 Let's look at the homogeneity of word classes in this practical. Here is a set of words that, in standard dictionaries, are all classified as adjectives. Quick, Hard, Maximum, Outside, and Asleep. But what does it mean for a word to be an adjective? Apply these criteria to each word and you will find out. On the basis of your analysis, what can you say about the homogeneity of adjectives and perhaps of word classes in general? As you can see, only quick satisfies all criteria. Quickly, quicker, very quick. The quick answer, and he is quick, are all possible. Asleep, by contrast, only satisfies the last criterion, he uses sleep. For the definition of the word class of adjectives, this means that there is a gradients. That is, there is no clear boundary between these words as far as their adjective hood is concerned. Hence, word classes are not as homogeneous as we often think. Adjectives constitute a heterogeneous word class. Some adjectives satisfy all criteria. For example, quick, others only one, asleep. This phenomenon is often referred to as indeterminacy of analysis.