Download Adjectives and Adverbs

Adjectives and Adverbs
American Lit
Adjective and Adverbs
• Adjectives and adverbs are modifiers – this
means that they change the meaning of other
words by adding description to them or
making them more specific.
• The blustery wind billowed in from the cold,
snowy, and eastern lake.
Adjective
• Adjective: word used to describe a noun or
pronoun or to give a noun or pronoun a more
specific meaning
•
• Adjectives answer the following questions about
nouns or pronouns
• What kind?
• Which one?
• How many?
• How much?
Examples
•
•
•
•
smelly socks (kind)
that bottle (which)
fourteen eggs (how many)
less (how much)
• Sometimes the adjective that modifies the noun
or pronoun comes after the noun or pronoun.
•
• EX: He was sore after working out.
•
• There can be more than one adjective used to
modify a noun or pronoun
•
• EX: The moldy, smelly lunch was in the locker.
Nouns used as Adjectives
• Nouns Used as Adjectives: Occasionally words
that are usually nouns will function as
adjectives modifying another noun and
answering what kind or which one
• EX: beef patty, coffee mug
Proper Adjectives
• Proper Adjectives: proper nouns used as
adjectives or adjectives formed from proper
nouns. Modify other nouns and begin with a
capital letter.
• EX: Irish dancing, Christmas presents,
Wisconsin cheese
Compound Adjectives
• Compound Adjectives: made up of more than
one word. Can be hyphenated, separated, or
combined
•
• EX: racetrack surface, White House lawn, longterm sickness
Pronouns used as Adjectives
• Some pronouns can be used as adjectives. Some
pronouns (such as some personal pronouns) do
double duty. They are pronouns because they
have antecedents, and they are adjectives
because they modify nouns by answering the
questions which one.
• Pronouns become adjectives when they stand
before a noun and answer the question which
one.
• see chart on pg. 382
Verb Forms used as Adjectives
• Verb Forms Used as Adjectives: verb forms
ending in –ing or –ed can be used as
adjectives
•
• EX: The walking stick was grandpa’s.
• REMEMBER
• Nouns, pronouns, and verbs are adjectives
only when they modify nouns or pronouns
• This is different than ADVERBS…. next up!
Adverbs
• Adverb: word that modifies a verb, adjective, or
another adverb
• Adverbs that modify a verb answers any of four
questions
• Where?
• When?
• In what way?
• To what extent?
• Adverbs that modify an adjective or another adverb
ask the question
• To what extent?
Examples
• The dolphin dove down. (Where)
• Now he will enter the race. (When)
• Sarah slowly jogged around the block. (In what
way)
• We have just enough time to eat lunch. (To what
extent)
• The dogs were very noisy. (To what extent –
modifying adj)
• Mark drove very carefully during his driving test.
(To what extent – modifying adv)
• Nouns Functioning as Adverbs: a few words
that usually act as nouns can function as
adverbs that answer the question where and
when. Some words include: home, yesterday,
today, tomorrow, mornings, afternoons,
evenings, week, and year.
Adjective or Adverb???
• Remember that adverbs modify verbs,
adjectives, and adverbs.
• Adjectives modify nouns and pronouns.