Definition of Adjective

8/9/2019 Definition of Adjective

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Definition

Adjectives are words that describe or modify another person or thing in the sentence. The

Articles a, an, and the are adjectives.

the tall professor the lugubrious lieutenant

a solid commitment

a month's pay

a six-year-old child

the unhappiest, richest man

If a group of words containing a subject and verb acts as an adjective, it is called an

Adjective Clause.My sister, who is much older than I am, is an engineer. If an adjectiveclause is stripped of its subject and verb, the resulting modifier becomes an AdjectivePhrase: He is the man who is keeping my family in the poorhouse.

Before getting into other usage considerations, one general note about the use or over-use of adjectives: Adjectives are frail; don't ask them to do more work than they

should. Let your broad-shouldered verbs and nouns do the hard work of description. Be

particularly cautious in your use of adjectives that don't have much to say in the first

place: interesting, beautiful, lovely, exciting. It is your job as a writer to create beauty andexcitement and interest, and when you simply insist on its presence withoutshowingit toyour reader well, you're convincing no one.

Consider the uses of modifiers in this adjectivally rich paragraph from Thomas Wolfe's

Look Homeward, Angel. (Charles Scribner's, 1929, p. 69.) Adjectives are highlighted in

this color;participles, verb forms acting as adjectives, are highlighted in thisblue. Somepeople would argue that words that are part of a name like "East India Tea House

are not really adjectival and that possessive nouns father's, farmer's are nottechnically adjectives, but we've included them in our analysis of Wolfe's text.

He remembered yet the EastIndiaTea House at the Fair, the sandalwood, the turbans,

and the robes, the cool interior and the smell ofIndia tea; and he had felt now the

nostalgic thrill ofdew-wet mornings in Spring, the cherry scent, the coolclarion earth,the wet loaminess of the garden, thepungentbreakfast smells and the floating snow of

blossoms. He knew the inchoatesharp excitement ofhot dandelions in young earth; in

July, of watermelonsbedded in sweet hay, inside a farmer'scovered wagon; of

cantaloupe and crated peaches; and the scent oforange rind,bitter-sweet, before a fire ofcoals. He knew the goodmale smell of his father's sitting-room; of the smoothworn

leathersofa, with the gaping horse-hair rent; of theblisteredvarnished wood upon thehearth; of the heatedcalf-skin bindings; of the flatmoist plug ofapple tobacco, stuck

with a red flag; of wood-smoke andburnt leaves in October; of thebrowntired autumn

earth; of honey-suckle at night; ofwarm nasturtiums, of a cleanruddy farmer who comes

weekly withprinted butter, eggs, and milk; offatlimpunderdone bacon and of coffee; ofa bakery-oven in the wind; oflargedeep-hued stringbeans smoking-hot and seasoned
http://punctilious.org/grammar/determiners/determiners.htmhttp://punctilious.org/grammar/clauses.htmhttp://punctilious.org/grammar/clauses.htmhttp://punctilious.org/grammar/verbs.htm#participleshttp://punctilious.org/grammar/determiners/determiners.htmhttp://punctilious.org/grammar/clauses.htmhttp://punctilious.org/grammar/verbs.htm#participles


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The degrees of comparison are known as the positive, the

comparative, and the superlative. (Actually, only the

comparative and superlative show degrees.) We use thecomparative for comparing two things and the superlative

for comparing three or more things. Notice that the word

than frequently accompanies the comparative and the wordthe precedes the superlative. The inflected suffixes -erand

-estsuffice to form most comparatives and superlatives,although we need -ierand -iestwhen a two-syllableadjective ends iny (happier and happiest); otherwise we usemore and mostwhen an adjective has more than onesyllable.

Click on the "scary bear" to readand hear George Newall's

"Unpack Your Adjectives" (fromScholastic Rock, 1975).Schoolhouse Rock and its

characters and other elementsare trademarks and service

marks of AmericanBroadcasting Companies, Inc.

Used with permission.

Positive Comparative Superlative

rich richer richest

lovely lovelier
http://punctilious.org/grammar/grammarrock.htm#adjectives


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rich richer richest


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rich richer richest


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rich richer richest

good better best

impossib

le princip

allessleastmuc

hmany

somemoremos

tfarfurtherfurthestbad

Be careful not

to form

comparativesor superlatives

of adjectives

which already

worse worst


7/111


rich richer richest

express an

extreme ofcomparison

unique, forinstance although it

probably is

possible toform

comparative

forms of mostadjectives:

something canbe moreperfect, andsomeone can

have afullerfigure. Peoplewho argue that

one woman

cannot be

morepregnantthan

another havenever beennine-months

pregnant with

twins.

Gramma

r's

Respons

e

According to

Bryan Garner,"complete" is

one of those

adjectives that

does notadmit


8/111


rich richer richest

of

comparativedegrees. We

could say,

however,"more nearly

complete." I

am sure that Ihave not been

consistent in

my applicationof this

principle inthe Guide (I

can hearmyself, now,

saying

something like"less

adequate" or

"morepreferable" or

"less fatal").

Otheradjectives thatGarner would

include in this

list are asfollows:

absolute

W

he

n

m

a

ki

adeq

uate

inevi

table

st

ationary

chief

irrev

ocable

su

fficient

co

mplete

mai

n


9/111


rich richer richest

n

g

a

c

om

p

ar

i

s

on

be

t

we

e

n

qu

an

t

it

i

es

we

o

ft

e


10/111


rich richer richest

n

hav

e

t

o

m

a

k

e

a

c

h

oi

c

e

be

tw

e

en

th

e

wo

r

ds


11/111


rich richer richest

fe

wer

an

d

les

s.

