The articles are:
DEFINITE ARTICLE: the; used to identify a specific noun.
INDEFINITE ARTICLES: a (used before a noun starting with a consonant sound), an (used before a noun starting with a vowel sound); used to identify a singular general noun.
ADJECTIVES: An adjective describes or qualifies a noun (a big dog, a small dog); adjectives are used before the noun or after a linking verb (This is an easy subject. or This is hard.); two or more adjectives can be used together (a beautiful, young lady). There are hundreds of adjectives, some samples are: happy, sad, green, white, special, somber, chewy, dark, heavy, sweet, lucky, wonderful, etc.
ADVERBS: An adverb, which is used to modify verbs, can also modify adjectives, which is additional information about a noun; for example a very happy birthday, his frequently long speeches, a simply delicious dish, etc.
POSSESSIVE NOUNS are used to indicate ownership, possession, origin or purpose. A possessive noun is formed by adding an apostrophe -s (‘s) to the end of the word, or just an apostrophe to plural nouns that already end with -s (‘); for example, the book’s cover or the books’ covers; the child’s coat or the children’s coats; etc.
ATTRIBUTIVE NOUNS are nouns used to describe other nouns (nouns used as adjectives), for example horse farm, house plant, vegetable broth, school books, shoe lace, etc.
The modifying pronouns are:
POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES, my, your, his, her, its, our, their.
A possessive adjective takes the place of possessive noun indicating that the noun belongs to someone or something: for example, his bicycle, her birthday, its leaves, their house, etc.
What is a word that modifies a noun or pronoun?
adjective
What is used to modify a noun?
· Grammar. Adjectives are words that modify nouns. They are often called “describing words” because they give us further details about a noun, such as what it looks like (the white horse), how many there are (the three boys) or which one it is (the last house). Adjectives do not modify verbs or other adjectives.
What modifies nouns or pronouns quizlet?
What names something or someone for whom the action of the verb is performed?
(See PARTS OF SPEECH) DIRECT OBJECT: the noun that receives the action of the verb. INDIRECT OBJECT: The noun that names the person or thing for whom or to whom the action of the verb is directed; cannot be present without a direct object; will precede the direct object in the sentence.
What are the two basic sentence elements?
The two most basic parts of a sentence are the subject and predicate.
What is an example of direct speech?
Direct speech is a sentence in which the exact words spoken are reproduced in speech marks (also known as quotation marks or inverted commas). For example: “You’ll never guess what I’ve just seen!” said Sam, excitedly. “What’s that?” asked Louise.
How do you convert direct speech to indirect speech?
Rules for conversion of Indirect Speech to Direct Speech
- Use the reporting verb, “say” or “said to” in its correct tense.
- Remove the conjuctions “that, to, if or whether etc”.
- Insert quotation marks, question mark, exclamation and fullstop, wherever necessary.
- Put a comma before the statement.
How do you identify direct and indirect speech?
Direct Speech: the message of the speaker is conveyed or reported in his own actual words without any change. Indirect Speech: the message of the speaker is conveyed or reported in our own words. a) Direct: Radha said, “I am very busy now.” b) Indirect: Radha said that she was very busy then.
How do you identify direct speech?
In direct speech, we quote the exact words that were spoken. We put quotation marks around what was said and add a speech tag such as he said “or ” “she asked” either before or after the .
What is the rule of direct and indirect speech?
Rules for conversion of Indirect Speech to Direct Speech
Indirect (Conjunction) | Direct (Kind of Sentence) |
---|---|
That | Statement (or) Exclamatory sentence |
to, not to | Imperative |
requested + to | Begin the imperative sentence with “please” |
if or whether | Interrogative sentence (Helping Verb + Subject + Main Verb + …?) |
How do you teach direct and indirect speech to students?
Using Activities to Teach Reported Speech. Have your students rephrase sentences using reported speech. First, call on one of your students and read out a simple sentence. Then, have the student report the information back to you first using direct speech, then using indirect speech.
What is a fun way to teach direct speech?
Fun ways of practising Reported Speech
- Reported speech reversi.
- Go betweens.
- What they told you.
- Reported speech pairwork dictation.
- Reported speech pairwork dictation same or different.
