The equivalent of transitive/intransitive for adjectives

Question

I'm thinking about the word "curious." When referring to a person, it can mean that a person is inquisitive, or that a person is strange.

Something of a parallel to verbs is that verbs can be used intransitively (e.g., "I'm writing to you.") and transitively (e.g., "I'm writing a letter.").

Is there a similar classification of adjectives?

Thanks.

Peter

GPY · Accepted Answer

Maybe I'm missing something, but I'm struggling to see any connection between transitive/intransitive use of "write" and the two meanings of "curious" that you mention.

CalifJim · Answer

file foldSomething of a parallel to verbs is that verbs can be used intransitively (e.g., "I'm writing to you.") and transitively (e.g., "I'm writing a letter.").Is there a similar classification of adjectives?

No. You may be thinking of voice ('active' and 'passive') rather than transitivity, however.

Active adjectives, ending in –ing, express the idea that someone or something causes a certain effect. Passive adjectives, which end in –ed, express that someone or something experiences this effect.

boring, bored / exciting, excited / amusing, amused
________________

You might wish to extend this system for other adjectives, but I know of no attempt to do so. The problem is that you may find a pair of adjectives that exhibit some polarity, but whether 'active' and 'passive' are the correct terms is another question.

For example, you might consider 'credible' active and 'credulous' passive (or the other way around).

credible - meriting belief or acceptance
credulous - tending to believe things that you are told

The ultimate case is the one you presented since it is the same word with two definitions (uses), but again, which is active and which is passive, and are these even the appropriate terms?

curious - eager to investigate and learn or learn more
curious - beyond or deviating from the usual or expected (arousing curiosity)

It's not likely that you can find enough pairs of adjectives to make this kind of classification a useful feature of the study of language.

CJ

The equivalent of transitive/intransitive for adjectives

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