Adjective
Adjectives
An adjective modifies (describes) a noun or pronoun.
Normally in English, the adjective comes before the
noun. For example:
The smart student earned an
"A".
They also come after linking verbs. For example:
I feel happy.
Adjectives can be used to make comparisons.
- For most adjectives of one or two syllables, you can
add –er. For example, greater, faster, stronger.
- For adjectives longer than two syllables, you should
use the word more.
For example, He was more intelligent than his
sister was.
Adjectives can also be used as superlatives.
Adjectives can also be used as superlatives.
- This is usually done by adding –est to
the end of an adjective that is one or two syllables.
For example, the loudest, the
coolest, the smartest.
- If an adjective is three syllables or longer, you must
use the words the most. For example:
Katsu is the
most intelligent person in the world!
WARNING- Never
use both an –er ending and the word more or
an
–est ending and the word most.
For example, I
am the most happiest when
my students learn. Instead, it should be: I am the happiest when my students learn.
There are some irregular adjective and adverb forms. For example:
Adjective
|
Adverb
|
Comparing two
|
Comparing three
or more
|
Bad
|
badly
|
Worse
|
worst
|
Good
|
Well
|
Better
|
Best
|
Little
|
Less
|
Least
|
|
Much
|
Many
|
More
|
Most
|
Punctuation
Note: Adjectives are not usually capitalized unless they are
the first word in a sentence. BUT, nationalities
are also adjectives and should be capitalized. For example:
Ricky
Martin is Puerto Rican and
Michelle Yeoh is Chinese.
These are called proper adjectives. And, like proper
nouns, proper adjectives are
always capitalized in English. They are derived from proper nouns and are words
like: African-American, Vietnamese, Latino, Italian, Japanese, Korean,
etc. They can also include adjectives like Catholic, Jewish,
Republican, Democrat, etc.
When they are used together, they are arranged in a certain
order.
Determiner*
|
Opinion
|
Size
|
Age
|
Color
|
Origin
|
Material
|
Noun
|
The, This
Some
|
Pretty
Tall
|
Big
Thin
|
New
Old
|
Blue
Purple
|
Puerto Rican
|
Leather
Wood
|
Sofa
|
My
|
Expensive
|
Small
|
Ancient
|
Black
|
Chinese
|
Silk
|
Scarf
|
For Example:
I saw that
tall, thin, old, blue, silk scarf at the store and I bought it.
Leon drives an expensive old Italian car.
You wouldn’t ordinarily use so many adjectives in just one sentence.
*Note: Determiners include articles,
demonstrative pronouns, indefinite pronouns and possessive pronouns.
