Adjectives A

ARTICLES

POSITION

SPECIAL TYPES

DEGREES

FUNCTIONAL VARIATION

DEFINITION

= describing word that modifies a Noun/Pronoun

= limiting Adj.

Definite (the): description not needed / about to describe / important + singular & plural

Indefinite (a/an): nonspecific, singular, uncountable, generalized

Consonant sound: /y/ a eulogy, /h/ a historic site, /w/ a Ouachita tribe member

Vowel sound: an LSAT test, an X-files episode, an hour ago

Demonstrative value: the red-and-blue cloth = better as the red and blue cloth; the red cloth and the blue cloth = better as the red and the blue cloth

Zero/Implied: by sunset (time); has cancer (illness); travel by train (transportation); go to bed (pers. routines); make breakfast (meals)

...BUT FOLLOWS WHEN:

USUALLY PRECEDES (Attributive Adj.): perfect storm, spectacular view, a bowl of soup, utter nonsense, a mere child, low-rent district

FOLLOWS POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS: the children's shoes, the company's former president

FOLLOWS PRONOUNS: People found HIM unconscious, Some like IT hot, +PREDICATE ADJECTIVES: IT WAS insensitive + WHO WAS so angry?

Predicate Adj.s follow Linking Verb & modify the SUBJECT: the CHILD IS afraid, the NIGHT BECAME colder, THIS TASTES delicious, I FEEL bad. The TRAIN WILL BE late.
(The TRAIN will be here at a late hour: late = NOT a Pred. Adj. because it modifies HOUR, not TRAIN)

DATES = Descriptive Adj.s

Month-Year/Month-Day, no hyphen/comma: May 1 festivities, May 2001 ceremonies

Month-Day-Year, add commas (but awkward): the May 1, 2001, ceremonies... INSTEAD, recast as: Ceremonies on May 1, 2001

SUPERLATIVES

UNCOMPARABLE (cannot add: very, large or quite): entire, impossible, pregnant, unique (BUT sometimes: most perfect)

COMPARATIVE

EQUAL: as old as

3+ SYLLABLES: more intelligent, less purposeful

1 SYLLABLE: Add -er: lighter, cheaper, happier

1 SYLLABLE: Add -est: biggest, bitterest, lightest

3+ SYLLABLES: most quarrelsome, least humerous

2 SYLLABLES:

  • Some take -est: bitterest, holiest, noblest
  • Most take most/least: most fruitful, least reckless

COORDINATE ADJECTIVE Connected

PHRASAL ADJECTIVES Compounds (-)

PARTICIPIAL ADJECTIVES

Present Participle: dinning room, walking stick, rising star

Past Participle: endangered species, completed tasks, proven need, shaven face

COMMA/AND: skilled, experienced artist...experiences, skilled artist, skilled AND experienced artist

If not connected, no comma/and: good team player, red brick house, wrinkled rain coat

2 SYLLABLES:

  • -er OR more/less: Adj.s ending in
    -er, -le, -ow, -ure, -y
  • Some take -er: lazier
  • Most take more/less: less hostile, more careless

RULES:

  • Single vowel, end in single consonant: Double consonant + suffix: red-redder-reddest
  • Ends in silent -e: Drop -e, add suffix: polite-politer-politest
  • If Adj. = Participle: Add more/less OR most/least: more boring, most tired
  • Some 1 syllables can only take more/most (only informal speech): more real, less right, least wrong
  • Some 2 syllables can only take more/most: most eager, most proper, more somber
  • 2 syllables + -un take suffix OR more/most: unhappiest, most unhappy
  • Irregular: good-better-best, less-lesser-least
  • Special emphasis is needed: reasons innumerable, captain courageous
  • Standard usage: court-martial, notary public
  • = Predicate Adj. following a Linking/Copulative Verb: I am ready, the city is asleep, the door was open
  • Type of Pronoun usually followed by Adj.: anything good, everything red, nothing important, something wicked

Adverbial Phrase:

  • If mostly ADJECTIVAL: very tired, very drunk
  • If mostly VERBAL: very much distrusted, very much appreciated, very much delayed
  • Very (only): bored, interested, pleased, satisfied

Add Adverb: quite surprised, barely concealed, little known

  • Better define: red car, human error
  • Limit: two pigs, this time
  • Suffix: manage-able, mystic-al, element-ary, hammer-ed, wood-en, statu-esque, harm-ful, inaccess-ible, artist-ic, fool-ish, demonstrat-ive, help-less, child-like, ghost-ly, peril-ous, lone-some, sunn-y
  • No suffix: old, tall, brilliant
  • Proper: a New York minute, a Cuban cigar, a Canadian dollar