substantival
/ˌsəb-stən-ˈtī-vəl/ (ame, mw)
substantival — adjective
- substantivalpositive
- more substantivalcomparative
- most substantivalsuperlative
1. describing a word, phrase, or clause that fills a grammatical position normally
describing a word, phrase, or clause that fills a grammatical position normally occupied by a noun — such as acting as the subject, object, or complement of a verb.
In 'Running is fun,' the word 'Running' has a substantival function as the subject.
substantival function as the subject of a sentence
Amelia's grammar book shows that the clause 'that you came' serves a substantival role after 'know.'
Felix wrote 'To travel broadens the mind' in class, using the infinitive 'to travel' as a substantival subject.
In 'The rich should help the poor,' both adjectives have a substantival use replacing nouns.
In Sade's essay, the noun clause 'what the committee decided' has a substantival function as the object of 'rejected.'
- nominal
far more common in modern linguistics; preferred in contemporary grammar teaching
- noun-equivalent
non-technical descriptive term used in language classrooms
- substantive (adjective)
older grammatical term now used mainly to mean 'having real importance'
- verbal
relating to verbs rather than nouns
- adjectival
relating to adjectives rather than nouns
文法句型
substantival + noun (attributive)
be + substantival (predicative)
用法筆記
This term appears almost exclusively in grammar textbooks and linguistic descriptions. Its synonym 'nominal' is far more common in modern linguistics; 'substantive' (adjective) is an older alternative now used mainly to mean 'important' or 'having substance.'