1. 用作表语
Everyone was happy. 每个人都很高兴。
He is interested in watching TV. 他对看电视感兴趣。
2. 用作定语
He is an honest student. 他是个诚实的学生。
The young man is her boy friend. 这个小伙子是她的男朋友。
3. 用作宾语补足语
He pushed the door open. 他把门推开了。
We found the problem very difficult. 我们发现这个问题很难。
【注】这类句型若变为被动语态,形容词则为主语补足语:
The problem was found very difficult.
4. 用作状语
He arrived home, hungry and tired. 他回到家里,又饿又累。
I went there full of joy. 我兴高采烈地去了那儿。
He sat in the corner, silent. 他坐在角落里,一言不发。
形容词用作状语主要表示原因、结果或伴随等,其逻辑主语必须与句子主语保持一致。这类结构通常可用从句或并列句来改写:
He came over, eager to help. / He came over and (he) was eager to help. 他走过来,急于想帮忙。
【注】以上形容词用作状语的情形,有人也称之为主语补足语,因为它们是补充说明主语的。另外,还有一类特殊的形容词用作状语:
The stove was red hot. 火炉是炽热的。
It’s boiling hot. 它是滚烫的。
His face was bright red. 他的脸是鲜红的。
The weather is freezing [icy, bitter] cold. 天气冷极了。
其中的red, boiling, freezing, icy, bitter 等的实际意义大致相当于very,起加强语气的作用,并且它们用法也很有限,如可说 bitter cold(冰冷),bitter wind(寒风)等,习惯上却不说 bitter hot(炽热),bitter busy(极忙)等。
5. 用作独立成分
Strange to say, he married such a girl. 说来也怪,他娶了那样个女孩子。
Sure enough, he got angry at the news. 果然,他对这个消息很生气。
Worse still, we got lost in the dark. 更糟的是,我们在黑暗中又迷路了。