Adjective Notes
Adjective
• An adjective describes or modifies a
noun or a pronoun.
– To modify means to change slightly or make
the meaning more definite.
– Adjectives usually answer one of the
following questions about the nouns and
pronouns they modify.
Questions that Adjectives
Answer
What kind?
Which one(s)?
How many?
How much?
new car
every page
one hamburger
much rain
happy children
seventh grade
five dollars
full tank
sunny day
any book
several rides
little food
Article Adjectives
• A, an, and the are known as the article
adjectives.
• These are the most commonly used
adjectives.
• They stand in front of nouns and
pronouns and answer the question which
one?
• The is the definite article because it
refers to someone in particular.
• Examples: the principal, the canoe, the
wool sweater.
• A and an are indefinite because they
refer to someone or something in
general.
• Examples: a dog, an apple
• Use a in front of a word that begins
with a consonant sound.
• Example: a unicorn, a pencil, a book, a
humorous person
• Use an in front of a word that begins
with a vowel sound.
• Example: an old map, an uncle, an honest
person
Nouns Used as Adjectives
• When a noun modifies another noun or
pronoun, it is considered an adjective.
• It will usually come directly before
another noun and will answer the questions
what kind? or which one?
Nouns
Nouns Used as
Adjectives
football
football games (what kind)
shoe
shoe salesperson (what
kind)
wedding
wedding day (which day)
bean
bean soup (what kind)
Proper Adjectives
• Proper adjectives are formed from
proper nouns and begin with a capital
letter.
• There are two types of proper
adjectives:
– A proper noun used as an adjective
– An adjective formed from a proper noun
•When proper nouns are used as
adjectives, they do not change form.
- However, when an adjective is formed
from a proper noun, it does change form.
Proper Nouns
Used as proper adjectives
Truman, Reagan, Clinton
The Truman Library (which one)
Florida
Florida wetlands (what kind)
December
December weather (what kind)
Proper Nouns
Proper Adjectives from
Proper nouns
America
American history (what
kind)
Africa
African continent (what
kind)
Compound Adjectives
• A compound adjective is made up of
more than one word and may be
hyphenated or written as a compound
word.
Hyphenated
One word
a well-known actress
basketball game
a full-time job
fiberglass wall
Pronouns Used as Adjectives
• A pronoun is used as an adjective if it
modifies a noun.
• A possessive adjective shows ownership or
relationship.
• The following possessive pronouns are often
called possessive adjectives. They will come
in front of the noun they modify and will
answer the question which one?
• Examples: my, its, your, our, her, their
• Bobby fixed his bicycle.
• Demonstrative adjectives are also
pronouns that are used as adjectives.
• The demonstrative adjectives are this,
that, these, those.
• Examples: We saw that man yesterday.
That car is a good buy. These apples
are rotten.
• Interrogative adjectives are also
pronouns that can be used as adjectives.
• The interrogative adjectives are which,
what, whose.
• Examples: Which prize do you think she
will choose?
• Whose umbrella can that be?
Predicate Adjectives
• If an adjective follows a linking verb in
a sentence, it is called the predicate
adjective.
• The predicate adjective is the
complement in the sentence.
• Examples: Mark is nice. (nice is the
predicate adjective)