AMAZING ADJECTIVES

NEC FACET Center

DEFINITION A word that describes (or modifies) a

noun or pronoun Adjectives tend to describe what kind or how

many (in reference to the noun or pronoun)

Purpose: to make your writing more descriptive and vividSo, then I

said, “She’s my

daughter.”

Boring! You should have said,

“She’s my obnoxious

daughter who’s currently stealing

innocent Johnny’s two

favorite toys” Where are the

adjectives?

EXAMPLES

small

FOUR

American

my

themagenta

furry

loud

PRACTICE

Brainstorm some adjectives to describe the kids in this picture.

twohappy

cold

silly

Caucasian

playful

PLACEMENT

Before the word described The beautiful dancer twirled like a thundering

tornado.

The two girls looked more like their American mom than their Indonesian dad.

After a linking verb (state of being [is, was, were], related to 5 senses [looks, smells, etc]) She is tired.

The sky seems stormy.

PRACTICE: PLACEMENT

Choose the correct placement of the verb.

1. Billy Bob finally made the team. (hockey)

Billy Bob finally made the hockey team.

2. John is. (rambunctious) John is rambunctious.

3. The girls made soup last night. (two) The two girls made soup last night.

ADJECTIVES VS. ADVERBS

An adjective describes a noun or pronoun. Ex. The sun is bright. Ex. We covered our ears upon hearing the

loud scream. An adverb describes a verb.

Generally, adverbs end in –ly Ex. The sun shines brightly. Ex. Benny screamed loudly.

She sure was boring.

If only she didn’t talk

so loudly, I could fall asleep.

IDENTIFY: ADJECTIVE OR ADVERB?

The heavy book weighed my backpack down. Adjective

The thoughts weighed heavily on my mind. Adverb

The man was belligerent. Adjective

She belligerently told the DMV employee that she would not take the vision exam. Adverb

Barry ran quickly through the crowd, aware that his future fiancée was slipping through his fingers. Adverb

The quick fox jumped over the fence. Adjective

Yes, my future

fiancée is taller than

me.

ADJECTIVES AS NOUNS

Descriptive adjectives may sometimes act as nouns in a sentence. Ex. The young tend to be more

technologically-literate than the elderly. Ex. When my boss came to tell me the

news, she told me the good, the bad, and the ugly.

COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVE

Comparative adjectives describe a greater or lesser degree When comparing two things Generally end in –er May come after the words “more” or “less”

Ex. Out of those two, I would prefer to read the shorter book for my book report.

COMPARATIVE

My daughter is snobbier than

yours.

Well, I believe mine is the more intelligent of the two.

COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVE

Superlative adjectives describe the greatest or least degree When comparing three or more things Generally end in –est May come after the words “most” or

“least”

Ms. Jones was mad that I chose the shortest book in the library to read.

SUPERLATIVEIn case you

were wondering…

My daughter is not only

snobbier than yours, she’s

the snobbiest in her whole

class!

COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVE

Do not combine the use of more/most with the use of –er/-est. This is repetitive and non-standard.

Ex. Betty was the nicest tomato vendor in town.

NOT Betty was the most nicest tomato vendor in town.

Ex. Use the sharper knife to cut the potato. NOT Use the more sharper knife to cut the

potato.

She’s also the most

meanest. Even the boys are afraid of

her, especially when she takes their

toys.

I believe you meant that

your daughter is the

meanest in the class. The word

most is frivolous in

that statement.

And her mother is the least

knowledgeable about grammar.

COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVE

POSITIVE COMPARATIVE (-er) SUPERLATIVE (-est)

Bright Brighter Brightest

Nice Nicer Nicest

Short Shorter Shortest

Happy Happier Happiest

POSITIVE COMPARATIVE (more+adj)

SUPERLATIVE (most+adj)

Amazing More amazing Most amazing

Creative More creative Most creative

Insistent More insistent Most insistent

Bothersome More bothersome Most bothersome

For short adjectives

For longer adjectives (3 or more syllables)

IRREGULAR ADJECTIVES

Some common adjectives do not follow the general rule for forming the comparative and superlative.