G

en

e

ra

l

ly

,w

he

n

w

e

'r

e

ta

l

ki

n


12/111


rich richer richest

g

abo

u

tc

o

un

t

a

bl

e

t

h

in

g

s,

we

u

s

e

t

he

wor

d

fe


13/111


rich richer richest

we

r;w

h

en

we

'

r

e

t

al

k

in

g

a

bo

ut

m

ea

s

ur

a

ble

qu

a


14/111


rich richer richest

n

t

iti

e

s

t

ha

t

w

e

c

an

n

ot

c

ou

nt

,w

e

u

s

e

t

he

w

or

d


15/111


rich richer richest

l

ess.

"S

h

e

h

a

d

f

ew

e

r

c

ho

re

s,

b

ut

s

he

als

o

h

a


16/111


rich richer richest

d

les

s

e

n

er

g

y

."

Th

e

m

a

na

ge

rs

at

o

ur

loc

a

lS

t


17/111


rich richer richest

o

p

&

S

ho

p

s

e

e

m

t

o

h

av

e

m

as

te

r

ed

th

i

s:t

h

ey

'


18/111


rich richer richest

v

e

ch

a

ng

e

d

t

h

e

s

ig

n

s

a

tt

he

s

o

-c

a

ll

e

de

x

pr

e


19/111


rich richer richest

s

s

la

n

es

fr

o

m

"

T

we

l

ve

It

em

s

o

r

L

es

s

"t

o

"

T


20/111


rich richer richest

w

e

lve

It

e

ms

o

r

F

ew

e

r.

"

W

he

th

e

r

t

ha

t

's

a

n

a


21/111


rich richer richest

c

t

ual

i

mp

r

ov

e

m

en

t

,w

e

'l

l

le

av

e

u

p

t

o

y

ou.


22/111


rich richer richest

d

evo

i

d

m

an

i

fe

s

t

un

av

o

id

a

bl

e

e

n


23/111


rich richer richest

t

i

re

mi

n

o

r

un

b

ro

ke

n

fa

t

al

p


24/111


rich richer richest

a

r

amo

u

nt

u

ni

q

ue

f

in

al

pe

r

pet

u

al


25/111


rich richer richest

un

i

ve

r

sa

l

id

e

al

p

re

f

er

a

bl

e

w

h


26/111


rich richer richest

o

l

el

i

tt

l

e

It

wou

l

d

t

a

ke

a

l

in

g

u

is

t

i

c

ph

i

lo


27/111


rich richer richest

s

op

he

r

to

ex

pla

i

n

w

h

y

w

e

s

ay

"

li

t

t

le

b

r

ow


28/111


rich richer richest

n

h

ou

s

e

"

a

nd

no

t

"b

r

o

wn

li

t

tl

e

ho

u

s

e"

o

r

w


29/111


rich richer richest

h

y

we

s

ay

"r

ed

I

ta

l

i

an

sp

o

rt

s

ca

r

"

a

nd

no


30/111


rich richer richest

t

"I

ta

l

i

an

re

ds

p

or

t

s

c

a

r.

"

T

h

e

o

r

d

er

i

n

w


31/111


rich richer richest

h

ic

h

a

d

je

c

ti

ves

in

a

s

e

ri

e

s

s

o

rt

t

h

em

se

l

ve


32/111


rich richer richest

s

o

ut

i

s

p

e

rp

lex

i

ng

f

or

pe

o

pl

e

le

a

r

ni

ng

En


33/111


rich richer richest

g

li

sh

a

s

a

s

eco

n

d

l

a

ng

u

ag

e

.M

o

s

to

t

h

er

l

a

ng


34/111


rich richer richest

u

ag

es

d

ic

t

at

ea

si

m

i

la

r

o

r

de

r

,

bu

t

n

ot

ne

c

es


35/111


rich richer richest

s

ar

il

y

th

e

s

ame

or

d

e

r.

I

tt

a

ke

s

a

l

o

to

f

p

ra


36/111


rich richer richest

c

ti

ce

w

it

h

a

la

n

gu

a

g

e

b

ef

o

re

t

hi

s

or

de

r

b


37/111


rich richer richest

e

co

me

s

in

s

ti

nct

i

ve

,

b

ec

a

us

e

t

h

e

o

r

d

er

o

f

te


38/111


rich richer richest

n

s

ee

m

s

q

u

it

ea

r

bi

t

r

ar

y

(

i

f

n

o

td

o

w

nr

ig

h

tc


39/111


rich richer richest

a

pr

ic

i

o

us

)

.T

her

e

i

s

,

ho

w

ev

e

r,

a

pa

t

t

er

n.

Y

ou


40/111


rich richer richest

wi

ll

f

i

nd

ma

ny

e

xc

e

p

ti

o

ns

to

t

he

p

at

te

r

n


41/111


rich richer richest

i

n

th

e

ta

b

le

be

l

ow

,

b

ut

i

ti

s

d

e

f

in

i

t

el

y

i

mp


42/111


rich richer richest

o

rt

an

t

t

o

l

ea

rn

t

he

p

at

t

er

n

o

f

ad

j

e

ct

iv

e

o


43/111


rich richer richest

r

de

r

i

f

i

t

is

no

t

pa

r

t

of

wh

a

ty

o

u

n

a

t

ur

al

l

y


44/111


rich richer richest

b

ri

ng

t

o

t

he

la

n

gu

a

g

e.

Th

e

c

at

e

go

r

ie

s

in


45/111


rich richer richest

t

he

f

o

l

lo

w

in

gt

a

bl

e

ca

n

b

e

d

e

s

cr

i

b

ed

a

s

f


46/111


rich richer richest

o

ll

ow

s

:

I.

Dete

II.

Obse

III.

Size

IV.

Age

V.

Colo

VI.Origi

VII.

Mate

VIII.

Quali

IX.

TH

M

o


47/111


rich richer richest

r

e

t

h

a

n

/

o

v

e

r

?

?

W

e

al

so

wa

n


48/111


rich richer richest

t

to

b

e

ca

r

ef

uli

n

a

s

en

t

en

c

e

s

u

ch

a

s

"I

li


49/111


rich richer richest

k

e

hi

m

be

t

te

rt

h

an

s

he

/

he

r

."

