Adjective: a word that modifies a noun or pronoun (happy babies) ADJECTIVES Adjective: a word that modifies a noun or pronoun (happy babies)

Why Do We Need Adjectives? We need adjectives because there are only thousands of nouns, but there are billions of things in the universe; we could never learn enough nouns to have an effective language. We need adjectives to help us describe things for which no exact nouns exist, and to describe all of the things for which we do not know the exact noun. Adjectives also help us to express the subtle differences between very similar things.

Modify? To modify is to change. An adjective can modify (change) the image you have in your mind of a particular noun. Example: Frozen summit vs. political summit

Three degrees of adjectives: positive: no comparison (good) comparative: comparing 2 things (better) superlative: comparing 3 things or more (best) Proper Adjectives: Proper adjectives are made out of proper nouns. England makes English. Rome makes Roman. When we convert a proper noun into a proper adjective, we retain the capitalization. Articles: The articles are the three adjectives a, an, and the. The definite article is the, and the indefinite articles are a and an. Articles are little noun-alerts; they let us know that what comes next is probably a noun.

Good or well? The word good is an adjective that may be used to modify nouns or pronouns; the word well is usually an adverb that modifies action verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. Example:The good athlete runs well. We should not say, “I don’t feel well,” which means that one has no talent for feelings! We should say, “I don’t feel good,” which uses the adjective good to modify the pronoun I. Compound Adjectives: some adjectives are actually two words put together. Example from Hamlet: “I eat the air, promise-crammed.”

Demonstrative Adjectives: point out nouns Demonstrative Adjectives: point out nouns. The words this, that, these, and those are demonstrative adjectives. Demonstrative adjectives are more precise than articles because they tell which one. Example: This book has more illustrations than that magazine. The difference between demonstrative adjectives and demonstrative pronouns??? Demonstrative adjectives modify nouns. Demonstrative pronouns replace nouns. Examples: That assignment will be difficult. (adjective) That will be a difficult assignment. (pronoun) SIDE NOTE: Nouns, pronouns, and verbs can be used as adjectives because the way a word is used determines its part of speech.

The orchard walls are high and hard to climb. FOUR LEVEL ANALYSIS The orchard walls are high and hard to climb. Parts of Speech:______________________________________________________________________________________ Speech:_adj._________adj.__________n.________________ adj.__________________adj._______________

When I first sighted her; all her sails were drawing FOUR LEVEL ANALYSIS When I first sighted her; all her sails were drawing Parts of Speech:______________________________________________________________________________________ Speech:____________subj. pron._______________obj. pron_______pos. pron,_____n.______________________

Adjective Practice What bloody man is that? Directions: Circle/highlight all of the adjectives (don’t forget about articles) in the following excerpts from Shakespeare’s Macbeth. What bloody man is that? Stay, you imperfect speakers. It was the owl that shrieked, the fatal bellman. Here is a place reserved, sir. If you will take a homely man’s advice, Be not found here. Thou liest, thou shag-eared villain! Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow Creeps in this petty pace from day to day To the last syllable of recorded time, And all our yesterdays have lighted fools The way to dusty death.

Answers to Adjective Practice What bloody man is that? Stay, you imperfect speakers. It was the owl that shrieked, the fatal bellman. Here is a place reserved, sir. If you will take a homely man’s advice, Be not found here. Thou liest, thou shag-eared villain! Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow Creeps in this petty pace from day to day To the last syllable of recorded time, And all our yesterdays have lighted fools The way to dusty death.