Mastering Adjectives: The Ultimate Guide

1. Adjectives

2. Adjectives modify nouns or pronouns. The red car, the old house, the very beginning, he was tall

3. Great writers warn us that the overuse of adjectives or adverbs can make sentences wordy.

4. Modify is truer than describe. To modify is to change. Imagine a frozen mountain summit. Imagine a green mountain summit.

5. Adjectives must have nouns or pronouns to modify. Hence, they are part of a binary system. A noun can exist without an adjective, but an adjective must have a noun or pronoun in order to function.

6. The three degrees of adjectives • Adjectives can change degree. A fire can be hot, hotter, or hottest. Ice can be cold, colder, or coldest. A book can be good, better, or best. These three degrees are known as positive (good), comparative (better), and superlative (best). They allow for us to make clear comparisons between similar nouns.

8. Proper adjectives • Proper adjectives are made out of proper nouns. England makes English. Rome makes Roman. When we convert the proper noun Spain to the proper adjective Spanish, we retain the capitalization. • In south Florida Spanish moss hangs from the trees.

9. Verbal adjectives • Sometimes we use verb forms to modify nouns or pronouns. • Participial form: the running water • Infinitive form: the team to beat

10. The articles • Articles are a type of adjective just as indefinite pronouns are a type of pronoun. • A, an, and, and theare adjectives. • Articles are definite (the) and indefinite (a, an).

11. Number adjectives • If the number is between one and ten, the number should be written out instead of using a numeral. • Two dogs, not 2 dogs • Seven rocks, not 7 rocks

12. Good or well? • The wordgoodis a good adjective that may be used to modify nouns or pronouns well; the word well is usually an adverb that modifies verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. • The good athlete runs well. • It’s not “I don’t feel well.” • “ I don’t feel good.”