- Pairwork dictation match the sentences.
- Pairwork dictation match the dialogue pairs.
- Reported Speech sentence completion guessing game.
What is indirect speech give examples?
uncountable noun. Indirect speech is speech which tells you what someone said, but does not use the person’s actual words: for example, ‘They said you didn’t like it’, ‘I asked her what her plans were’, and ‘Citizens complained about the smoke’.
How do you teach a reported speech to a beginner?
Practice. Provide students with a chart of the principal changes in reported speech (i.e. will -> would, present perfect -> past perfect, etc.). Ask students to practice the reported speech by beginning with a reported speech worksheet or by asking them to change sentences from direct to reported speech.
What is the correct way to use reported speech?
In reported speech we need to use the past tense form of the verb. In direct speech the present tense is used….using suggestions in reported speech
- ‘My brothers are taller than me.
- ‘I will see you soon.
- ‘I have a cold.
- ‘I know the way.
- ‘He lost his phone.
- ‘Do you want a coffee?
What is a reported speech and examples?
Reported speech is speech which tells you what someone said, but does not use the person’s actual words: for example, ‘They said you didn’t like it’, ‘I asked her what her plans were’, and ‘Citizens complained about the smoke’.
What is the meaning of indirect?
: not direct: such as. a(1) : deviating from a direct line or course : roundabout. (2) : not going straight to the point an indirect accusation. (3) : being or involving proof of a proposition or theorem by demonstration that its negation leads to an absurdity or contradiction.
How do you teach direct speech?
Write the sentence in direct speech on the board, and the reporting sentence right next to it. Make sure students understand that the verb in simple past was changed to past perfect. Report on what your students said about their weekend. Then, ask students to continue reporting on what their classmates said.
What is the meaning of direct speech?
Direct or quoted speech is spoken or written text that reports speech or thought in its original form phrased by the original speaker; in narrative, it is usually enclosed in quotation marks but can be enclosed in guillemets.
What is a modifying word?
A working definition for the word “modify” is to change or to alter something. A modifier changes, clarifies, qualifies, or limits a particular word in a sentence in order to add emphasis, explanation, or detail. Modifiers tend to be descriptive words, such as adjectives and adverbs.
What part of speech is modifying verbs?
adverb
What are modifiers and examples?
A modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that modifies—that is, gives information about—another word in the same sentence. For example, in the following sentence, the word “burger” is modified by the word “vegetarian”: Example: I’m going to the Saturn Café for a vegetarian burger.
What is a 77 modifier?
CPT modifier 77 is used to report a repeat procedure by another physician. Guidelines and Instructions. Submit this modifier to indicate that a basic procedure or service performed by another physician had to be repeated.
What is the 26 modifier?
The CPT modifier 26 is used to indicate the professional component of the service being billed was “interpretation only,” and it is most commonly submitted with diagnostic tests, including radiological procedures. When using the 26 modifier, you must enter it in the first modifier field on your claim.
What is modifier 76 used for?
Modifier 76 Used to indicate a procedure or service was repeated by the same physician or other qualified health care professional subsequent to the original procedure or service.
What is a 59 modifier?
Modifier 59 is used to identify procedures/services, other than E/M services, that are not normally reported together, but are appropriate under the circumstances. Only if no more descriptive modifier is available, and the use of modifier 59 best explains the circumstances, should modifier 59 be used.
What is a 74 modifier used for?
Modifier -74 is used by the facility to indicate that a surgical or diagnostic procedure requiring anesthesia was terminated after the induction of anesthesia or after the procedure was started (e.g., incision made, intubation started, scope inserted) due to extenuating circumstances or circumstances that threatened …
How many times can you use modifier 76?
Do not code 76 whenever you see same CPT code because sometimes the procedures will be performed on different parts of the body but the code will be same. As I have told you, Modifier 76 can be used only when the same procedure is performed same day.
What is a 51 modifier?
Modifier 51 is defined as multiple surgeries/procedures. Multiple surgeries performed on the same day, during the same surgical session. Diagnostic Imaging Services subject to the Multiple Procedure Payment Reduction that are provided on the same day, during the same session by the same provider.
What is a 79 modifier used for?
