Adjectives

Definition of Adjective

Adjectives are describing words. Large, grey and friendly are all examples of adjectives. In the examples below, these adjectives are used to describe an elephant.  

Examples:

-  Large whale
- Grey elephant- Friendly dog

Adjectives Modify Nouns

The word elephant is a noun. Adjectives are added to nouns to state what kind, what colour, which one or how many. Adjectives are said to modify nouns and are necessary to make the meanings of sentences clearer or more exact.

Examples:-  Follow the yellow cab.
(In this example, the adjective 'yellow' modifies the noun 'cab'.)-  Craig caught another large bass.
(In this example, the adjective 'large' modifies the noun 'bass'.)

-  The principal words should be in bold.

(Beware of the adjective 'principal' - see right)

Adjectives Modify Pronouns

Although less common, adjectives can also modify pronouns.

Examples:-  It is a red one.
(In this example, the adjective 'red' modifies the pronoun 'one'.)-  Only a brave few have received a recommendation.

Adjective

An adjective modifies a noun. It describes the quality, state or action that a noun refers to. 
ADJECTIVE RULES:

i) Adjectives can come before nouns: a new car
ii) Adjectives can come after verbs such as be, become, seem, look, etc.: that car looks fast
iii) They can be modified by adverbs: a very expensive car
iv) They can be used as complements to a noun: the extras make the car expensive

1. Adjectival Noun
An Adjective can sometimes function as a Noun; the young, the rich, etc. These are Adjectival Nouns, meaning the people who are young, the people who are rich, etc. 

2. Attributive Adjective
An attributive adjective comes before a noun and not after a copula verb, like BE, SEEM, etc. 

3. Common Adjective
A common adjective is an adjective that is not written with a capital letter. Most adjectives are common- ones that are written with a capital letter are proper adjectives . 

4. Demonstrative Adjectives
Demonstrative adjectives (this, that, these, those) show whether the noun they refer to is singular or plural and whether it is located near to or far from the speaker or writer.

5. Possessive Adjectives
My, your, his, her, its, our, and their are the English possessive adjectives, used with nouns to show possession or ownership.
EG. That's my folder. (My is an adjective which shows that I am the owner of the folder.)
My; your; his; her; its; our; & their are the possessive adjectives in English. They are used before a noun to show possession.

6. Predicative Adjectives
A predicative adjective comes after a copula verb (linking verb) and not before a noun.

7. Proper Adjective
A proper adjective is an adjective that is written with a capital letter. They are often derived from proper nouns: 
A Japanese camera- Japanese is derived from the proper noun Japan.
This is not always the case:
Native Americans- Native is not derived from a proper noun, but is capitalised as the words together form the name of the group of people.

8. Ordinary adjectives that are not written with a capital letter are common adjectives. 

9. Resultative Adjectives
A resultative adjective is an adjective that is placed postpositively (after the noun it modifies) and reflects a change that occurs by action of the verb on the noun. Hence result +ative.

He cooked the meat rare. 
She painted the fence white.
She rinsed the glass clean.


Exercise Adjectives 

1.  Those are probably the ___________ curtains in the store.
 fancyest
 fanciest
 most fanciest

2.  Uncle Carl is really ______________________ man.
 an old sweet
 a sweet, old
 a sweet old

3.  The Karmen-Ghia used to be _________________ sportscar.
 a fine German
 a German, fine
 a fine, German

4.  Everyone was home for the holidays. What could make for ___________ Christmas than that?
 a merryer
 the merriest
 a merrier

5.  They grew up in ___________________ house in Mexico City.
 a comfortable, little
 a little, comfortable
 a comfortable little

6.  Diehard is the ____________ movie I've ever seen.
 most excited
 most exciting
 most exciteable

7.  Tashonda wanted to take a course with _____________________ professor.
 that interesting new Japanese economics
 that Japanese interesting, new economics
 that interesting, new, Japanese, economics

8.  Of all the mechanics in the shop, Jerzy is surely ______________ .
 the less competent.
 the least competent.
 the competentest.

9.  In the fall, the valleys tend to be ___________ than the hilltops.
 foggy
 more foggier
 foggier

10.  My cold is definitely _________ this morning.
 worse
 worst
 worser

Answer: 

1. fanciest.

2. a sweet old.

3. a fine German.

4. a merrier.

5. a comfortable little.

6. most exciting.

7. that interesting new Japanese economics.

8. the least competent.

9. foggier

10. worse