Understanding Adjectives

Adjectives are words that describe and modify. They make what you say and write more interesting for others. Remember what you write should be interesting to your audience. Before you write identify you audience. You can use several ways to identify adjectives: their definition, their division into classes and those features that distinguish them from other parts of speech.

Adjectives are usually defined as words that modify nouns and pronouns. We were enthusiastic about our team winning. Adjectives answer the questions what kind? Which one? Or how many? About the words they modify. Rare coins (what kind of coins?) those coins (which ones?) twelve coins (how many coins?)Grouping adjectives by classes:

There are five classes of adjectives: articles, proper adjectives, nouns used as adjectives, pronouns used as adjectives, and predicate adjectives. However, many adjectives do not belong to any special class. Articles –a, an, and the- are the most frequently used adjectives in the English language. A and an are used to modify singular nouns and pronouns. An is used when the word following an begins with a vowel sound. It was an honour to be invited.

Proper adjectives are proper nouns used as adjectives. Some proper nouns change form to become adjectives. All proper nouns that become proper adjectives must be capitalised. We visited the country of Iceland. (proper noun). Pronouns used as adjectives modify nouns or pronouns. Demonstrative pronouns (this, that, these, and those) act as adjectives when they modify a noun or pronoun. This will be perfect for the party. (Pronoun). This dress will be perfect for the party. (Adjective). Grandmother gave me these for my report.

Predicate adjectives follow a linking verb ad describe or modify the subject of the sentence. The meal tastes delicious. They have been helpful to us in the past. Finding adjectives by their features: 

Two features can help you identify adjectives: degrees of comparison and suffixes. Most adjectives have at least one of these features. Adjectives may change form to show degrees of comparison. Adjectives have three degrees for comparison: positive, comparative, and superlative.

For example under the following headlines: Positive (describes one, comparative (compares two nouns) Superlative (compares three or more nouns: old, older, oldest, smart, smarter, smartest. Tobias is a fast runner. (positive). Amkela is a fast runner than Tobias. (comparative) The regular way to form the comparative and superlatives is to add –er and  -est to the end of the adjective. Sometimes there will be a slight spelling change: pretty, prettier, prettiest.

Many two two-syllable adjectives and all adjectives that have three or more syllables form their comparative degree with more and their superlative degree with most. Examples: helpful, more helpful most helpful, thorough, more thorough, most thorough,, horrible, more horrible, most horrible, important, more important and most important. Some adjectives have irregular comparative and superlative forms. Good, better, best, bad, worse, worst, much, many, more and most.

Adjectives may be formed with suffixes. These are under the following headlines noun, suffix and adjective: coast + suffix (-al) adjective  -coastal, fool +-is – foolish, thought + -less – thoughtless, life + -like – lifelike. Forming adjectives with suffixes:  Adjectives may be formed by adding suffixes to other parts of speech such as nouns and verbs under Noun + suffix equal to adjective. Noun + -y – cloudy morning, score + -less – scoreless, play + full – playful, adventure + rous – adventurous, clown + -ish – clownish

Adjectives to be specific: Adjectives give specific qualities to nouns and pronouns, answering the questions what kind? Which one? And how many? The chair leaned against the wall. The tattered chair leaned against the velvet wallpapered wall. Next you need to understand adverbs in the same way we have done with adjectives.

Adverbs are modifiers that answer specific questions about words and add detail to your writing and speaking. You can also identify adverbs by their definition, by the way they are divided into classes, and by the features that distinguish them from other parts of speech. Adverbs are usually defined as words that modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. Grouping adverbs by classes: Any word that is used to modify a verb, an adjective, or an adverb is classified as an adverb. 

Within this large classification of words, however, there are two groups of adverbs that are sometimes difficult to identify. These are interrogative adverbs and negative adverbs. Interrogative and negative adverbs are most easily recognised by the way they are used in a sentence. An adverb that is used at the beginning of a sentence that asks a question  is called an interrogative adverb. Each interrogative adverb is used to modify adverb, an adjective, or an adverb in the sentence. 

How far did you run? (modifies the adverb far.

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