Modifier 79 is appended to a procedure code to indicate that the service is an unrelated procedure that was performed by the same physician during a post-operative period.
What is a 73 modifier?
Modifier -73 is used by the facility to indicate that a procedure requiring anesthesia was terminated due. to extenuating circumstances or to circumstances that threatened the well being of the patient after the. patient had been prepared for the procedure (including procedural pre-medication when provided), and.
What is the purpose of modifiers 73 and 74?
Modifier -73 indicates procedures discontinued prior to anesthesia, whereas modifier -74 is appropriate for procedures discontinued after anesthesia administration or after the procedure has begun (e.g., the physician made the incision or inserted a scope).
What is modifier 23?
Definition: Unusual Anesthesia: Occasionally, a procedure, which usually requires either no anesthesia or local anesthesia, because of unusual circumstances must be done under general anesthesia. Appropriate Usage. Add modifier 23 to the procedure code of the basic service.
What is a modifier 25?
Modifier 25 (significant, separately identifiable evaluation and management [E/M] service by the same physician on the same day of the procedure or other service) is the most important modifier for pediatricians in Current Procedural Terminology (CPT®).
What is modifier 32 used for?
Modifier 32 indicates mandated services. This modifier is not appropriate when billing Medicare for federally mandated visits for patients in a Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) or Nursing Facility (NF).
What is the 99 modifier?
Modifier 99, Multiple Modifiers: Under certain circumstances 2 or more modifiers may be necessary to completely delineate a service. In such situations modifier 99 is added to the basic procedure, and other applicable modifiers may be listed as part of the description of the service.
What is modifier AG?
AG Primary physician Surgical: Used to denote a primary surgeon. In the case of multiple primary surgeons, two or more surgeons can use modifier AG for the same patient on the same date of service if the procedures are performed independently and in different specialty areas.
What is a 62 modifier?
Modifier 62 – If two surgeons (each in a different specialty) are required to perform a specific procedure, each surgeon bills for the procedure with a modifier “-62.” Co-surgery also refers to surgical procedures involving two surgeons performing the parts of the procedure simultaneously, i.e., heart transplant or …
What is a Hcpcs modifier?
HCPCS Modifiers List. A modifier provides the means by which the reporting physician or provider can indicate that a service or procedure that has been performed has been altered by some specific circumstance but not changed in its definition or code.
Is a Hcpcs modifier?
HCPCS modifiers, like CPT modifiers, are always two characters, and are added to the end of a HCPCS or CPT code with a hyphen. When differentiating between a CPT modifier and a HCPCS modifier, all there’s one simple rule: if the modifier has a letter in it, it’s a HCPCS modifier.
What does the modifier stand for?
A modifier is a code that provides the means by which the reporting physician can indicate that a service or procedure that has been performed has been altered by some specific circumstance but has not changed in its definition or code.
What does A2 modifier mean?
Modifier A2 Dressing for two wounds. Modifiers A1-A9 have been established to indicate that a particular item is being used as a primary or secondary dressing as well as to indicate the number of wounds on which that dressing is being used.
What is a modifier 50?
Modifier 50 is used to report bilateral procedures that are performed during the same operative session by the same physician in either separate operative areas (e.g. hands, feet, legs, arms, ears), or one (same) operative area (e.g. nose, eyes, breasts).
Which modifier goes first QW or 59?
guidelines: order of modifiers If you have two pricing modifiers, the most common scenario is likely to involve 26 and another modifier. Always add 26 before any other modifier. If you have two payment modifiers, a common one is 51 and 59, enter 59 in the first position. If 51 and 78, enter 78 in the first position.
What is a HK modifier?
2021 HCPCS Modifier HK – Specialized mental health programs for high-risk populations.
What is a prepositional phrase modifying a noun or pronoun?
A prepositional phrase is a group of words consisting of a preposition, its object, and any words that modify the object. Most of the time, a prepositional phrase modifies a verb or a noun. These two kinds of prepositional phrases are called adverbial phrases and adjectival phrases, respectively.
Is a word used before a noun to modify the noun?
Adjectives are ‘describing’ words that modify or add qualities to nouns. Examples: articles, adjectives, adverbs, nouns, and pronouns.
What is a word used to modify a noun?
