Adjectives and Adverbs

1. Adjectives and Adverbs

2. Adjectives • An adjective is a word that modifies, or describes, a noun or a pronoun. • A heavy rainstorm soaked the campsite. • Heavy is an adjective. It describes the rainstorm. • Adjectives help you see, feel, taste, hear, and smell all the experiences you read about. • Adjectives answer the questions what kind, which one, how many, and how much.

3. Adjectives • What kind? • Green backpack, sturdy tent, spicy stew • Which one(s)? • Last hamburger, third hike, every lantern • How many or how much? • Two flashlights, many insects, little moonlight

4. Articles as adjectives • The most commonly used adjectives are the articles a, an, and the. • A candle, an elephant, the trail • Remember! Use a before a singular word beginning with a consonant sound. Use an with a singular word beginning with a vowel sound.

5. Proper Adjectives • Many adjectives are formed from common nouns. • Some are formed by proper nouns.

6. Predicate Adjectives • A predicate adjective is an adjective that follows a linking verb and describes the verb’s subject. • The linking verb connects the predicate adjective with the subject. • The volcanic eruption is violent. • Is = linking verb, violent = adjective describing eruption **We have done this twice before.

7. Other words as adjectives • Sometimes pronouns and nouns can be used as adjectives.

8. Pronouns as Adjectives • Demonstrative Pronouns – This, that, these and those are demonstrative pronouns. They can be used as adjectives. • This book was passed down from my grandmother. • Possessive Pronouns – My, our, your, her, his, its, and their are possessive pronouns. They are used as adjectives. • My house is brand new.

9. Pronouns as Adjectives • Indefinite Pronouns – Indefinite pronouns such as all, each, both, few, most, and some can be used as adjectives. • Some people love cats.

10. Nouns as Adjectives • Like pronouns, nouns can be used as adjectives. In the expression “mountain climber,” for example, the word mountain (normally a noun) modifies climber. • Rock climbers practice indoors on winter nights.

11. Adverbs • An adverb is a word that modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. • Explorers eagerly chase adventure. • Some explorers visit amazingly beautiful places. • Others quite bravely explore the unknown – space.

12. Adverbs • Adverbs answer the questions how, when, where, or to what extent.

13. Adverbs • Adverbs can appear in different positions in sentences. • The tourists boarded the bus eagerly. (after verb) • The tourists eagerly boarded the bus (before verb) • Eagerly, the tourists boarded the bus. (at beginning)

14. Adverbs • Adverbs that modify adjectives or other adverbs usually come directly before the words they modify. They usually answer the question to what extent. • Marco Polo told really wonderful tales of China. • People were very eager to hear his stories. • They nearly always hung on every word.

15. Forming Adverbs • Many adverbs are formed by adding the suffix -lyto adjectives. • Near becomes nearly • Gentle becomes gently • Easy becomes easily

16. Making Comparisons • Adjectives and adverbs can be used to compare people or things. Special forms of these words are used to make comparisons. • Use the comparative form of an adjective or adverb when you compare a person or thing with one other person or thing. • Todd is taller than Rachel. • Use the superlative form of an adjective or adverb when you compare someone or something with more than one other person or thing. • Todd is the tallest person in the family. • However, Rachel is the most beautiful person in the family.

17. Regular Forms of Comparison • For most one-syllable modifiers, ad -er to form the comparative. Add –est to form the superlative. One-Syllable Modifiers

18. Regular Forms of Comparison Two-Syllable Modifiers

19. Regular Forms of Comparison Modifiers with More than Two Syllables

20. Irregular Forms of Comparison • The comparative and superlative forms of some adjectives and adverbs are completely different words. You don’t need to add –er or –est to an irregular comparison.

21. Adjective or Adverb? • Some pairs of adjectives and adverbs are often confused. • Good and Well – Good is always an adjective. It modifies a noun or pronoun. Well is usually an adverb, modifying a verb, an adverb, or an adjective. • Well is an adjective when it refers to health.

22. Adjective or Adverb? • Real or Really – Real is always an adjective; it modifies a noun or pronoun. Really is always an adverb; it modifies a verb, an adverb, or an adjective. • Bad and Badly – Bad is always an adjective; it modifies a noun or pronoun. Badly is always an adverb; it modifies a verb, an adverb, or an adjective.

23. Avoiding Double Negatives • A negative word is a word that says “no.” Contractions that end in n’t are negative words. Remember, n’t means not. • Some common negative words: barely, neither, nobody, nothing, hardly, never, none, nowhere • If two negative words are used together, the result is a double negative. Avoid double negatives in speaking and writing.

24. Avoiding Double Negatives • Incorrect • I don’t want to pizza. • Correct • I don’t want any pizza. • I want no pizza.