1. Adjectives “Much maligned by professional writers, adjectives and adverbs do have their place. A powerful verb is better than a weak one paired with an adverb. A list of features that make some thing beautiful or ugly is better than the simple adjectives. Yes, a precise adjective or deftly used adverb sings.” -Jeff Anderson

2. Adjectives An adjective is a word that describes a noun or pronoun. They make nouns more specific They are often called modifiers – they modify or change the meaning of a noun or pronoun You can use more than one adjective to modify a noun or pronoun EXAMPLES: old-fashioned game new video game children’s word game first baseball game

3. Adjectives continued… Adjectives answer questions about nouns and pronouns  What kind?  Which one?  How many?  How much? WHAT KIND?WHICH ONE?HOW MANY?HOW MUCH? brick housethat judgeone daffodilno time white papereach answerseveral rosesenough raisins serious argumentthose sistersboth brothersmany hobbies colorful shirtsthis studentfour bookssome teams

4. Adjectives continued… An adjective usually comes before the noun it modifies; sometimes they come after the nouns they modify EXAMPLES: modifies The legal system, serious and complex, is sometimes hard to understand. noun adjective adjective modifies The room, narrow and dark, frightened us. noun adjective adjective modifies Graphics, large and colorful, covered the screen. noun adjective adjective

5. Adjectives continued… Adjectives that modify pronouns usually come after linking verbs; sometimes adjectives may come before the pronoun AFTER: modifies They were quiet and thoughtful. pronoun adjective adjective modifies They are happy and talkative. pronoun adjective adjective modifies She is talented. pronoun adjective

6. Adjectives continued… BEFORE: modifies Tall and elegant, she walked into the room. adjective adjective pronoun modifies Quiet and sullen, he sat in a corner. adjective adjective pronoun modifies Intelligent and active, they won the tournament. adjective adjective pronoun

7. Articles Three frequently used adjectives are a, an, and the. They are called articles. Articles can be definite or indefinite. Both types indicate that a noun will soon follow. The is a definite article; it points to a specific person, place, thing, or idea A and an are indefinite articles; they point to any member of a group of similar people, places, things or ideas DEFINITE: Mr. Ryan is the man to call. (specific person) Go into the gym. (specific place) I want to play the game. (specific thing) INDEFINITE: I want to see a game. (any game) Please take an apple. (any apple) You should see a teacher for help. (any teacher)

8. Articles continued… A is used before consonant sounds; an is used before vowel sounds You choose between a and an based on sounds USING A AND AN A WITH CONSONANT SOUNDSAN WITH VOWEL SOUNDS a blue hatan endangered water bird a happy time (h sound)an honest person (no h sound) a one-way street (w sound)an old map (o sound) a unicorn (y sound)an uncle (u sound) a taxian opportunity a pineapplean angry look A university (y sound)an eraser

9. Using Proper Adjectives A proper adjective is (1) a proper noun used as an adjective or (2) an adjective formed from a proper noun Begins with a capital letter A proper noun used as an adjective does not change its form; it is just placed in front of another noun. PROPER NOUNSUSED AS PROPER ADJECTIVES ThanksgivingThanksgiving dinner (Which dinner?) FloridaFlorida wetlands (Which wetlands?) DecemberDecember weather (What kind of weather?)

10. Using Proper Adjectives continued… When an adjective is formed from a proper noun, the proper noun will change its form. PROPER NOUNSPROPER ADJECTIVES FORMED FROM PROPER NOUNS AmericaAmerican history (Which kind of history?) JapanJapanese cities (Which cities?) NorwayNorwegian legends (Which legends?) IncaIncan empire (Which empire?) SouthSouthern hospitality (Which hospitality?)

11. Using Nouns as Adjectives Nouns can sometimes be used as adjectives It usually comes directly before another noun Answers the question What kind? or Which one? NOUNSUSED AS ADJECTIVES shoea shoe salesperson (What kind of salesperson?) waterfowlthe waterfowl refuge (Which refuge?) courta court date (What kind of date?) morninga morning appointment (What kind of appointment?)

12. Using Compound Adjectives Adjectives, like nouns, can be compound. A compound adjective is made up of more than one word. Most are written as hyphenated words Some are written as combined words HYPHENATEDCOMBINED a well-known actressa featherweight boxer a full-time joba freshwater lake snow-covereda sideways glance one-sided opinionsheartbreaking news so-called expertsa nearsighted witness

13. Using Pronouns as Adjectives Pronouns, like nouns, can sometimes be used as adjectives A pronoun becomes an adjective if it modifies a noun. EXAMPLES: We see the ducklings on this side of the pond. Which ducks are the males?

14. Using Possessive Nouns and Pronouns as Adjectives Personal pronouns are often possessive adjectives (my, your, her, his, its, our, their) because they come before nouns and answer the question Which one? EXAMPLES: refers to modifies The ducks flapped their wings. antecedent pronoun refers to modifies The club wants to increase its membership. antecedent pronoun Possessive nouns function as adjectives when they modify a noun. EXAMPLES: The pond is on Mrs. Smith’s property. The duck’s feathers are colorful.

15. Using Demonstrative Adjectives This, that, these, and those – the four demonstrative pronouns – can also be demonstrative adjectives. PRONOUN: We saw that. ADJECTIVE: That lake is home to many geese. PRONOUN: What are these? ADJECTIVE: These gulls are searching for food.

16. Using Interrogative Adjectives Which, what, and whose – three of the interrogative pronouns – can be interrogative adjectives. PRONOUN: Which do you think he will choose? ADJECTIVE: Which parrot do you think he will buy? PRONOUN: Whose can that be? ADJECTIVE: Whose macaw can that be?

17. Using Indefinite Adjectives A number of indefinite pronouns – both, few, many, each, most, and all, among others – can also be used as indefinite adjectives. PRONOUN : I bought one of each. ADJECTIVE : Each judge writes an opinion. PRONOUN : I don’t want any. ADJECTIVE : I don’t want any help.