Adjectives are words that modify nouns. They are often called “describing words” because they give us further details about a noun, such as what it looks like (the white horse), how many there are (the three boys) or which one it is (the last house). Adjectives that answer the first question are descriptive adjectives.
What is modify in grammar?
to change somewhat the form or qualities of; alter partially; amend: to modify a contract. Grammar. (of a word, phrase, or clause) to stand in a syntactically subordinate relation to (another word, phrase, or clause), usually with descriptive, limiting, or particularizing meaning; be a modifier.
What does the word modify mean in grammar?
A working definition for the word “modify” is to change or to alter something. A modifier changes, clarifies, qualifies, or limits a particular word in a sentence in order to add emphasis, explanation, or detail.
How do you use the word modify in a sentence?
Examples of modify in a Sentence We can help you modify an existing home or build a new one. He modified the recipe by using oil instead of butter. She has modified her views on the matter. The design was modified to add another window.
What is another word for Modify?
What is another word for modify?
alter | change |
---|---|
revise | adjust |
remodel | rework |
vary | adapt |
recast | refashion |
What’s an antonym for Modify?
What is the opposite of modify?
fix | freeze |
---|---|
remain | spoil |
stagnate | stay |
unfit | leave alone |
keep | preserve |
What is an antonym for the word persist?
pɝˈsɪst) Be persistent, refuse to stop. Synonyms. plug uphold hang on bear on ask for it ask for trouble obstinate stick to persevere hang in hold on stick with preserve continue carry on plug away follow. Antonyms. discontinue uncork detach stifle compromising.
What’s another word for version?
In this page you can discover 41 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for version, like: edition, report, redaction, story, rendition, account, description, variant, paraphrase, depiction and interpretation.
What’s the opposite of version?
What is the opposite of version?
counterexample | antithesis |
---|---|
counter | contradiction |
converse | contrariety |
antipode |
What’s another word for perspective?
viewpoint point of view
What is a synonym for new?
Some common synonyms of new are fresh, novel, and original. While all these words mean “having recently come into existence or use,” new may apply to what is freshly made and unused, what has not been known before, or what has not been experienced before.
What’s another word for brand new?
brand-new
- fresh,
- mint,
- pristine,
- span-new,
- virgin,
- virginal.
What is a word for new and different?
When they say ‘new approach’ they imply both new and different. But you should mind the word combinations like ‘innovative approach’, ‘advanced technology’. Following Pureferret’s comment, if we refer to programming, and need a single new and different something, we use ‘unique’ like ‘unique key’ in database.
What are bad words that start with D?
List Of Negative Words That Starts With D
Number | List Of Negative Words That Starts With D |
---|---|
2 | Damaged |
3 | Damages |
4 | Damaging |
5 | Damn |
What word takes 3 hours to say full word?
METHIONYLTHREONYLTHREONYGLUTAMINYLARGINYL … All told, the full chemical name for the human protein titin is 189,819 letters, and takes about three-and-a-half hours to pronounce.
What are the nouns that are referred to by pronouns called?
Usage – Pronoun Reference. A pronoun is a word used to stand for (or take the place of) a noun. This noun is called the pronoun’s antecedent. Unfortunately, it is very easy to create a sentence that uses a pronoun WITHOUT a clear, unmistakable noun antecedent.
What is an example of a dangling modifier?
A modifier is considered dangling when the sentence isn’t clear about what is being modified. For example, “The big” doesn’t make sense without telling what is big which leaves “big” as a dangling modifier; but, “the big dog” is a complete phrase.
How do you identify a modifier?
Modifiers are words, phrases, or clauses that add description to sentences. Typically, you will find a modifier right next to—either in front of or behind—the word it logically describes.
What are examples of modifiers?
How do you use modifiers correctly?
A modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that provides description.
- Always place modifiers as close as possible to the words they modify.
- A modifier at the beginning of the sentence must modify the subject of the sentence.
- Your modifier must modify a word or phrase that is included in your sentence.
What is a bound modifier?
(STRUCTURES THAT CAN BE INSERTED INTO A SENTENCE PATTERN WITHOUT CHANGING THE PATTERN) ADJECTIVES (adj) are signalled structurally by -er and -est or by more and most (e.g., sharp, sharper, sharpest; useful, more useful, most useful).