T

he

"

sh

e"

wo


50/111


rich richer richest

u

ld

m

e

a

n

t

ha

tyo

u

l

i

k

e

t

hi

s

p

e

r

so

n

be

tt

e

r


51/111


rich richer richest

t

ha

n

s

h

e

l

ik

es

h

im

;

t

he

"h

e

r"

w

ou

l

d

m

ea

n

t


52/111


rich richer richest

h

at

yo

u

li

k

e

thi

s

m

a

l

e

p

er

s

on

b

et

t

e

r

th

a

n


53/111


rich richer richest

y

ou

l

i

k

e

t

ha

tfe

m

al

e

pe

r

so

n

.(

T

o

a

v

o

id

a

m

bi


54/111


rich richer richest

g

ui

ty

a

nd

th

es

l

ip

p

e

ry

us

e

o

f

than

,w

e

c

ou


55/111


rich richer richest

l

d

wr

i

t

e

"

I

lik

e

h

i

m

b

e

tt

e

r

t

h

an

s

he

d

o

es


56/111


rich richer richest

"

o

r

"

I

l

i

ke

hi

m

b

e

t

te

r

t

h

an

I

l

i

k

e

he

r

."


57/111


rich richer richest

)

T

a

l

l

e

r

t

h

a

n

I

/

m

e

?

?

W


58/111


rich richer richest

e

d

o,

h

o

we

v

er

,de

f

in

i

t

el

y

u

s

e

less

w

he

n

r

ef


59/111


rich richer richest

e

rr

in

g

to

st

ati

s

ti

c

a

lo

r

n

u

me

r

i

ca

l

e

xp

re

s

si


60/111


rich richer richest

o

ns

:

It's

He'

Yo

W

Th

In

F

r

o

m

The

Oxford


61/111


rich richer richest

D

ictionaryo

fAmerican

UsageandS

tyleb

y


62/111


rich richer richest

B

ry

an

G

ar

n

er

.Co

p

yr

i

g

ht

1

99

5

b

y

Br

y

a

n

A.

G

ar


63/111


rich richer richest

n

er

.P

u

b

li

s

he

db

y

O

x

f

or

d

U

n

iv

e

r

si

t

y

P

re

s

s,


64/111


rich richer richest

I

nc

.,

w

w

w.

o

up

-us

a

.o

r

g

,a

n

d

u

se

d

wi

t

h

t

he

gr


65/111


rich richer richest

a

ci

ou

s

co

n

se

nto

f

O

x

f

or

d

U

n

iv

e

r

si

t

y

P

re

s

s


66/111


rich richer richest

.

B

e

c

a

r

ef

ul,

a

ls

o

,

no

t

to

us

e

more

a

lo

n

g


67/111


rich richer richest

w

it

h

a

co

m

pa

rat

i

ve

a

dj

e

ct

i

ve

f

or

m

e

d

wi

t

h


68/111


rich richer richest

-

ern

o

r

t

o

u

se

most

al

o

ng

wi

t

h

a

s

up

er

l

at


69/111


rich richer richest

i

ve

a

d

j

ec

t

iv

ef

o

rm

e

d

w

i

th

-est(

e

.

g.

,d

o

n


70/111


rich richer richest

o

tw

ri

t

e

t

h

at

som

e

th

i

n

g

i

s

m

or

e

he

a

v

ie

r

o

r


71/111


rich richer richest

m

os

th

e

a

vi

e

st

).

Th

e

as

as

c

on

s

tr

u

ct

i

o

n

i


72/111


rich richer richest

s

u

se

d

to

cr

eat

e

a

c

om

p

ar

i

so

n

ex

p

r

es

si

n

g


73/111


rich richer richest

e

qu

al

i

t

y:

He

Sh

o

Premo

Bo

t

h

a

dv


74/111


rich richer richest

e

rb

s

a

n

d

a

dj

ect

i

ve

s

in

th

e

ir

c

om

p

a

ra

ti

v

e


75/111


rich richer richest

a

nd

s

u

p

er

l

at

ive

fo

r

m

s

c

an

be

a

cc

o

m

pa

ni

e

d


76/111


rich richer richest

b

y

pr

e

m

od

i

fi

ers

,

si

n

g

le

wo

r

ds

a

nd

p

hr

as

e

s,


77/111


rich richer richest

t

ha

ti

n

t

en

s

if

yt

h

e

d

e

gr

e

e.

W

He

W

Yo

Th


78/111


rich richer richest

Th

He

An

He

Th

If

Sh

Th

Oc

Of

Th

Of


79/111


rich richer richest

Au

un

a

n

im

o

us

Determin

er

Observati

onPhysical Description Origin

Materi

al

Qualifi

erNoun

Ita

l

ia

n

t

o

u

ri

n

gc

a

r

Size Shape Age Color

a beautifu

l


80/111


rich richer richest

o

ldan expensive

antiqu

e silver

mirror

four gorgeous

long-

stemm

ed

red silk

roses

her short black hair

our big old English sheepdog

those square wooden hat boxes

thatdilapidate

dlittle

cabin

severalenormo

usyoung

Americ

an

baske

tball

players

some delicious Thai food

This chart is probably too wide to print on a standard piece of paper. If you clickHERE, you will get a one-page duplicate of this chart, which you can print out ona regular piece of paper.

It would be folly, of course, to run more than two or three (at the most) adjectives

together. Furthermore, when adjectives belong to the same class, they become what wecall coordinated adjectives, and you will want to put a comma between them: theinexpensive, comfortable shoes. The rule for inserting the comma works this way: if you

could have inserted a conjunction andorbut between the two adjectives, use acomma. We could say these are "inexpensive but comfortable shoes," so we would use a

comma between them (when the "but" isn't there). When you have three coordinatedadjectives, separate them all with commas, but don't insert a comma between the last

adjective and the noun (in spite of the temptation to do so because you often pause there):

a popular, respected, and good looking student

See the section on Commasfor additional help in punctuating coordinated adjectives.

