Amazing Adjectives

Amazing Adjectives NEC FACET Center

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 vivid Definition Boring! You should have said, “She’s my obnoxious daughter who’s currently stealing innocent Johnny’s two favorite toys” Where are the adjectives? So, then I said, “She’s my daughter.”

Examples loud four large my small loquacious magenta the American wonderful furry foul

Brainstorm some adjectives to describe the kids in this picture. Practice Caucasian two silly happy playful cold

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. placement

Choose the correct placement of the verb. • Billy Bob finally made the team. (hockey) • Billy Bob finally made the hockey team. • John is. (rambunctious) • John is rambunctious. • The girls made soup last night. (two) • The two girls made soup last night. Practice: Placement

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. Adjectives vs. Adverbs She sure was boring. If only she didn’t talk so loudly, I could fall asleep.

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 Identify: Adjective or adverb? Yes, my future fiancée is taller than me.

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. Adjectives as Nouns

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 and Superlative

Comparative Well, I believe mine is the more intelligent of the two. My daughter is snobbier than yours.

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. Comparative and Superlative

Superlative In case you were wondering…My daughter is not only snobbier than yours, she’s the snobbiest in her whole class!

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. Comparative and Superlative

And her mother is the least knowledgeable about grammar. 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.

Comparative and superlative For short adjectives For longer adjectives (3 or more syllables)

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

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. Practice: Comparative and superlative

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, an, the)

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.) 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. Practice: Article Adjectives

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. 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. Practice: Punctuation

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 Adjectives review

So, basically your daughter is a sweet, loving angel who you care deeply about. Finally! I’ve found someone who actually listens.

Amazing Adjectives