字号或引号。
his I-told-you-so attitude；* this “I am sure to fail” idea；a the-king-can-do-no-wrong politician；the “do what you can and take what you want” theory；the I-want-to-be-alone theory；their “money is everything” philosophy