Capitalizing Proper Adjectives

When an adjective owes its origins to a proper noun, it should probably be capitalized.

Thus we write about Christian music, French fries, the English Parliament, the Ming

Dynasty, a Faulknerian style, Jeffersonian democracy. Some periods of time have takenon the status of proper adjectives: the Nixon era, a Renaissance/Romantic/Victorian poet
http://punctilious.org/grammar/adjective_order.htmhttp://punctilious.org/grammar/commas.htm#coordinatehttp://punctilious.org/grammar/commas.htm#coordinatehttp://punctilious.org/grammar/adjective_order.htmhttp://punctilious.org/grammar/commas.htm#coordinate


81/111

(but a contemporary novelist and medieval writer). Directional and seasonal adjectives

are not capitalized unless they're part of a title:

We took the northwest route during the spring thaw. We stayed there until the town'sannual Fall Festival of Small Appliances.

See the section on Capitalization for further help on this matter.

Collective Adjectives

When the definite article, the, is combined with an adjective describing a class or groupof people, the resulting phrase can act as a noun: the poor, the rich, the oppressed, thehomeless, the lonely, the unlettered, the unwashed, the gathered, the dear departed. The

difference between a Collective Noun (which is usually regarded as singular but which

can be plural in certain contexts) and a collective adjective is that the latter is alwaysplural and requires a plural verb:

The rural poor have been ignored by the media.

The rich of Connecticut are responsible.

The elderly are beginning to demand their rights.

The young at heart are always a joy to be around.

Adjectival Opposites

The opposite or the negative aspect of an adjective can be formed in a number of ways.One way, of course, is to find an adjective to mean the opposite an antonym. Theopposite ofbeautifulis ugly, the opposite oftallisshort. A thesaurus can help you findan appropriate opposite. Another way to form the opposite of an adjective is with a

number of prefixes. The opposite offortunate is unfortunate, the opposite ofprudentisimprudent, the opposite ofconsiderate is inconsiderate, the opposite ofhonorable is

dishonorable, the opposite ofalcoholic is nonalcoholic, the opposite of being properlyfiledis misfiled. If you are not sure of the spelling of adjectives modified in this way byprefixes (or which is the appropriate prefix), you will have to consult a dictionary, as the

rules for the selection of a prefix are complex and too shifty to be trusted. The meaning

itself can be tricky; for instance, flammable and inflammable mean the same thing.

A third means for creating the opposite of an adjective is to combine it with less orleastto create a comparison which points in the opposite direction. Interesting shades of

meaning and tone become available with this usage. It is kinder to say that "This is the

least beautiful city in the state." than it is to say that "This is the ugliest city in the state."(It also has a slightly different meaning.) A candidate for a job can still be worthy and yetbe "less worthy of consideration" than another candidate. It's probably not a good idea to

use this construction with an adjective that is already a negative: "He is less unlucky than
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his brother," although that is not the same thing as saying he is luckier than his brother.

Use the comparative less when the comparison is between two things or people; use thesuperlative leastwhen the comparison is among many things or people.

My mother is less patient than my father.

Of all the new sitcoms, this is my least favorite show.

Some Adjectival Problem Children

Good versus Well

Bad versus BadlyIn both casual speech and formal writing, wefrequently have to choose between the adjectivegoodand theadverbwell. With

most verbs, there is no contest: when modifying a verb, use the adverb.He swims well.

He knows only too well who the murderer is.However, when using alinking verb or a verb that has to do with the five humansenses, you want to use the adjective instead.

How are you? I'm feeling good, thank you.

After a bath, the baby smells so good.

Even after my careful paint job, this room doesn't look good.Many careful writers, however, will use wellafter linking verbs relating to health,and this is perfectly all right. In fact, to say that you aregoodor that you feelgoodusually implies not only that you're OK physically but also that your spiritsare high.

"How are you?"

"I am well, thank you."

When your cat died (assuming you loved your cat), did you feel badorbadly?Applying the same rule that applies togoodversus well, use the adjective formafter verbs that have to do with human feelings. You felt bad. If you said you felt

badly, it would mean that something was wrong with your faculties for feeling.

Other Adjectival Considerations

Review the section on Compound Nouns and Modifiers for the formation of modifierscreated when words are connected: a four-year-old child, a nineteenth-century novel, an

empty-headed fool.

Review the section on Possessives for a distinction between possessive forms and

"adjectival labels." (Do you belong to a Writers Club or a Writers' Club?)
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Adjectives that are really Participles, verb forms with -ingand -edendings, can betroublesome for some students. It is one thing to be afrightenedchild; it is an altogetherdifferent matter to be afrighteningchild. Do you want to go up to your professor afterclass and say that you are confusedor that you are confusing? Generally, the -edendingmeans that the noun so described ("you") has a passive relationship with something

something (the subject matter, the presentation) has bewildered you and you areconfused. The -ingending means that the noun described has a more active role youare not making any sense so you are confusing (to others, including your professor).

The -edending modifiers are often accompanied by prepositions (these are not the onlychoices):

We were amazed at all the circus animals. We were amused by the clowns.

We were annoyed by the elephants.

We werebored by the ringmaster.

We were confused by the noise. We were disappointed by the motorcycle daredevils.

We were disappointed in their performance.

We were embarrassed bymy brother.

We were exhausted from all the excitement.

We were excited bythe lion-tamer.

We were excited about the high-wire act, too.

We were frightened by the lions.

We were introduced to the ringmaster.

We were interested in the tent. We were irritated by the heat.

We were opposed to leaving early. We were satisfied with the circus.

We were shocked at the level of noise under the big tent.

We were surprised by the fans' response.

