Grammar-Quizzes › Modifiers to Nouns › Adjective Summary › Adjective Uses
An Adjective
Recognize how it can function in a clause
An Adjective vs. Other Modifiers (pre- and post-position)
| AN ADJECTIVE |
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Adjective is a distinct category of words that function as modifiers to nouns or noun phrases. An adjective describes a noun with qualities such as size, shape, color, worth, age, origin, and so on. Most adjectives are placed before the noun; however, some are placed after the noun (post-position). |
| ADJECTIVE – NOUN |
Red leaves are falling. See Adjective Order. |
| NOUN + ADJECTIVE (POST-POSITION) |
We saw something red. See Unbreakable Words. We saw leaves galore / aplenty. There was water available. |
| NOUN + BE + ADJECTIVE |
The leaves are red. ("predicate adjective") See Be + Adj Comp. |
| PREDICATE + OBJECT NOUN– ADJECTIVE |
Fall turns the leaves red. (resultative adjective) |
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| A NOUN / PARTICIPLE / PREP PHRASE / CLAUSE |
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Other words, phrases and structures can also function as modifiers. Nouns and participles are placed before the noun, whereas phrases and clauses are placed after the noun (noun complements). |
| NOUN (N) |
Autumn leaves are falling. (N) See Noun Modifiers. |
| PARTICIPLE |
The falling leaves are covering the ground. (present participle) The fallen leaves cover the ground. (past participle) |
| PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE (PP) |
The leaves on the ground are a variety of colors. See Preps for Place. |
| MODIFYING CLAUSE (FINITE) |
The leaves that are lying on the ground are a variety of colors. See That / Which. |
| REDUCED CLAUSE (NONFINITE) |
The leaves lying on the ground are a variety of colors. Falling, the leaves glimmered in the sunlight. See Clause Reduc 2 | Misrelated Clauses. |
Noun Complements — prepositional phrases or clauses that add additional information about the noun
Also see Adjective Suffixes | Adjective Order.
The leaf was two inches wide. Modifiers to Adj
There are a few post-position adjectives: He was a dollar short. There were stars galore. He is the President elect. He has problems aplenty. There was money available. He is a Poet Laureate and an Attorney General.
(Huddleston "Postpositive-only adjectives" 560)
Adjective Phrases
Modifiers to Adjectives
Modifiers to Adjectives
| ADVERB / ADJECTIVE MODIFIERS | ||
|---|---|---|
An adverb for degree or another adjective can modify an adjective. The determiner, modifier and adjective are an adjective phrase. |
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| DETERMINER | ADV of DEGREE | ADJ + NOUN |
The |
very / rather/ pretty / so / moderately / rather / quite |
tall bridge high bridge long bridge |
| DETERMINER | MODIFIER | ADJ + NOUN |
Some |
bright dull pale |
green leaves. brown leaves. yellow leaves. |
| NOUN MODiFIERS | ||
|---|---|---|
A number-noun or a noun can function as a modifier to an adjective. |
||
| DETERMINER | NUMBER-NOUN | ADJ + NOUN |
The |
227-meter 200-foot one-kilometer |
tall bridge high bridge long bridge |
| DETERMINER | NOUN | ADJE + NOUN |
A(n) |
emerald walnut lemon |
green leaf. brown leaf. yellow leaf. |
See Modifiers to Adjectives (Adjective Phrases) for detailed examples and practices.
See Clause – Phrases for the parts that make up a clause.
Adjective
Properties
Tests for the Adjective Category
Adjective is a distinct class of descriptive words indicating qualities such as size, shape, color, worth, age, and so on.
| 1) CAN MODIFY A NOUN | 2) CAN COMPLEMENT A STATIC VERB | 3) CAN TAKE A DEGREE MODIFIER |
|---|---|---|
An adjective modifies a noun (placed mostly before but also after the noun.) |
An adjective can follow a static verb such as be, act, become, seem, look, etc. |
An adjective is gradable and can be modified by a degree adverb (not absolute words¹.) |
He is an early bird. (Yes) |
He seems early. (Yes) |
He seems very early. (Yes) |
It is a falling leaf. (Yes) |
*It looks falling. (No) |
*It is very falling.² (No) |
It is a red leaf. (Yes) |
It looks red. (Yes) |
It is very red. (Yes) |
It is a frozen leaf. (Yes) |
It appears frozen. (Yes) |
It is completely frozen. (Yes) |
He found something frozen³. (Yes) |
Something appears frozen. (Yes) |
Something is totally frozen. (Yes) |
*not used (incorrect).
property (N) — an essential or distinctive attribute or quality of a thing. (Word categories are usually defined with two or more properties.)
