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Adjectives & Adverbs
Unit 5
Adjectives/Predicate Adjectives

An adjective is a word that modifies, or
describes, a noun or a pronoun.
The eager, large crowd of visitors examines the
huge painting.


A predicate adjective follows a linking verb
and modifies the subject of the sentence.

The painting is realistic and timeless.
Questions That Adjectives Answer
What Kind?
brick house
white paper
Which One?
that judge
each answer
How Many?
one daffodil
several roses
How Much?
no time
enough raisins
Find the Adjectives
The endless landscape seemed filled with
strange objects and ghostly figures.
The silent woman was aware of everything around
her.
The bright flowers and whitened bones of the
desert inspired her.
A piece of red coral was especially eye-catching.
Articles

The articles a, an, and the are always
considered to be adjectives.


Indefinite articles = a and an
 refer to one of a general group of people, places,
things, or ideas
 A is used before words that start with a
consonant sound; an is used before words that
start with a vowel sound.
Definite article = the
 identifies specific people, places, things, or ideas
A tiger and an antelope ran through the clearing.
Compound Adjectives

A compound adjective is made up of
more than one word.

usually written in hyphenated form
one-sided opinion
 so-called expert


sometimes written in combined form
heartbreaking news
 nearsighted witness

Find the Articles &
Compound Adjectives
Hazleton is an industrial city in the central part of
Pennsylvania.
The grandfather clock stands on the living room floor.
A left-handed pitcher threw to a right-handed batter.
An apple a day keeps the doctor away is a commonsense
maxim.
Proper Adjectives
A proper adjective is formed from a
proper noun and always begins with a
capital letter.

Sometimes the proper noun stays the same
when it is used as an adjective.
I enjoy April showers.

Most times an ending must be added: -an,
-ese, -ian, -ish
I ate dinner at an Italian restaurant.
Nouns Used as Adjectives
Nouns are sometimes used as adjectives.
When this happens, the noun is used
immediately in front of another noun
and answers the question What Kind?
or Which One?



Noun = court
Adjective = court date
Noun = morning Adjective = morning meal
Noun = chalk
Adjective = chalk tray
Find the Proper Adjectives &
the Nouns Used as Adjectives
The flood waters reached the top of the barrier.
According to Greek mythology, Zeus is the king of gods
and men.
For the pizza party Jane made Italian pasta as a
side dish.
A basketball referee should be in good physical
condition.
Pronouns Used as Adjectives

Possessive pronouns (my, your, his, her,
its, our, their) followed by nouns are
often called possessive adjectives.
They are pronouns because they have
antecedents, and they are adjectives since
they answer the question Which One?
my book your friend his idea her courage
its surface our destination their reservation

Pronouns Used as Adjectives

The four demonstrative pronouns (this,
that, these, those) are actually
demonstrative adjectives when they
are followed by nouns.

They also answer the question Which
One?
this painting
these pictures
that portrait
those sculptures
Pronouns Used as Adjectives

Some interrogative pronouns (which,
what, whose) are followed by nouns.
When this happens, they’re actually
interrogative adjectives, and they
modify the nouns that follow them.
Which student borrowed the library book today?
What time are we leaving for the train station?
Whose project is posted on the bulletin board?
Pronouns Used as Adjectives

A number of indefinite pronouns (both,
few, many, each, most, some, all, etc.)
can be followed by nouns, which makes
them indefinite adjectives.
They often tell How Much?
both representatives
few complications
many circumstances
each attraction
most phenomena
some predicaments
all experiments

Find the Pronouns
Used as Adjectives




Several people are presenting
their interpretations of the novels in class
this afternoon.
Which lawyer will argue her case in court?
Our report can help all students understand
what steps we can take to save those animals.
Whose appointment is scheduled in a
few days?
Adverbs



An adverb can modify 3 different
parts of speech – a verb, an adjective,
or another adverb
Adverbs answer the questions Where?
When? In What Way? To What
Extent? about the verb, adjective, or
adverb.
Most adverbs have an –ly ending.
Adverbs That Modify Verbs
Where?
drove down
stay nearby
When?
report later
come tomorrow
In What Way?
cautiously approached
walk quietly
To What Extent?
hardly counted
scarcely escaped
Adverbs That Modify Adjectives

When an adverb modifies an
adjective, it usually answers the
question:
To What Extent?
adv.
adj.
noun
verb
PA
Very old violins are valuable.
adj.
noun
verb adv.
PA
The food was not ready.
adj.
adv.
adj.
noun
verb adj. noun
The unusually quiet girls had a secret.
Adverbs That Modify
Other Adverbs

When an adverb modifies another
adverb, it usually answers the question:
To What Extent?
adj.
noun
verb phrase
adv.
adv.
Some violins are played extremely rarely.
adj. noun verb
adj.
adj.
noun
adv.
adv.
The boy lost the chess game too quickly.
adj. noun
verb phrase
adv.
adv.
A spy must move very cautiously.
Adverbs That Do Not End With -ly
afterward
almost
very
quite
often
there
hard
sometimes
soon
everywhere long
later
here
fast
straight
Similarly, not all –ly words are adverbs.
Lovely, friendly, lively, kindly,
lonely, homely, and elderly are used
as adjectives.
Find the Adverbs

People usually handle old violins carefully.