What is a Resumptive modifier?
A resumptive modifier is a modifying phrase placed at the end of a sentence to repeat a key word or phrase and add new information.
What does free modifier mean?
Free modifiers are words and phrases the author tacks on to a sentence to make the sentence better. Free means you can tack on the modifier wherever you want to – at the beginning and end of a sentence are common. You can even push apart a sentence and stick in the modifier within the sentence itself.
What is nominative absolute in English grammar?
In English grammar, a nominative absolute is a free-standing (absolute) part of a sentence that describes the main subject and verb. It is usually at the beginning or end of the sentence, although it can also appear in the middle.
What is the meaning of nominative?
1a : of, relating to, or being a grammatical case (see case entry 1 sense 3a) that typically marks the subject of a verb especially in languages that have relatively full inflection nominative case. b : of or relating to the nominative case a nominative ending.
How do you use nominative absolute in a sentence?
Rules for joining with Nominative Absolute: At the time of action verb, first of all the subject of the first sentences will be written. Then “Having” and past participle “V-3” and “Comma” at the end of the first sentence will be written. Then the second sentence will be written.
What Mark is used after nominative absolute?
comma
What is phrase in apposition?
In grammar, an apposition occurs when two words or phrases are placed beside each other in a sentence so that one describes or defines the other. An example is the phrase “my dog Woofers,” in which “my dog” is in apposition to the name “Woofers.”
How do you join a simple sentence?
We can combine two simple sentences into one by using a present or past participle….Joining two simple sentences into another simple sentence
- She works hard. She wants to pass the test.
- She works hard to pass the test.
- I put on my best clothes. I wanted to impress her.
- I put on my best clothes to impress her.
How do you join two phrases?
You have four options for combining two complete sentences: comma and a conjunction (“and,” “but,” “or,” “for,” or “yet”) semicolon and a transitional adverb, like “therefore,” “moreover,” or “thus”
What is voice change in English grammar?
Voice is the term used to describe whether a verb is active or passive. When the subject of the verb is being acted upon (e.g., “The postman was bitten.”), the verb is said to be in the passive voice. So, the voice of a verb tells us whether the subject is acting or being acted upon.
Which is an example of a simple sentence?
A simple sentence has the most basic elements that make it a sentence: a subject, a verb, and a completed thought. Examples of simple sentences include the following: Joe waited for the train. The train was late.
How can you identify a simple sentence?
A simple sentence contains one independent clause. A compound sentence contains more than one! Put another way: a simple sentence contains a subject and a predicate, but a compound sentence contains more than one subject and more than one predicate.
What is the shortest sentence?
“Go!” Is The Shortest Grammatically Correct Sentence In English (+29 Fun Facts)
- According to the Global Language Monitor, the estimated number of words in the English language is 1,025,109.
- “I am” is the shortest complete sentence in the English language.
How many pages is 1000 words?
Pages by Word Count
Word Count | Pages (single spaced) | Pages (double spaced) |
---|---|---|
1000 Words | 2 Pages | 4 Pages |
1200 Words | 2⅖ Pages | 4⅘ Pages |
1500 Words | 3 Pages | 6 Pages |
2000 Words | 4 Pages | 8 Pages |
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Words don’t only mean something; they also do something. In the English language, words are grouped into word classes based on their function, i.e. what they do in a phrase or sentence. In total, there are nine word classes in English.
Word class meaning and example
All words can be categorised into classes within a language based on their function and purpose.
An example of various word classes is ‘The cat ate a cupcake quickly.’
-
The = a determiner
-
cat = a noun
-
ate = a verb
-
a = determiner
-
cupcake = noun
-
quickly = an adverb
Word class function
The function of a word class, also known as a part of speech, is to classify words according to their grammatical properties and the roles they play in sentences. By assigning words to different word classes, we can understand how they should be used in context and how they relate to other words in a sentence.
Each word class has its own unique set of characteristics and rules for usage, and understanding the function of word classes is essential for effective communication in English. Knowing our word classes allows us to create clear and grammatically correct sentences that convey our intended meaning.
Word classes in English
In English, there are four main word classes; nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. These are considered lexical words, and they provide the main meaning of a phrase or sentence.
