ADJECTIVES
Definition An adjective is a word that modifies a noun or pronoun.
What we mean by “modify” By modify, we mean that an adjective must describe a noun or pronoun, or it must make its meaning more definite. An adjective can modify a noun or pronoun in four important ways. It can tell us: what kind which one how much how many
How adjectives modify nouns and pronouns What kind: I live in a brick house. What kind of house? A brick one. The lazy dog sat in the shade. What kind of dog? A lazy one. Which one: He talked to the other coach. Which coach? The other one. I want to watch that movie. Which movie? That one.
How adjectives modify nouns and pronouns How much: I drank some water after my run. How much water? Some. I need more money to afford that. How much money? More. How many: I checked out three books from the library. How many books? Three. I talked to several people at the game. How many people? Several.
First tip for identifying adjectives Adjectives often appear directly before a noun. The brown couch. The first day. A hidden treasure. An exciting journey. The fresh paint. That table. A quick conversation.
Practice Please identify the adjectives in the following sentences. After the long game, the team slowly walked off the field. I talked to my younger sister about the new movie that we watched. The red pen was left on the dirty floor. Some of the new students still get lost in the confusing hallways. We wrote our answers on loose-leaf paper. The volleyball team beat the tough opponents.
Tips for identifying adjectives The words a, an, and the are always adjectives. We already know that they can only come before nouns. Even though they are adjectives, we also refer to these three words as articles. A and an are called indefinite articles because they can be used to refer to any noun. The is called a definite article because it can only be used to refer to someone or something in particular.
Identifying articles Identify all adjectives in the following sentences, including articles. The old cow sat in the barn and refused to go outside. I went to the zoo this weekend and saw an elephant and a giraffe. I hope that the lamp didn’t break when it fell on the floor. Your sister said that the quiz was pretty difficult. The car’s tire popped after it hit a curb.
Demonstrative adjectives We already know that the words this, that, these, and those can be demonstrative pronouns. However, we also know that they can never appear in front of nouns. That is because, if they appear in front of a noun, they must be demonstrative adjectives. Pronoun: That is quite funny. Adjective: That show is quite funny.
Pronoun or adjective? Identify whether each of the following demonstratives is a pronoun or an adjective. I talked to that teacher about the homework. I like that sandwich, but this is good, too. I hope these strawberries are still fresh. Take those off the shelf and lay them on the floor. Those papers need to be recycled, and these can be reused.
Tips for identifying adjectives Although adjectives usually appear before the noun or pronoun they modify, they can also sometimes appear after the noun or pronoun. In order for this to happen, we often have a linking verb after the noun. The most common linking verbs are am, is, are, be, being, been, was, were, . The red car is in the driveway. vs. The car is red. The beautiful paintings are on the wall. vs. The paintings are beautiful.
Adjectives after linking verbs I am happy and excited. My father is a doctor, and he is always busy. The birds are big and strong. I will be relieved once I finish the test. My little brother is being annoying. He had been really nervous before the game. The salad that I had for dinner was delicious. The animals were cold after the winter storm.
Tips for identifying adjectives Sometimes, adjectives can appear after the noun or pronoun they modify even without being connected by a linking verb. Examples: All passengers remaining must wait in the lounge. My shirt, once clean, is now torn and ragged. The people responsible will be held accountable.