Sometimes airplanes fly quite low in the sky.

The heater ran almost continuously during
the day.

Quickly tell your friend the answer.

Orators often speak confidently in front of
others.
Avoiding Double Negatives

Negative words express the idea of “no.” Not
often appears in a shortened form as part of
a contraction.
is not = isn’t

was not = wasn’t
did not = didn’t
Avoid using double negatives, 2 negative
words together in the same sentence.
Instead, remove one negative word or change
it to an affirmative word, which shows the
idea of “yes.”
Incorrect: That isn’t no beautiful sofa.
Correct: That isn’t a beautiful sofa.
Correct the Double Negatives




any
She doesn’t have no time to work on
the project today.
He hardly never refuses when someone
asks him for help.
Be careful when walkinganybody
across the wet
floors; we don’t want nobody to slip.
any
We couldn’t find no one who knew the
directions to the museum.
Comparative Forms of Adjectives

The comparative form of an adjective
compares two things or people.


For most adjectives of one syllable & some of
two syllables, add –er to the adjective when
comparing.
younger
older
softer
earlier
For most adjectives of two or more syllables,
add more before the adjective when
comparing.
more colorful
more beautiful
Superlative Forms of Adjectives

The superlative form of an adjective
compares more than two things or
people.


For most adjectives of one syllable &
some of two syllables, add –est to the
adjective when comparing.
youngest oldest softest earliest
For most adjectives of two or more
syllables, add most before the adjective
when comparing.
most colorful
most beautiful
Irregular Comparative and
Superlative Forms of Adjectives
Adjective
Comparative
Superlative
good,
well (healthy)
better
best
bad
worse
worst
many, much
more
most
little (amount)
little (size)
less
littler
least
littlest
Comparative Forms of Adverbs

The comparative form of an adverb
compares two actions.


For short adverbs, add –er as an ending
when comparing.
louder
faster
harder
later
For long adverbs, use more before the
adverb when comparing.
more rapidly
more harshly
Superlative Forms of Adverbs

The superlative form of an adverb
compares more than two actions.


For short adverbs, add –est as an ending
when comparing.
loudest
fastest
hardest
latest
For long adverbs, use most before the
adverb when comparing.
most rapidly
most harshly
Irregular Comparative and
Superlative Forms of Adverbs
Adverb
Comparative
Superlative
well
better
best
badly
worse
worst
little (amount)
less
least
Use the Correct Comparative
or Superlative Form




farthest
The DeAngelos had to walk ________
of
all to school. (far)
Not surprisingly, parks that are
nearest
________
to population centers have
most
the _________
visitors. (near, many)
more proudly after winning
He walked ___________
the award. (proudly)
most interesting
Geysers are one of nature’s ________
phenomena. (interesting)
Distinguishing
Adjectives from Adverbs

Adjectives and adverbs are often
confused, especially when they appear
after verbs.

The musicians are professional.


The predicate adjective professional follows
a linking verb and describes (modifies)
musicians.
The musicians behaved professionally.

The adverb professionally follows and
describes (modifies) the action verb behaved.
Distinguishing
Adjectives from Adverbs
Adjectives
The sound is bad.
The band sounds good.
The soloist seems well.
(healthy)
Music is a real art.
A pianist needs sure hands.
Most pianos have eighty-eight
keys.
Adverbs
The actor sang badly.
(Good is never an adverb.)
The band played well.
Music is really popular.
Piano music is surely popular.
Piano strings almost never
break.
Which is correct,
Adjective or Adverb?




I am (real, really) glad we left the park
before the thunderstorm.
He was (good, well) enough to go back
to school when his fever was gone.
I (sure, surely) appreciate all the
assistance that was given.
She proved that she could play (good,
well) enough to be first chair flute.
Adjective Clauses

An adjective clause is a subordinate
clause that modifies a noun or pronoun.
Starts with a relative pronoun
that
which
who
whose
whom
 Immediately follows the noun it modifies
They visited the memorial that remembers
Holocaust victims.
 Requires commas only if not essential to the
meaning of the sentence

Adverb Clauses

An adverb clause is a subordinate clause
that modifies a verb, an adjective, or an
adverb.
Starts with a subordinating conjunction
after because though when (see pg. 452)
 Can be anywhere in the sentence
 Requires a comma when it starts a sentence

When she reached the station, Marie phoned.
Find the
Adjective or Adverb Clause





The Aqua-Lung, which divers strap on, holds
oxygen.
Scuba divers wear tanks because they cannot
breathe underwater.
After she bought safe equipment, Lee explored
the undersea world.
Did you see the meet that our team won
yesterday?
The woman who is near the pool is a good
swimmer.
Bibliography



Carroll, Joyce A., Edward E. Wilson, and Gary Forlini.
Prentice Hall Writing and Grammar. Vol. Grade 8. Boston:
Pearson Education, Inc., 2008.
Royster, Jacqueline J., and Mark Lester. Writer's
Choice Grammar Workbooks : Teacher's Wraparound
Edition. Vol. Grade 8. New York: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill,
1996.
Writer's Choice Grammar Workbook 1996 : Grade 8. Vol.
Grade 8. New York: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 1999.