Infinitive complement

• see: I started happy too... now you probably don't need to be too perceptive to see where this is heading do you?

Modifies a noun

• observer: Grossman was a perceptive observer with an eye for essential detail.

• faculty: The person's perceptive faculties now cease for ever.

• insight: With his feet firmly planted in both camps he had many deeply perceptive insights about both sides.

• critic: Nevertheless, Davis is a perceptive critic of Derrida's discussion of Austin in Limited Inc ( 159-61 ).

• observation: In fact, in pursuing the theme of writing, Innis makes many perceptive observations.

• lyric: Whilst his unique, crying vocals sometimes suffer amidst such finery, his perceptive lyrics rarely fail to impress.

Modifying Another Word

• extremely: She has always had a great sense of humor, and is extremely perceptive.

• highly: The obituarist makes a number of highly perceptive observations, some of which I highlight in these comments.

• very: The Page of Swords is a young, very perceptive person.

• so: And she's so perceptive, accurate and honest too.

• quite: Malevich's, conflation of a particular kind of world-denying mysticism with the ideals of industrial production is quite perceptive.

• also: They are also perceptive observers of social groups, of different cultures and the community and society they live in.

Used with adjective complement

• become: How might people learn to become more perceptive about what is going on in the world around them?

• write: He writes perceptive, intelligent, incisive, angry songs, sung quietly and tunefully to a supremely accomplished acoustic guitar backing.