The other five word classes are; prepositions, pronouns, determiners, conjunctions, and interjections. These are considered functional words, and they provide structural and relational information in a sentence or phrase.
Don’t worry if it sounds a bit confusing right now. Read ahead and you’ll be a master of the different types of word classes in no time!
All word classes | Definition | Examples of word classification |
Noun | A word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea. | cat, house, plant |
Pronoun | A word that is used in place of a noun to avoid repetition. | he, she, they, it |
Verb | A word that expresses action, occurrence, or state of being. | run, sing, grow |
Adjective | A word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun. | blue, tall, happy |
Adverb | A word that describes or modifies a verb, adjective, or other adverb. | quickly, very |
Preposition | A word that shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and other words in a sentence. | in, on, at |
Conjunction | A word that connects words, phrases, or clauses. | and, or, but |
Interjection | A word that expresses strong emotions or feelings. | wow, oh, ouch |
Determiners | A word that clarifies information about the quantity, location, or ownership of the noun | Articles like ‘the’ and ‘an’, and quantifiers like ‘some’ and ‘all’. |
The four main word classes
In the English language, there are four main word classes: nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. Let’s look at all the word classes in detail.
Nouns
Nouns are the words we use to describe people, places, objects, feelings, concepts, etc. Usually, nouns are tangible (touchable) things, such as a table, a person, or a building.
However, we also have abstract nouns, which are things we can feel and describe but can’t necessarily see or touch, such as love, honour, or excitement. Proper nouns are the names we give to specific and official people, places, or things, such as England, Claire, or Hoover.
Cat
House
School
Britain
Harry
Book
Hatred
‘My sister went to school.‘
Verbs
Verbs are words that show action, event, feeling, or state of being. This can be a physical action or event, or it can be a feeling that is experienced.
Lexical verbs are considered one of the four main word classes, and auxiliary verbs are not. Lexical verbs are the main verb in a sentence that shows action, event, feeling, or state of being, such as walk, ran, felt, and want, whereas an auxiliary verb helps the main verb and expresses grammatical meaning, such as has, is, and do.
Run
Walk
Swim
Curse
Wish
Help
Leave
‘She wished for a sunny day.’
Adjectives
Adjectives are words used to modify nouns, usually by describing them. Adjectives describe an attribute, quality, or state of being of the noun.
Long
Short
Friendly
Broken
Loud
Embarrassed
Dull
Boring
‘The friendly woman wore a beautiful dress.’
Fig 1. Adjectives can describe the woman and the dress
Adverbs
Adverbs are words that work alongside verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. They provide further descriptions of how, where, when, and how often something is done.
Quickly
Softly
Very
More
Too
Loudly
‘The music was too loud.’
All of the above examples are lexical word classes and carry most of the meaning in a sentence. They make up the majority of the words in the English language.
The other five word classes
The other five remaining word classes are; prepositions, pronouns, determiners, conjunctions, and interjections. These words are considered functional words and are used to explain grammatical and structural relationships between words.
For example, prepositions can be used to explain where one object is in relation to another.
Prepositions
Prepositions are used to show the relationship between words in terms of place, time, direction, and agency.
In
At
On
Towards
To
Through
Into
By
With
‘They went through the tunnel.’
Pronouns
Pronouns take the place of a noun or a noun phrase in a sentence. They often refer to a noun that has already been mentioned and are commonly used to avoid repetition.
Chloe (noun) → she (pronoun)
Chloe’s dog → her dog (possessive pronoun)
There are several different types of pronouns; let’s look at some examples of each.
- He, she, it, they — personal pronouns
- His, hers, its, theirs, mine, ours — possessive pronouns
- Himself, herself, myself, ourselves, themselves — reflexive pronouns
- This, that, those, these — demonstrative pronouns
- Anyone, somebody, everyone, anything, something — Indefinite pronouns
- Which, what, that, who, who — Relative pronouns
‘She sat on the chair which was broken.’
Determiners
Determiners work alongside nouns to clarify information about the quantity, location, or ownership of the noun. It ‘determines’ exactly what is being referred to. Much like pronouns, there are also several different types of determiners.
