Adjectives

As with nouns, you can tell the system about an adjective just by using it.  Also like nouns, adjectives can consist of short phrases rather than single words.  You generally teach the system about a new adjective by saying one of:

• Noun is/are *adjective.`
• Noun is/are adjective, …, or adjective.
• Noun can be adjective.
• Noun can be adjective, …, or adjective.

These all introduce relationships between nouns and adjectives but have slightly different meanings.  When you say “or” you’re saying the different adjectives are alternatives, meaning the noun can’t be more than one of them at a time.  When you say is/are, you’re saying the noun always has that property (or one of the alternatives).  When you say can be, you’re saying the property is optional.  It might be true but doesn’t have to be.  For example, if you say:

A chair is solid.

You’re saying all chairs are always solid.  But if you say:

A chair can be comfy.

You’re saying some chairs are comfy chairs and others aren’t. If you say:

Chairs are sturdy or cheaply built.

You’re saying all chairs are either study chairs or cheaply built chairs, but never both, i.e. there are no sturdy cheaply built chairs. But if you say:

Chairs can be sturdy or cheaply built.

You’re saying chairs can be study, cheaply built, or neither (but still not both).  Thus, there are sturdy chairs, cheaply built chairs, and (just plain old) chairs that are neither.