3

Everyone, the content is from a Labor MP's speech at House of Commons. I was just wondering the following bold word "opposite" could be regarded as an appositive of the previous "the Conservatives":

the response of the Conservatives opposite leaves something to be believed that ...

Thanks in advance!

Improve this question
4
  • Opposite to what? It's an adjective describing 'Conservatives', but if you are talking about the UK Parliament we say "the Conservative opposition" for the main party opposing the current government.
    – Kate Bunting
    Commented Sep 17 at 15:12
  • 4
    It might crudely be paraphrased 'over there' or reformulated less crudely 'those members on the other side of the house' (referring to where the opposition usually sits). It's essentially tautology rather than apposition.
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Commented Sep 17 at 15:44
  • There's nothing wrong with using that appositive if you've established a context referring to the Labor Party. It may be redundant, since the fact that Conservatives are opposite to Labor is well known.
    – Barmar
    Commented Sep 17 at 15:51
  • @KateBunting It's not an adjective here, though, I don't think.
    – Araucaria - Him
    Commented Sep 17 at 19:45

3 Answers 3

Reset to default
8

Intransitive prepositions

Some words which look, sound and behave like prepositions can also be used without a following noun phrase. In traditional grammar they used to be considered adverbs, or occasionally adjectives, but in modern grammars are just called 'intransitive' prepositions. Here are some examples:

  • The man outside the building. [preposition with noun phrase complement]
  • The man outside. [intransitive preposition]
  • The morning after the party. [preposition with noun phrase complement]
  • The morning after. [intransitive preposition]

This is what is happening in the OP's example:

  • The Conservatives opposite us. [preposition with noun phrase complement]
  • The Conservatives opposite. [intransitive preposition]

The OP's example is a case of a noun postmodified by an intransitive preposition. As shown, the preposition could equally have been used with a noun phrase complement.

There is an adjective opposite. However, this is not the adjective, but the preposition!

Some tests

Note that these prepositions behave just like prepositions and nothing like adjectives!

Nearly all spatial prepositions can be used to freely postmodify nouns. The same is not true of adjectives:

  • *The car big (ungrammatical)
  • *The people local (ungrammatical)
  • The car in the garage
  • The people nearby the entrance

Whereas adjectives can often be modified by the adverb very, prepositions cannot:

  • very big
  • very local
  • *very in the garage (ungrammatical)
  • *the Conservatives very opposite (ungrammatical)

Prepositions can often be modified by the specialised adverb right. In standard Englishes, adjectives can't:

  • *the right big car (ungrammatical)
  • *the amenities are right local (ungrammatical)
  • The Conservatives right opposite
  • The car is right in there.

These tests show that 'opposite' in OP's example is a preposition, not an adjective.

This data also shows that OP's example cannot be a case of an appositive because appositives are usually noun phrases.

Improve this answer
5

No, it is a post-positional adjective. It can be understood as "the Conservatives who are opposite me/our benches."

Broadly speaking, an appositive is one of a pair of words which (i) mean the same thing, (ii) can be reversed and (iii) either of which can be used on its own in the sentence:

Beethoven, my favourite composer, was deaf.

My favourite composer, Beethoven, was deaf.

Beethoven was deaf.

My favourite composer was deaf.

Improve this answer
2
  • Then why the verb leave takes the form of third-person singular?
    – Kevin Cheng
    Commented Sep 17 at 16:35
  • 3
    Because the subject is "the response", which is singular.
    – Colin Fine
    Commented Sep 17 at 16:56
-1

It is a postpositive adjective.

Despite what several comments say it is not about "opposing", or "opposition", but is a simple locative expression: "the Conservatives who are sitting opposite me in the House of Commons".

Edited to remove "appositive" after reading Greybeard's answer.

Improve this answer
3
  • 1
    Those several comments had been made before I added the context. But if used as a postpositive adjective, then why third-person singular for the verb 'leave'? However, it is such an appositive I have never met before.
    – Kevin Cheng
    Commented Sep 17 at 16:28
  • Because the subject is "the response", which is singular.
    – Colin Fine
    Commented Sep 17 at 16:56
  • Note that in your paraphrase the preposition opposite has a fully expressed object/NP complement, and that this is something that only one adjective (the adjective worth) can do!
    – Araucaria - Him
    Commented Sep 17 at 20:18

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .