Like verbs and nouns, adjectives can be combined with arguments and modifiers to form a larger projection. For example, the adjective boos vvv in (1a) takes the PP op zijn vaderwith his father as its complement (i.e. internal argument), and can also be modified by a degree modifier such as ergvery. The projection (erg) boos op zijn vader thus formed acts as a constituent, which is clear from the fact, illustrated by (1b), that it can be moved in its entirety into sentence-initial position; cf. the constituency test. However, the adjective and its complement can also occur discontinuously, as shown in (1c&d).

This chapter will focus on complementation of the adjective phrase; modification will be the topic of Chapter 25. Sections 24.1 and 24.2 discuss complementation by prepositional and nominal complements, respectively, while Section 24.3 considers the fact that adjectival heads and their complements may occur discontinuously. The set-denoting adjectives discussed in Section 23.3.2 take not only complements, but also an external argument, i.e. a nominal or clausal element of which they are predicated and which we will call their logical subject; the subject of boos in (1a), for example, is the noun phrase Jan. This topic is not discussed here, but in Chapter 28.