Adjectives Notes:
Adjectives add description and other kinds of information to two other parts of speech.
An adjective is used to describe a noun or a pronoun. To modify means to “change slightly.”
Adjectives are modifiers because they slightly change the meaning of nouns and pronouns.
Adjectives modify meaning by adding information that answers one of four questions: What
kind? Which one? How many? or How much? In the examples below, notice how adjectives
answer these questions.
What kind?
black suitcase
concrete floor
Which one?
that homework
each paper
How many?
one rose
several elephants
How much?
no time
enough spinach
An adjective usually comes before the noun it modifies, but sometimes they come after the nouns
they modify:
The legal system, serious and complex, fascinated her.
Predicate adjectives and adjectives that modify pronouns usually come after linking verbs.
Sometimes, however, adjectives may come before pronouns.
She was quiet and thoughtful.
The judge seemed kind and understanding.
Tall and elegant, she walked into the room.
Articles:
Three commonly used adjectives are called articles – the, a, and an. These three words are
adjectives because they come before nouns and answer the question Which one? Because of the
way it modifies nouns, the is called the definite article.
The, the definite article, refers to a specific person, place, or thing.
Examples: the telescope
the iguana
the green apple
A and an, the indefinite articles, refer to any one of a class of people, places, or things.
Examples: a telescope
an iguana
a green apple
A is used before consonant sounds. An is used before vowel sounds. Notice that you choose a
and an according to sound. The letter h, a consonant, may sound like either a consonant or a
vowel. O and u are vowels, but they may sometimes sound like consonants.
A hero
an honor
a university
an understanding
a one-act play an open door
Nouns Used as Adjectives:
Nouns are sometimes used as adjectives. When a noun is used as an adjective, it comes before
another noun and answers the questions What kind? Or Which one?
Nouns: court, morning
Adjectives: a court date, a morning appointment
Proper Adjectives:
A proper adjective is (1) a proper noun used as an adjective or (2) an adjective that is formed
from a proper noun. When a proper noun is used as an adjective, its form does not change.
Proper Nouns
Used as Proper Adjectives
Arizona
Arizona dessert (What kind of desert?)
Tuesday
Tuesday morning (Which morning?)
Lincoln
Lincoln memorial (Which memorial?)
Proper Nouns
Proper Adjectives Formed From Proper Nouns
Elizabeth
Elizabethan literature (What kind of literature?)
Boston
Bostonian architecture (What kind of architecture?)
Compound Adjectives:
Just as there are compound nouns, there are compound adjectives. A compound adjective is made
up of more than one word.
Most compound adjectives are written as hyphenated words. Sometimes, however, they are
written as combined words. If you are uncertain about which way to write a compound adjective,
consult a dictionary for the correct spelling.
Hyphenated: one-sided opinion
so-called expert
Combined: heartbreaking news
nearsighted witness
Pronouns Used as Adjectives:
Pronouns, like nouns, can sometimes be used as adjectives.
A pronoun is used as an adjective if it modifies a noun.
Four kinds of pronouns are sometimes used as adjectives. They are personal, demonstrative,
interrogative, and indefinite pronouns.
Possessive Adjectives: The following personal pronouns are often called possessive
adjectives: my, your, his, her, its, our, and their. Because they have antecedents, they are
considered to be pronouns. They are also adjectives, because they answer the question
Which one?
The President is preparing his state-of-the-union message.
This example shows that his is an adjective modifying the noun message. His is also a
common pronoun because it has an antecedent, President.
Demonstrative Adjectives:
The four demonstrative pronouns – this, that, these, and those – can be used as
demonstrative adjectives.
Pronoun: I saw this.
Adjective: I’ll vote on this issue.
Pronoun: I want those.
Adjective: Count those ballots.
Interrogative Adjectives:
Three interrogative pronouns – which, what, and whose – can be used as interrogative
adjectives.
Pronoun: What did he want?
Adjective: What sentence did he give?
Pronoun: Whose is that?
Adjective: Whose courtroom is that?
Indefinite Adjectives:
A number of indefinite pronouns – both, few, many, each, most, and all, among others –
can also be used as indefinite articles.
Pronoun: I bought one of each.
Adjective: Each judge writes an opinion.
Pronoun: I don’t want any.
Adjective: I don’t want any help.