- The, a, an — articles
- This, that, those — you might recognise these for demonstrative pronouns are also determiners
- One, two, three etc. — cardinal numbers
- First, second, third etc. — ordinal numbers
- Some, most, all — quantifiers
- Other, another — difference words
‘The first restaurant is better than the other.’
Conjunctions
Conjunctions are words that connect other words, phrases, and clauses together within a sentence. There are three main types of conjunctions;
-
Coordinating conjunctions — these link independent clauses together.
-
Subordinating conjunctions — these link dependent clauses to independent clauses.
- Correlative conjunctions — words that work in pairs to join two parts of a sentence of equal importance.
For, and, nor, but, or, yet, so — coordinating conjunctions
After, as, because, when, while, before, if, even though — subordinating conjunctions
Either/or, neither/nor, both/and — correlative conjunctions
‘If it rains, I’m not going out.’
Interjections
Interjections are exclamatory words used to express an emotion or a reaction. They often stand alone from the rest of the sentence and are accompanied by an exclamation mark.
Oh
Oops!
Phew!
Ahh!
‘Oh, what a surprise!’
Word class: lexical classes and function classes
A helpful way to understand lexical word classes is to see them as the building blocks of sentences. If the lexical word classes are the blocks themselves, then the function word classes are the cement holding the words together and giving structure to the sentence.
Fig 2. Lexical and functional word classes
In this diagram, the lexical classes are in blue and the function classes are in yellow. We can see that the words in blue provide the key information, and the words in yellow bring this information together in a structured way.
Word class examples
Sometimes it can be tricky to know exactly which word class a word belongs to. Some words can function as more than one word class depending on how they are used in a sentence. For this reason, we must look at words in context, i.e. how a word works within the sentence. Take a look at the following examples of word classes to see the importance of word class categorisation.
The dog will bark if you open the door.
The tree bark was dark and rugged.
Here we can see that the same word (bark) has a different meaning and different word class in each sentence. In the first example, ‘bark’ is used as a verb, and in the second as a noun (an object in this case).
I left my sunglasses on the beach.
The horse stood on Sarah’s left foot.
In the first sentence, the word ‘left’ is used as a verb (an action), and in the second, it is used to modify the noun (foot). In this case, it is an adjective.
I run every day
I went for a run
In this example, ‘run’ can be a verb or a noun.
Word Class — Key takeaways
-
We group words into word classes based on the function they perform in a sentence.
-
The four main word classes are nouns, adjectives, verbs, and adverbs. These are lexical classes that give meaning to a sentence.
-
The other five word classes are prepositions, pronouns, determiners, conjunctions, and interjections. These are function classes that are used to explain grammatical and structural relationships between words.
-
It is important to look at the context of a sentence in order to work out which word class a word belongs to.
Frequently Asked Questions about Word Class
A word class is a group of words that have similar properties and play a similar role in a sentence.
Some examples of how some words can function as more than one word class include the way ‘run’ can be a verb (‘I run every day’) or a noun (‘I went for a run’). Similarly, ‘well’ can be an adverb (‘He plays the guitar well’) or an adjective (‘She’s feeling well today’).
The nine word classes are; Nouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, prepositions, pronouns, determiners, conjunctions, interjections.
Categorising words into word classes helps us to understand the function the word is playing within a sentence.
Parts of speech is another term for word classes.
The different groups of word classes include lexical classes that act as the building blocks of a sentence e.g. nouns. The other word classes are function classes that act as the ‘glue’ and give grammatical information in a sentence e.g. prepositions.
The word classes for all, that, and the is:
‘All’ = determiner (quantifier)
‘That’ = pronoun and/or determiner (demonstrative pronoun)
‘The’ = determiner (article)
Final Word Class Quiz
Word Class Quiz — Teste dein Wissen
Question
A word can only belong to one type of noun. True or false?
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Answer
This is false. A word can belong to multiple categories of nouns and this may change according to the context of the word.
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Question
Name the two principal categories of nouns.
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Answer
The two principal types of nouns are ‘common nouns’ and ‘proper nouns’.
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Question
Which of the following is an example of a proper noun?
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Question
Name the 6 types of common nouns discussed in the text.
