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    Parts of Speech: Adjectives

    Adjectives modify nouns, pronouns, and other adjectives. They provide pertinent information about the words they modify by answering the questions What kind? How many? Which one? How much? Adjectives can add precision, color, and a dash of originality to writing.

      • The zoo has a two-year-old male leopard. (What kind?)
      • There may be ten planets in our solar system. (How many?)
      • He gave her that hat over there. (Which one?)
      • I have a bigger TV than he does. (How much?)

    Demonstrative Adjectives

    The demonstrative adjectives which, what, this, these, that, and those are used to emphasize which items are being singled out and their distance from the speaker. Unlike the pronoun forms of these words, demonstrative adjectives are never used alone.

      • I feel sorry for those people caught in the flood. (Pronoun form: I feel sorry for those caught in the flood.)
      • Take this car here and that car over by the driveway and park them both in the lot.
      • I don’t understand which person you’re talking about.
      • He doesn’t know what schedule the driver is using this week.

    Limiting Adjectives

    Many adjectives are used to identify or number the nouns they modify. In nearly all cases, the limiting adjective comes before the noun. Following is a list of some of the more common of these adjectives.

    Limiting Adjective

    Noun

    a/an

    a mango, an orange

    the

    the hammer, the screwdrivers

    few

    few ideas

    many

    many calls

    every

    every week

    each

    each person

    both

    both lights

    several

    several cards

    some

    some cake

    any

    any window

    most

    most people

    one

    one country

    Limiting adjectives a, an, and the are also known as articles. A and an are indefinite articles and refer to an unspecified item in a class (a box, an apple). The is a definite article and refers to one or more specific items in a class (the box, the apples).

    Comparisons

    Adjectives also are used to show comparisons between or among persons, places, or things. The positive, comparative, and superlative forms represent different degrees of quality or characteristic.

    The positive form is the base word (low, cautious). The comparative is formed by adding the suffix er or the word more (lower, more cautious). The superlative requires the suffix est or the word most (lowest, most cautious).

    Positive

    Comparative

    Superlative

    careful

    more careful

    most careful

    incredible

    more incredible

    most incredible

    proud

    prouder

    proudest

    fast

    faster

    fastest

    few

    fewer

    fewest

    There are several irregular comparative forms as well.

    bad

    far

    good

    less

    worse

    farther

    better

    lesser

    worst

    farthest

    best

    least

    When comparing two items, use the positive and comparative forms. For more than two items, use the superlative.

      • The black puppy is smaller than its brother. (comparative)
      • The brown puppy is the smallest of the eight. (superlative)
      • Jan has a good grade point average, Brian has a better one, while Joan has the best average of all. (positive, comparative, superlative)
      • That movie was more boring than a test pattern. (comparative)
      • He has the most expensive satellite dish on the block. (superlative)

    Compound Adjectives

    Compound adjectives generally are hyphenated when they precede the noun they modify. When they follow the noun, they are not hyphenated.

      • She wanted a blue-gray living room.
      • She even dyed the curtains blue gray.
      • That is a past-due bill.
      • The bill is past due.

    Predicate Adjectives

    When an adjective follows a linking verb such as feel, become, seem, get, is, look, and smell, the word complements the verb and is known as a predicate adjective. The adjective does not modify the verb but refers to the condition of the subject.

      • She looks beautiful.
      • He seems unhappy. Is he all right?
      • The water is getting hot.
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