We were surprised at their indifference.

We were tired ofall the lights after a while.

We were worried about the traffic leaving the parking lot.

A- Adjectives

The most common of the so-called a- adjectives are ablaze, afloat, afraid, aghast, alert,

alike, alive, alone, aloof, ashamed, asleep, averse, awake, aware. These adjectives willprimarily show up as predicate adjectives (i.e., they come after a linking verb).

The children were ashamed.

The professor remained aloof.

The trees were ablaze.
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Occasionally, however, you will find a- adjectives before the word they modify: the alertpatient, the aloof physician. Most of them, when found before the word they modify, are

themselves modified: the nearly awake student, the terribly alone scholar. And a-adjectives are sometimes modified by "very much": very much afraid, very much alone,

very much ashamed, etc.

http://punctilious.org/grammar/adjectives.htm

What Is An Adjective?

An adjective modifies a noun or apronounby describing, identifying, or quantifying

words. An adjective usually precedes the noun or the pronoun which it modifies.

In the following examples, the highlighted words are adjectives:

The truck-shaped balloon floated over the treetops.

Mrs. Morrison papered herkitchen walls with hideous wall paper.

The small boat foundered on the wine darksea.The coal mines are darkand dank.

Many stores have already begun to play irritatingChristmas music.

A batteredmusic box sat on the mahogany sideboard.The back room was filled with large, yellow rain boots.

An adjective can be modified by anadverb, or by aphrase orclause functioning as an

adverb. In the sentence

My husband knits intricately patterned mittens.

for example, the adverb "intricately" modifies the adjective "patterned."

Some nouns, many pronouns, and manyparticiple phrases can also act as adjectives. Inthe sentence

Eleanor listened to the muffled sounds of the radio hidden under her pillow.

for example, both highlighted adjectives arepast participles.

Grammarians also considerarticles ("the," "a," "an") to be adjectives.

Possessive Adjectives

A possessive adjective ("my," "your," "his," "her," "its," "our," "their") is similar oridentical to apossessive pronoun; however, it is used as an adjective and modifies a noun

or a noun phrase, as in the following sentences:
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I can't complete my assignment because I don't have the textbook.

In this sentence, the possessive adjective "my" modifies "assignment" and the noun

phrase "my assignment" functions as anobject. Note that the possessive pronoun form"mine" is not used to modify a noun or noun phrase.

What is your phone number.

Here the possessive adjective "your" is used to modify the noun phrase "phone number";

the entire noun phrase "your phone number" is asubject complement. Note that the

possessive pronoun form "yours" is not used to modify a noun or a noun phrase.

The bakery sold his favourite type of bread.

In this example, the possessive adjective "his" modifies the noun phrase "favourite type

of bread" and the entire noun phrase "his favourite type of bread" is the direct object of

the verb "sold."

After many years, she returned to her homeland.

Here the possessive adjective "her" modifies the noun "homeland" and the noun phrase

"her homeland" is the object of thepreposition "to." Note also that the form "hers" is not

used to modify nouns or noun phrases.

We have lost our way in this wood.

In this sentence, the possessive adjective "our" modifies "way" and the noun phrase "our

way" is the direct object of the compound verb "have lost". Note that the possessivepronoun form "ours" is not used to modify nouns or noun phrases.

In many fairy tales, children are neglected by their parents.

Here the possessive adjective "their" modifies "parents" and the noun phrase "theirparents" is the object of the preposition "by." Note that the possessive pronoun form

"theirs" is not used to modify nouns or noun phrases.

The cat chased its ball down the stairs and into the backyard.

In this sentence, the possessive adjective "its" modifies "ball" and the noun phrase "itsball" is the object of the verb "chased." Note that "its" is the possessive adjective and"it's" is acontraction for "it is."

Demonstrative Adjectives
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The demonstrative adjectives "this," "these," "that," "those," and "what" are identical to

the demonstrative pronouns, but are used as adjectives to modify nouns or noun phrases,

as in the following sentences:

When the librarian tripped overthat cord, she dropped a pile of books.

In this sentence, the demonstrative adjective "that" modifies the noun "cord" and the

noun phrase "that cord" is the object of the preposition "over."

This apartment needs to be fumigated.

Here "this" modifies "apartment" and the noun phrase "this apartment" is the subjectofthe sentence.

Even though my friend preferred those plates, I bought these.

In the subordinate clause, "those" modifies "plates" and the noun phrase "those plates" isthe object of the verb "preferred." In the independent clause, "these" is the direct object of

the verb "bought."

Note that the relationship between a demonstrative adjective and a demonstrative

pronoun is similar to the relationship between a possessive adjective and a possessive

pronoun, or to that between a interrogative adjective and an interrogative pronoun.

Interrogative Adjectives

An interrogative adjective ("which" or "what") is like an interrogative pronoun, except

that it modifies a noun or noun phrase rather than standing on its own (see alsodemonstrative adjectives and possessive adjectives):

Which plants should be watered twice a week?

Like other adjectives, "which" can be used to modify a noun or a noun phrase. In thisexample, "which" modifies "plants" and the noun phrase "which plants" is the subject of

the compound verb "should be watered":

What book are you reading?

In this sentence, "what" modifies "book" and the noun phrase "what book" is the directobject of the compound verb "are reading."

Indefinite Adjectives

An indefinite adjective is similar to an indefinite pronoun, except that it modifies a

noun, pronoun, or noun phrase, as in the following sentences:
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Many people believe that corporations are under-taxed.

The indefinite adjective "many" modifies the noun "people" and the noun phrase "many

people" is the subject of the sentence.

I will send you any mail that arrives after you have moved to Sudbury.

The indefinite adjective "any" modifies the noun "mail" and the noun phrase "any mail"is the direct object of the compound verb "will send."

They found a few goldfish floating belly up in the swan pound.