¹ Logically, degree modifiers are not used with words that have absolute meanings; for example, *He's rather dead, *somewhat opposite, or *very unique. See Absolute and Non-gradable Words.
² falling is not adjectival (like an Adjective). See Participle Modifiers 2
² something frozen – see Unbreakable Words.
(Huddleston 533, 541)
Grammar Notes (Advanced)
Traditional and Linguistic Description
Traditional and Linguistic Description
| ESL DESCRIPTION |
|---|
Adjectives 'modify' nouns. An adjective changes the meaning of a noun by giving more information about it. Adjectives are neither singular or plural. (Azar 4-4)
An adjective placed before the noun is in the "attributive" position. Adjectives placed after the noun are in the "predicative" position. Swan details several special cases. (Swan 12–19) |
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| REED-KELLOGG DIAGRAM |
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| LINGUISTIC DESCRIPTION |
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Adjectives (Biber 2.3.3 )
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"Adjectives may be defined as a syntactically distinct class of words whose most characteristic function is to modify nouns. They typically denote properties—most centrally in the domains of size, shape, colour, worth, and age." (Huddleston 6 §2-4) |
| TREE DIAGRAM |
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Word Categories: N – Noun; V – Verb; Aux – Auxiliary; Adj – Adjective; Adv – Adverb; P –Preposition; Det –Determiner.
Phrasal Categories: NP – Noun Phrase; VP – Verb Phrase; AdjP – Adjective Phrase; AdvP – Adverb Phrase; PP – Prepositional Phrase; DP – Determinative Phrase.
Clausal Categories: Cls – clause; F – finite clause; NF – nonfinite clause (Ger – gerund; Inf – infinitive; PPart – past participle).
Word Functions: Subj – subject; Pred – predicate/predicator; Comp – complement: elements required by an expression to complete its meaning (DO – direct object; IO – indirect object); Adjunct – adjunct: elements not required by an expression to complete its meaning (Subord – subordinator; Coord – coordinator); Supl – supplement: a clause or phrase added onto a clause that is not closely related to the central thought or structure of the main clause.
Works Cited
- Azar, Betty Schrampfer, and Stacy A. Hagen. Understanding and Using English Grammar. 4th ed., Pearson Education, 2009.
- Biber, Douglas, and Stig Johansson, et al. Longman Grammar Of Spoken And Written English. Pearson Education, 1999.
- Huddleston, Rodney D., and Geoffrey K. Pullum. The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language. Cambridge UP, 2002.
- O'Brien, Elizabeth. "Diagramming Sentences Exercises: Chapter 1." English Grammar Revolution. 2016. english-grammar-revolution.com/english-grammar-exercise.html. Accessed on 10 Oct. 2016.
- Swan, Michael. Practical English Usage. 3rd ed., Oxford UP, 2005.
- "Sentence diagram." Wikipedia. 28 Sep. 2016. Accessed on 10 Oct. 2016.
Practice 1
Why do leaves fall?
Read the Context
Why do leaves fall in autumn? Does the wind blow them off or is it the cold weather that kills them? In spring, a tree takes water from the ground and uses stored energy to grow new leaves. The leaves are "food factories" that capture sunlight and carbon dioxide. Chlorophyll, which gives plants their green color, helps change carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight into oxygen and glucose (sugar).
This process is called photosynthesis, a Greek word meaning "putting together with light". The tree uses and stores this food for later use.
Throughout the summer, the tree leaves remain green. As winter comes, trees prepare for cold and freezing weather. Trees conserve energy by shedding leaves that would likely be damaged in the winter.
