What are Adjectives?

Adjectives are defined as words that

describe nouns or pronouns.

When they describe nouns or pronouns,
adjectives typically answer the following
questions:
What kind?
Which one?
How many?
Tall is an adjective describing the noun man.
Tall answers the question "which man?" or "what kind of man?"
For example, in the phrase
Easy is an adjective describing the noun assignment.
Easy answers the question, "what kind of assignment?"
ADJECTIVES
Descriptive
Adjectives
Limiting
Adjectives
There are two kinds of adjectives:
Descriptive Adjectives
A word which describes something

The add some sensory image to your sentence
which allows the reader to
Descriptive Adjectives
Example :


Red noise
soft
tasty
smelly
Proper Adjectives
One type of descriptive adjective.
Proper adjectives are derived from, or come
from, proper nouns.
Proper adjectives sometimes are formed by
adding a suffix to the proper noun.
Proper Adjectives
Example :

America
France

China


Proper
Noun
American
French
Chinese
Proper
Adjective
Proper Adjectives
Sometime proper nouns dont change in form at all when they
become proper adjectives.

President Kennedy was a good leader.
(President Kennedy is a person)


The Kennedy Library is very large.
(Kennedy is describing the library)
Limiting Adjectives
Limiting adjectives point out nouns.

Limiting
Adjectives
Article
Possessives
Demonstratives
Indefinites
Interrogatives
Articles Adjectives
a
an

the

Indefinite article
(Do not point nouns out
as specifically)
Definite article
(points out nouns more
specifically)
Articles Adjectives
a
an

the

Can be used before both
singular and plural nouns.

Example : the cat, the houses
can only be used before
singular nouns.

Example : a book, an elephant
Articles Adjectives
a


an


the

must be used before consonant
sounds.
Example : a duck, a fossil, a uniform
must be used before a vowel
sounds.
Example : an umbrella, an excuse
can be used before both
vowels and consonants.
Example : the ant, the car
Possessive Adjectives
Possessive adjectives show ownership of a noun.
These words are the same as the possessive
pronouns.

Subject
Pronouns
I you he she it we they
Possessive
Adjectives
my your his her its our their
Examples:
1. Why didn't you clean your room?
(your modifies the noun room)
2. Mary doesn't like her dress.
(her modifies the noun dress)
3. The chameleon can change its color.
(its modifies the noun color)

Possessive Adjectives
Demonstrative Adjectives
Demonstrative adjectives point out a noun.
They are the same words as the
demonstrative pronouns.

There are four demonstrative
this
that
these
those
Examples:
1. This apartment needs to be fumigated.
2. Even though my friend preferred those
plates, I bought these.
3. When the librarian tripped over that cord,
she dropped a pile of books.


Demonstrative Adjectives
Indefinite Adjectives
Indefinite adjectives point out nouns.
They often tell how many or how much
of something.
all any another both each either
few little many more most much
neither one other several some
Examples :
1. Many people believe that corporations are
under-taxed.
2. I will send you any mail that arrives after
you have moved to Singapore.
3. They found a few goldfish floating belly up
in the aquarium.

Indefinite Adjectives
Interrogative Adjectives
Interrogative adjectives are used to ask
questions.
Three of them were also interrogative
pronouns:
which
what
whose

Interrogative Adjectives
Examples :
1. Which plants should be watered twice a
week?
2. What book are you reading?


Read the paragraph. Underline all of the Descriptive Adjectives.

One sunny day, my little puppy jumped
onto our red couch and played with his new toy.
I liked to watch him play and it made me feel
happy. Soon, my playful puppy yawned. He was
a tired puppy. I picked him up and laid him on
his soft, round bed. Soon, my sleepy puppy was
snoring away.
Read the paragraph. Underline all of the Descriptive Adjectives.

One sunny day, my little puppy jumped
onto our red couch and played with his new toy.
I liked to watch him play and it made me feel
happy. Soon, my playful puppy yawned. He was
a tired puppy. I picked him up and laid him on
his soft, round bed. Soon, my sleepy puppy was
snoring away.