In this example the indefinite adjective modifies the noun "goldfish" and the noun phrase

is the direct object of the verb "found":

The title of Kelly's favourite game is "All dogs go to heaven."

Here the indefinite pronoun "all" modifies "dogs" and the full title is a subject

complement.

http://www.writingcentre.uottawa.ca/hypergrammar/adjectve.html
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PurposeA purpose adjective describes what something is used for. Theseadjectives often end with "-ing". Examples:

sleeping (as in "sleeping bag"), roasting (as in "roasting tin")

AdverbFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation,search"Adverbs" redirects here. For the Daniel Handler novel, seeAdverbs (novel).

Examples

The waves came

in quickly over

the rocks.

I found the film

incredibly dull.

The meeting

went well, andthe directors

were extremely

happy with theoutcome!

Crabs are known

for walking

sideways.

I often have eggs

for breakfast.

However, I shallnot eat fried eggs

again.

Look up adverb in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.An adverb is apart of speech. It is

any word that modifies any part of language other than a noun (modifiers of nouns are

primarily adjectives and determiners). Adverbs can modifyverbs,adjectives (including

numbers), clauses, sentences and other adverbs.

Adverbs typically answer questions such as how?, in what way?, when?, where?, and towhat extent?. In English, they often end in -ly. This function is called the adverbialfunction, and is realized not just by single words (i.e., adverbs) but by adverbial phrasesandadverbial clauses.
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Contents [edit] Adverbs in English

In English, adverbs of manner (answering the question how?) are often formed by adding-ly to adjectives. For example,greatyieldsgreatly, and beautifulyields beautifully. (Notethat some words that end in -ly, such asfriendly and lovely, are not adverbs, but

adjectives, in which case the root word is usually a noun. There are also underivedadjectives that end in -ly, such as holy andsilly.)

The suffix -ly is related to the Germanic word "lich"meaning corpse or body. (There isalso an obsolete English word lych orlich with the same meaning.) Both words are alsorelated to the word like. The connection between -ly and like is easy to understand. Theconnection to lich is probably that both are descended from an earlier word that meantsomething like "shape" or "form".[1]

In this way, -ly in English is cognate with the common German adjective ending -lich andthe Dutch ending -lijk. This same process is followed in Romance languages with the

ending -mente, -ment, or -mense meaning "of/like the mind".

In some cases, the suffix -wise may be used to derive adverbs from nouns. Historically,

-wise competed with a related form -ways and won out against it. In a few words, likesideways, -ways survives; words like clockwise show the transition. Again, it is not afoolproof indicator of a word being an adverb. Some adverbs are formed from nouns oradjectives by appending the prefix a- (such as abreast, astray). There are a number ofother suffixes in English that derive adverbs from other word classes, and there are also

many adverbs that are not morphologically indicated at all.

Gerunds can function as adverbs in English when used in a construction known as verbal

hendiadys. This usage is more common in Semitic languages, but is attested in Englishvernacular expressions such as "He was hopping mad." The most common usage of

verbal hendiadys in English occurs with profanity, as in "He was fucking mad."

Comparative adverbs include more, most, least, and less (in phrases such as morebeautiful, most easily etc.).

The usual form pertaining to adjectives or adverbs is called thepositive. Formally,

adverbs in English are inflected in terms ofcomparison, just like adjectives. Thecomparativeand superlativeforms of some (especially single-syllable) adverbs that do

not end in -ly are generated by adding -erand -est(She ran faster;He jumps highest).

Others, especially those ending -ly, areperiphrastically compared by the use ofmore ormost(She ran more quickly). Adverbs also take comparisons with as ... as, less, and least.Not all adverbs are comparable; for example in the sentenceHe wore red yesterday itdoes not make sense to speak of "more yesterday" or "most yesterday".
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Adverb&action=edit&section=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lichhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adverb#cite_note-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semitic_languageshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positivehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_(grammar)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adjectivehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adjectivehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparativehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparativehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superlativehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superlativehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Periphrastichttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Adverb&action=edit&section=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lichhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adverb#cite_note-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semitic_languageshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positivehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_(grammar)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adjectivehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparativehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superlativehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Periphrastic


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[edit] Adverbs as a "catch-all" category

Adverbs are considered a part of speech in traditional English grammar and are still

included as a part of speech in grammar taught in schools and used in dictionaries.However, modern grammarians recognize that words traditionally grouped together as

adverbs serve a number of different functions. Some would go so far as to call adverbs a"catch-all" category that includes all words that do not belong to one of the other parts ofspeech.

A more logical approach to dividing words into classes relies on recognizing which

words can be used in a certain context. For example, a noun is a word that can be inserted

in the following template to form a grammatical sentence:

The _____ is red. (For example, "The hat is red".)

When this approach is taken, it is seen that adverbs fall into a number of different

categories. For example, some adverbs can be used to modify an entire sentence, whereasothers cannot. Even when a sentential adverb has other functions, the meaning is oftennot the same. For example, in the sentences She gave birth naturally andNaturally, shegave birth, the word naturally has different meanings. (Actually the first sentence couldbe interpreted in the same way as the second, but context makes it clear which is meant.)

Naturally as a sentential adverb means something like "of course" and as a verb-modifying adverb means "in a natural manner". This "naturally" controversy

demonstrates that the class of sentential adverbs is a closed class (there is resistance to

adding new words to the class), whereas the class of adverbs that modify verbs isn't.

Words like very andparticularly afford another useful example. We can sayPerry is very

fast, but notPerry very won the race. These words can modify adjectives but not verbs.On the other hand, there are words like here and there that cannot modify adjectives. Wecan say The sock looks good there but notIt is a there beautiful sock. The fact that manyadverbs can be used in more than one of these functions can confuse this issue, and it

may seem like splitting hairs to say that a single adverb is really two or more words that

serve different functions. However, this distinction can be useful, especially consideringadverbs like naturally that have different meanings in their different functions.Huddleston distinguishes between a word and a lexicogrammatical-word.[2]

Notis an interesting case. Grammarians have a difficult time categorizing it, and itprobably belongs in its own class (Haegeman 1995, Cinque 1998).