POSITIVE COMPARATIVE SUPERLATIVE

Good Better Best

Bad Worse Worst

Little Littler, less Littlest, least

Many, some, much More most

PRACTICE: COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVE

Which is the appropriate form of the verb? Jennette is taller/tallest than Amanda. Jennette is the taller/tallest of all the

tutors. That computer works the slowest/most

slow of all eighty computers in here. Taming of the Shrew is better/best than

Hamlet. Social studies was my least

favorite/favoriter class in middle school.

ARTICLE ADJECTIVES (A, AN, THE)

Not all languages use articles. Most native speakers are able to

distinguish when to use a, an, and the based on intuition.

A, an, and the will always come before the noun.

ARTICLE ADJECTIVES

A and an are used when referring to a nonspecific singular count noun.

A count noun is a noun that can be counted and made plural. Examples of count nouns: cup/s, ear/s, box/es, girl/s,

textbook/s, computer/s Examples of noncount nouns: anger, psychology, air

Use a with nouns that begin with a consonant sound. I will present a workshop every day.

Use an with nouns that begin with vowels (a, e, i, o, u). I really need an assistant.

ARTICLE ADJECTIVES The is used when referring to specific singular count nouns. A noun is specific when it has already been referred to

previously or when it means only one definite example of something. Ex. A computer in the lab is not working. We want to get rid of

the nonfunctional piece of junk. The computer has already been referred to in the previous sentence.

Ex. Leslie turned the paper in on time. Leslie turned in a specific paper, not just any paper.

Also use the when referring to a specific something of which only one exists. The sun is bright today.

Do not use the when referring to all examples of something. Ex. I hate cats. (NOT I hate the cats.)

PRACTICE: ARTICLE ADJECTIVES

Choose the correct article. I bought a/an ankle bracelet from the mall. I haven’t had a secretary in months. I need

to find a/the good one. Sometimes, I have cravings for a/an/the hot

apple pie. After Georgia threw a spitball at Penelope, I

said, “Pick up all a/the trash off the floor!” On their 3rd anniversary, Jenny knew he was

the/a/an one.

PUNCTUATION

Separate 2 or more coordinate adjectives with a comma or the word and.

Coordinate adjectives are adjectives that modify a word equally. Tip: You can switch the order of the adjectives

without changing the meaning. Tip: The word and can separate the two

adjectives without changing the meaning Ex. I dreaded the long, boring journey.

I dreaded the boring, long journey. I dreaded the long and boring journey.

PUNCTUATION

When one of the adjectives is more closely related to the noun than the other, do not use a comma. In this case, you cannot switch the order of the

adjectives or separate the two with and without changing the meaning.

Ex. I slept heavily because I have two full-time jobs. I slept heavily because I have two and full-time

jobs. I slept heavily because I have full-time two jobs. Do NOT use a comma.

PRACTICE: PUNCTUATION

Correctly punctuate the sentences. Some may need no punctuation. The model was tall and skinny. Her agent was demanding short and rude. I took the long toll road home. Tired and bored, I almost fell asleep behind

the wheel. Luckily, a dashing young truck driver

honked his horn for me to wake up.

ADJECTIVES REVIEW

Placement before the noun after the linking verb

Adjectives vs. adverbs Adjectives modify nouns or pronouns. Adverbs modify verbs and generally end in –ly.

Adjectives as nouns Descriptive adjectives may sometimes serve as

nouns.

ADJECTIVES REVIEW

Comparative/Superlative Comparative-Use more or –er Superlative-Use most or -est

Articles Use a with nonspecific nouns that begin in consonant

sounds. Use an with nonspecific nouns beginning in vowel

sounds. Use the with specific nouns.

Punctuation Separate coordinate adjectives with and or commas

So, basically your daughter

is a sweet, loving angel who you care deeply about.

Finally! I’ve found

someone who actually listens.