GLOSSARY
autumn (N) — another word for fall, the season after summer and before winter
capture (V) — collect
carbon dioxide — a compound CO 2; carbonic acid-gas
conserve (V) — save, keep
factory (N) — a large building where a product is made
"food factories" — quotes indicate that this is an unusual sense of the words
glucose (N) — a form of sugar
likely (Adv) — probably, more certainly
shed (V) — let fall; A snake sheds its skin.
store (V) — to keep and save for later
waste (N) — decayed material, used up material
Which word, phrase or clause is the modifier?
- Select one or more items as your response.
- Compare your response to the feedback by clicking the "Check" or "Check 1-10" button.
One could argue that carbon-dioxide is a compound word or that it is a noun carbon modifying a particular type of dioxide (different from sulfur dioxide, titanium dioxide, uranium dioxide, etc.)
Practice 2
Nature's Scissors
Read the Context
In fall, special cells thicken at the base of the stems of the leaves. The cells are called abscission cells because they function like scissors. These cells block the tubes through which water flows. The cells eventually separate the leaves from the tree.
This process of shedding leaves protects the tree from the loss of energy and freeze damage. With less water, the bright green chlorophyll fades. More of the leaf color shows when the green chlorophyll is not present.
Waste that is in the leaf makes it appear brown. Anthocyanin, a pigment also found in grapes, apples and beets, makes the leaf redder.
It's not clear how the red color in the leaves helps the tree; however, the color does make the tree more desirable for planting.
GLOSSARY
abscission (N) — the act of cutting off; the normal separation of flowers, fruit and leaves from plants
cell (N) — in biology, the basic structural unit of all plants and animals (Also, a small unit, room, or compartment)
chlorophyll (N) — s green substance in plants that helps make food for the plant
damage (N) — injury, harm, cause something to be hurt
freeze (N) — state of being frozen; below 0 degrees; freeze damage, a deep freeze (meteorology)
eventually (Adv) — at a later time it certainly will happen
pigments (N) — any substance whose presence in the tissues or cells of animals or plants colors them
scissors (N) — a household tool used for cutting paper or cloth
shed (V) — let fall; A snake sheds its skin.
Identify the word form of the modifier highlighted in the sentence.
- Select your response from the list.
- Compare your response to the feedback by clicking each "check" or the "check 11-20" button.
Practice 3
Blueberry Buds
Read for Errors
Spring is the time when blueberry plants begin to take up water and nutrients from the ground and sunlight from the sky so that they can feed themselves and can grow again.
The first sign of awakening is the appearance of tiny little brown buds on the branches of the plant. A bud is an outgrowth from the plant which can develop into a flower or a leaf. Buds may be specialized to develop flowers or to develop shoots. The first buds appear on the part of the branch that is near the center of the plant rather than far away at the tip of the branches. That is to say, the buds develop from the inner part of the branch and then out to the tip
As the weather warms up, the buds begin to swell. The flowers that are emerging push open the scales, which eventually fall away from the flower.
The flowers attract bees that collect the flowers' yellow, sticky, sweet pollen and carry it to other flowers. Other flowers receive the insects and their pollen, which is a necessity part of the pollination process. Pollinating flowers can then develop into fruit—blueberries.
After the flowers petals emerge, the leaves begin to emerge, grow, flatten, and turn toward the sky. The leaves take in sunny light, water and nutrients to feed the rest of the plant. Within a few months, the bright, blue, delicious blueberries will ripe and edible.
awakening (N) — the process of waking from sleep or a dormant state (inactive)
edible (Adj) — fit or suitable for human consumption; not poisonous
emerge (V) — come out of an enclosure or smaller space
gamete (N) — genetic information
nutrients (N) — vitamins and minerals from the soil, the ground
outgrowth (N) — something that develops from something else, as a natural result of it
pollinate (N) — the transfer of pollen grains to the female reproductive structure
ripe (Adj) — mature; finished growing
scale (N) — covering of the flower in the bud form
sign (N) — information, a warning, an instructive symbol
shoots (N) — new green growth (not flower)
swell (V) — enlarge
Edit for Errors (adjectives and other modifiers)
- Edit the sentence(s) in the text box. (Look word form, punctuation and modifier position errors.)
- Compare your response to the feedback by clicking each "check" or the "check 21-30" button.