[edit] Other languages

Other languages may form adverbs in different ways, if they are used at all:

In Dutch and German, adverbs have the basic form of their corresponding

adjectives and are not inflected (except for comparison in which case they are

inflected like adjectives, too). Consequently, German primary-school teaching
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uses a single term,Eigenschaftswort, to refer to both adjectives and adverbs.However German linguists avoid this term.

In Scandinavian languages, adverbs are typically derived from adjectives byadding the suffix '-t', which makes it identical to the adjective's neuter form.

Scandinavian adjectives, like English ones, are inflected in terms of comparison

by adding '-ere'/'-are' (comparative) or '-est'/'-ast' (superlative). In inflected formsof adjectives the '-t' is absent. Periphrasticcomparison is also possible.

In Romance languagesmany adverbs are formed from adjectives (often the

feminine form) by adding '-mente' (Portuguese, Spanish, Italian) or '-ment'(French,Catalan) (from Latinmens, mentis: mind, intelligence). Other adverbs aresingle forms which are invariable.

In the Romanian language, the vast majority of adverbs are simply the masculine

singular form of the corresponding adjective one notable exception being bine("well") / bun ("good"). However, there are some Romanian adverbs that are builtfrom certain masculine singular nouns using the suffix "-ete", such as thefollowing ones: bie-ete (boyishly), tiner-ete (youthfully), brbt-ete (manly),

fr-ete (brotherly), etcaetara. Interlingua also forms adverbs by adding '-mente' to the adjective. If an adjective

ends in c, the adverbial ending is '-amente'. A few short, invariable adverbs, suchas ben, "well", and mal, "badly", are available and widely used.

In Esperanto, adverbs are not formed from adjectives but are made by adding '-e'

directly to the word root. Thus, from bon are derived bone, "well", and 'bona','good'. See also: special Esperanto adverbs.

Modern Standard Arabic forms adverbs by adding the indefinite accusative

ending '-an' to the root. For example, kathiir-, "many", becomes kathiiran "much".However, Arabic often avoids adverbs by using a cognate accusative plus anadjective.

Austronesian languages appear to form comparativeadverbs by repeating the root

(as inWikiWiki), similarly to the plural noun.

Japanese forms adverbs from verbal adjectives by adding /ku/ () to the stem

(e.g. haya- "rapid" hayai "quick/early", hayakatta "was quick", hayaku "quickly")

and from nominal adjectives by placing /ni/ () after the adjective instead of thecopula /na/ () or /no/ () (e.g. rippa "splendid", rippa ni "splendidly"). These

derivations are quite productive but there are a few adjectives from which adverbs

may not be derived.

In Gaelic, an adverbial form is made by preceding the adjective with theprepositiongo (Irish) orgu (Scottish Gaelic), meaning 'until'.

In Modern Greek, an adverb is most commonly made by adding the endings

and/or to the root of an adjective. Often, the adverbs formed from acommon root using each of these endings have slightly different meanings. So,

(, meaning "perfect" and "complete") yields

(, "perfectly") and (, "completely"). Not all adjectivescan be transformed into adverbs by using both endings. (,

"rapid") becomes (, "rapidly"), but not normally

* (*). When the ending is used to transform an

adjective whose tonal accent is on the third syllable from the end, such as
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(, "official"), the corresponding adjective is accented on

the second syllable from the end; compare () and

(), which both mean "officially". There are also otherendings with particular and restricted use as , , , etc. For

example, (, "with impunity") and

(, "indisputably"); ( "word for word") and (, "in no time"); [ "in English

(language)"] and (, "by rote"); etc.

In Latvian, an adverb is formed from an adjective, by changing the masculine orfeminine adjective endings -s and -a to -i. "Labs", meaning "good", becomes

"labi" for "well". Latvian adverbs have a particular use in expressions meaning

"to speak" or "to understand" a language. Rather than use the noun meaning

"Latvian/English/Russian", the adverb formed form these words is used. "Esrunju latviski/angliski/krieviski" means "I speak Latvian/English/Russian", or

very literally "I speak Latvianly/Englishly/Russianly". When a noun is required,

the expression used means literally "language of the Latvians/English/Russians",

"latvieu/angu/krievu valoda". In Ukrainian, an adverb is formed by removing the adjectival suffices "-" "-"

or "-" from an adjective, and replacing them with the adverbial "-". Forexample, "", "", and "" (fast, nice, tasty) become

"", "", and "" (quickly, nicely, tastefully). As well, note that

adverbs are mostly placed before the verbs they modify: "

." (A good son sings nicely/well). Although, there is no specific word orderin east slavic languages.

In Korean, adverbs are formed by replacing of the dictionary form of a verbwith. So, (easy) becomes (easily).

In Turkish, the same word usually serves as adjective and adverb: iyi bir kz("agood girl"),

iyi anlamak("to understand well

).

[edit] References

1. ^ Oxford English Dictionary Online; entry on lich, etymology section.2. ^ Huddleston, Rodney (1988).English grammar: an outline. Cambridge:

Cambridge University Press. p. 7. doi:10.2277/0521311527.ISBN0521323118.

Cinque, Guglielmo. 1999. Adverbs and functional heads -- a cross linguistic

perspective. Oxford: Oxford University press. Ernst, Thomas. 2002. The syntax of adjuncts. Cambridge: Cambridge University

Press. Haegeman, Liliane. 1995. The syntax of negation. Cambridge: Cambridge

University Press.

Jackendoff, Ray. 1972. Semantic Interpretation in Generative Grammar. MIT

Press,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adverb
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Adverbs

An adverb is a word that tells us more about a verb. An adverb "qualifies" or "modifies"a verb (The man ranquickly). But adverbs can also modify adjectives (Tara is reallybeautiful), or even otheradverbs (It works verywell).

