Adjective Notes

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Adjective Notes
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Adjective

• An adjective describes or modifies a noun or a
  pronoun.
• To modify means to change slightly or make the
  meaning more definite.
• Adjectives usually answer one of the following
  questions about the nouns and pronouns they
  modify.

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Questions that Adjectives Answer
What kind? Which one(s)? How many? How much?
new car every page one hamburger much rain
happy children seventh grade five dollars full tank
sunny day any book several rides little food
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Article Adjectives

• A, an, and the are known as the article
  adjectives.
• These are the most commonly used adjectives.
• They stand in front of nouns and pronouns and
  answer the question which one?

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• The is the definite article because it refers to
  someone in particular.
• Examples the principal, the canoe, the wool
  sweater.
• A and an are indefinite because they refer to
  someone or something in general.
• Examples a dog, an apple

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• Use a in front of a word that begins with a
  consonant sound.
• Example a unicorn, a pencil, a book, a humorous
  person
• Use an in front of a word that begins with a
  vowel sound.
• Example an old map, an uncle, an honest person

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Nouns Used as Adjectives

• When a noun modifies another noun or pronoun, it
  is considered an adjective.
• It will usually come directly before another noun
  and will answer the questions what kind? or which
  one?

Nouns Nouns Used as Adjectives
football football games (what kind)
shoe shoe salesperson (what kind)
wedding wedding day (which day)
bean bean soup (what kind)
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Proper Adjectives

• Proper adjectives are formed from proper nouns
  and begin with a capital letter.
• There are two types of proper adjectives
• A proper noun used as an adjective
• An adjective formed from a proper noun

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When proper nouns are used as adjectives, they do
not change form.- However, when an adjective is
formed from a proper noun, it does change form.
Proper Nouns Used as proper adjectives
Truman, Reagan, Clinton The Truman Library (which one)
Florida Florida wetlands (what kind)
December December weather (what kind)
Proper Nouns Proper Adjectives from Proper nouns
America American history (what kind)
Africa African continent (what kind)
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Compound Adjectives

• A compound adjective is made up of more than one
  word and may be hyphenated or written as a
  compound word.

Hyphenated One word
a well-known actress basketball game
a full-time job fiberglass wall
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Pronouns Used as Adjectives

• A pronoun is used as an adjective if it modifies
  a noun.
• A possessive adjective shows ownership or
  relationship.
• The following possessive pronouns are often
  called possessive adjectives. They will come in
  front of the noun they modify and will answer the
  question which one?
• Examples my, its, your, our, her, their
• Bobby fixed his bicycle.

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• Demonstrative adjectives are also pronouns that
  are used as adjectives.
• The demonstrative adjectives are this, that,
  these, those.
• Examples We saw that man yesterday. That car is
  a good buy. These apples are rotten.

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• Interrogative adjectives are also pronouns that
  can be used as adjectives.
• The interrogative adjectives are which, what,
  whose.
• Examples Which prize do you think her class will
  choose?
• Whose umbrella can that be?

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Predicate Adjectives

• If an adjective follows a linking verb in a
  sentence, it is called the predicate adjective.
• The predicate adjective is the complement in the
  sentence.
• Examples Mark is nice. (nice is the predicate
  adjective)