A predicate adjective is a describing word that occurs after the verb and goes back to describe the subject of the sentence.
In order for a word to be a predicate adjective, you must have the following:
A. The sentence must contain a linking verb
B. The adjective must go back and describe the subject of the sentence.
Examples: My wagon is red.
-Wagon is the noun
-Red is the adjective
Example: Sharp cheese tastes good.
-Cheese is the noun
- Sharp is the adjective.
Incorrect examples: The wagon is purple.
-The is the noun (INCORRECT)
-Wagon is the noun (CORRECT)
Proper adjectives are descriptive words derived from the proper nouns. Since proper nouns are capitalized, we also capitalize proper adjectives.
Proper noun
-Switzerland
-Mexico
-China
Proper adjectives
-Swiss (cheese)
-Mexican (culture)
-Chinese (food)
Sometimes the proper adjective does NOT change.
Proper noun
-Phoenix
-Edison
-Sky-view
-San Francisco
-Angel Face
Proper adjectives
-Phoenix (police)
-Edison (invention)
-Sky-view (television)
-San Francisco (trolley)
-Angel Face (Baby clothes)
Adjectives often make comparisons.
A. The comparative form compares two.
B. The superlative for compares three or more.
Examples: This painting is larger than that one.
(Comparative form- comparing two)
Of the three, this painting is largest.
There are several ways to form the comparative and superlative forms:
A. Comparative
1. Add er to most one-syllable adjectives.
Examples: High/higher or big/bigger (CORRECT)
Don't do: Water/waterer or
Blue/ Blueer (INCORRECT)
2. Add er to many two-syllable adjectives.
Examples: Lovely/lovelier or
happy/happier (CORRECT)
Don't do: Lovely/lovelyer or
happy/happyer (INCORRECT)
3. Place more(or less) before many two-syllable adjectives.
Examples: Partial/more partial or loyal/less loyal (CORRECT)
Don't do: Partial/partialy or loyal/loyaler (INCORRECT)
4. Some adjectives totally change form.
Examples: Good/better or bad/worse (CORRECT)
Don't do: Good/fine or bad/okay (INCORRECT)
There are two general types of adjectives: Limiting adjectives and descriptive adjectives.
Descriptive Adjectives
1. Describe.
Examples: Red, dumb, high
2. Some descriptive adjectives end in the following suffixes:
Ous, ful, able, y, ible, ive, less, and al. Descriptive adjectives modify or go over to a noun.
Descriptive adjectives often come before the noun or pronoun.
Example: White swans swam on our lake.
(White is describing the swans)
(Our is a possessive going over to lake.) (CORRECT)
Don't do: The swan's swum on our lake.
(INCORRECT)
-Descriptive adjectives sometimes come after the noun or pronoun.
Examples: A grapefruit round and juicy, was picked.
Any determining adjective must appear before a noun or pronoun in order to function as an adjective. If any of the words on this slide stand alone, they function as pronouns.
"Determiners" are actually determining adjectives.
A. Articles: a, an, and, the.
B. Demonstratives: This, that, those, and these.
C. Numbers
D. Posessives: His, her, their our, its, your, my.
E. Posessive noun (used as adjectives): Tom's car
F. Indefinites: Some, few, many, several, no, any.
Examples: This cord is frayed. (This is an adjective because it modifies or goes over to cord.) (correct)
Don't do: "This must be changed". (this is not an adjective because there is not a noun or pronoun following it. This is a pronoun.) (INCORRECT)
A limiting adjective is one of a small group of adjectives that modify the nouns to which they are applied by restricting rather than describing or qualifying. This, some, and certain are limiting adjectives.
Examples: The two teams have met every season since 1932.
(CORRECT)
Don't do: The teams meet a lot ever since 1932.
(INCORRECT)