Many different kinds of word are called adverbs. We can usually recognise an adverb by

its:

1. Function (Job)

2. Form

3. Position

1. Function

The principal job of an adverb is to modify (give more information about) verbs,

adjectives and other adverbs. In the following examples, the adverb is in bold and theword that it modifies is in italics.

Modify a verb:

- Johnspeaksloudly. (How does John speak?)- Mary liveslocally. (Where does Mary live?)- She neversmokes. (When does she smoke?)

Modify an adjective:

- He is reallyhandsome.

Modify another adverb:- She drives incrediblyslowly.

But adverbs have other functions, too. They can:

Modify a whole sentence:

- Obviously,I can't know everything.

Modify a prepositional phrase:

- It's immediatelyinside the door.

2. Form

Many adverbs end in -ly. We form such adverbs by adding -ly to the adjective. Here aresome examples:

quickly, softly, strongly, honestly, interestingly

But not all words that end in -ly are adverbs. "Friendly", for example, is an adjective.


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Some adverbs have no particular form, for example:

well, fast, very, never, always, often, still

3. Position

Adverbs have three main positions in the sentence:

Front (before the subject):- Now we will study adverbs.

Middle (between the subject and the main verb):- We often study adverbs.

End (after the verb or object):

- We study adverbs carefully.

http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/adverbs.htm

What is an Adverb?

An adverb can modify a verb, an adjective, another adverb, aphrase, or a clause. An

adverb indicates manner, time, place, cause, or degree and answers questions such as

"how," "when," "where," "how much".

While some adverbs can be identified by their characteristic "ly" suffix, most of them

must be identified by untangling the grammatical relationships within the sentence orclause as a whole. Unlike an adjective, an adverb can be found in various places within

the sentence.

In the following examples, each of the highlighted words is an adverb:

The seamstress quickly made the mourning clothes.

In this sentence, the adverb "quickly" modifies the verb "made" and indicates in what

manner (or how fast) the clothing was constructed.

The midwives waited patiently through a long labour.

Similarly in this sentence, the adverb "patiently" modifies the verb "waited" anddescribes the manner in which the midwives waited.

The boldly spoken words would return to haunt the rebel.

In this sentence the adverb "boldly" modifies the adjective "spoken."
http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/adverbs.htmhttp://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/writcent/hypergrammar/verbs.html#verbhttp://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/writcent/hypergrammar/adjectve.html#adjectivehttp://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/writcent/hypergrammar/adjectve.html#adjectivehttp://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/writcent/hypergrammar/bldphr.html#phrasehttp://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/writcent/hypergrammar/bldcls.html#clausehttp://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/writcent/hypergrammar/wordform.html#suffixhttp://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/writcent/hypergrammar/subjpred.html#sentencehttp://www.englishclub.com/grammar/adverbs.htmhttp://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/writcent/hypergrammar/verbs.html#verbhttp://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/writcent/hypergrammar/adjectve.html#adjectivehttp://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/writcent/hypergrammar/bldphr.html#phrasehttp://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/writcent/hypergrammar/bldcls.html#clausehttp://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/writcent/hypergrammar/wordform.html#suffixhttp://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/writcent/hypergrammar/subjpred.html#sentence


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We urged him to dial the number more expeditiously.

Here the adverb "more" modifies the adverb "expeditiously."

Unfortunately, the bank closed at three today.

In this example, the adverb "unfortunately" modifies the entire sentence.

Conjunctive Adverbs

You can use a conjunctive adverb to join two clauses together. Some of the most

common conjunctive adverbs are "also," "consequently," "finally," "furthermore,"

"hence," "however," "incidentally," "indeed," "instead," "likewise," "meanwhile,""nevertheless," "next," "nonetheless," "otherwise," "still," "then," "therefore," and "thus."

A conjunctive adverb is notstrong enough to join two independent clauseswithout theaid of a semicolon.

The highlighted words in the following sentences are conjunctive adverbs:

The government has cut university budgets; consequently, class sizes have beenincreased.

He did not have all the ingredients the recipe called for; therefore, he decided to

make something else.The report recommended several changes to the ways the corporation accounted

for donations; furthermore, it suggested that a new auditor be appointed

immediately.The crowd waited patiently for three hours; finally, the doors to the stadium were

opened.Batman and Robin fruitlessly searched the building; indeed, the Joker had

escaped through a secret door in the basement.http://www.writingcentre.uottawa.ca/hypergrammar/adverbs.html

Example of Adverb

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http://www.r-go.ca/example_of_adverb.htm

Adverb Clauses Examples - Lesson Plan Quiz

Directions: In this exercise, your task is to choose the correct subordinating conjunctionto fill the space at the beginning of the adverb clause. The questions here test your
http://www.r-go.ca/example_of_adverb.htmhttp://www.r-go.ca/example_of_adverb.htm


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knowledge of English grammar. Each question consists of a short written conversation,

part of which has been omitted.

Four words or phrases, labelled 1, 2, 3, and 4, are given below the conversation.

Choose the word or phrase that will correctly complete the conversation . Click on

the answer you think is correct.

http://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_grammar/adverb_clauses_ex.htm

[hide]

1 Adverbs in English

o 1.1 Adverbs as a "catch-all" category

2 Other languages 3 References

4 See also

5 External links
http://toggletoc%28%29/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adverb#Adverbs_in_Englishhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adverb#Adverbs_as_a_.22catch-all.22_categoryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adverb#Other_languageshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adverb#Referenceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adverb#See_alsohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adverb#External_linkshttp://toggletoc%28%29/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adverb#Adverbs_in_Englishhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adverb#Adverbs_as_a_.22catch-all.22_categoryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adverb#Other_languageshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adverb#Referenceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adverb#See_alsohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adverb#External_links

Definition of Adjective

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