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Answer
Concrete nouns, abstract nouns, countable nouns, uncountable nouns, collective nouns, and compound nouns.
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Question
What is the difference between a concrete noun and an abstract noun?
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Answer
A concrete noun is a thing that physically exists. We can usually touch this thing and measure its proportions. An abstract noun, however, does not physically exist. It is a concept, idea, or feeling that only exists within the mind.
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Question
Pick out the concrete noun from the following:
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Question
Pick out the abstract noun from the following:
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Question
What is the difference between a countable and an uncountable noun? Can you think of an example for each?
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Answer
A countable noun is a thing that can be ‘counted’, i.e. it can exist in the plural. Some examples include ‘bottle’, ‘dog’ and ‘boy’. These are often concrete nouns.
An uncountable noun is something that can not be counted, so you often cannot place a number in front of it. Examples include ‘love’, ‘joy’, and ‘milk’.
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Question
Pick out the collective noun from the following:
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Question
What is the collective noun for a group of sheep?
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Answer
The collective noun is a ‘flock’, as in ‘flock of sheep’.
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Question
The word ‘greenhouse’ is a compound noun. True or false?
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Answer
This is true. The word ‘greenhouse’ is a compound noun as it is made up of two separate words ‘green’ and ‘house’. These come together to form a new word.
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Question
What are the adjectives in this sentence?: ‘The little boy climbed up the big, green tree’
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Answer
The adjectives are ‘little’ and ‘big’, and ‘green’ as they describe features about the nouns.
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Question
Place the adjectives in this sentence into the correct order: the wooden blue big ship sailed across the Indian vast scary ocean.
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Answer
The big, blue, wooden ship sailed across the vast, scary, Indian ocean.
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Question
What are the 3 different positions in which an adjective can be placed?
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Answer
An adjective can be placed before a noun (pre-modification), after a noun (post-modification), or following a verb as a complement.
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Question
In this sentence, does the adjective pre-modify or post-modify the noun? ‘The unicorn is angry’.
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Answer
The adjective ‘angry’ post-modifies the noun ‘unicorn’.
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Question
In this sentence, does the adjective pre-modify or post-modify the noun? ‘It is a scary unicorn’.
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Answer
The adjective ‘scary’ pre-modifies the noun ‘unicorn’.
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Question
What kind of adjectives are ‘purple’ and ‘shiny’?
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Answer
‘Purple’ and ‘Shiny’ are qualitative adjectives as they describe a quality or feature of a noun
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Question
What kind of adjectives are ‘ugly’ and ‘easy’?
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Answer
The words ‘ugly’ and ‘easy’ are evaluative adjectives as they give a subjective opinion on the noun.
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Question
Which of the following adjectives is an absolute adjective?
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Question
Which of these adjectives is a classifying adjective?
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Question
Convert the noun ‘quick’ to its comparative form.
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Answer
The comparative form of ‘quick’ is ‘quicker’.
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Question
Convert the noun ‘slow’ to its superlative form.
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Answer
The comparative form of ‘slow’ is ‘slowest’.
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Question
What is an adjective phrase?
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Answer
An adjective phrase is a group of words that is ‘built’ around the adjective (it takes centre stage in the sentence). For example, in the phrase ‘the dog is big’ the word ‘big’ is the most important information.
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Question
Give 2 examples of suffixes that are typical of adjectives.
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Answer
Suffixes typical of adjectives include -able, -ible, -ful, -y, -less, -ous, -some, -ive, -ish, -al.
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Question
What is the difference between a main verb and an auxiliary verb?
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Answer
A main verb is a verb that can stand on its own and carries most of the meaning in a verb phrase. For example, ‘run’, ‘find’. Auxiliary verbs cannot stand alone, instead, they work alongside a main verb and ‘help’ the verb to express more grammatical information e.g. tense, mood, possibility.
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Question
What is the difference between a primary auxiliary verb and a modal auxiliary verb?
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Answer
Primary auxiliary verbs consist of the various forms of ‘to have’, ‘to be’, and ‘to do’ e.g. ‘had’, ‘was’, ‘done’. They help to express a verb’s tense, voice, or mood. Modal auxiliary verbs show possibility, ability, permission, or obligation. There are 9 auxiliary verbs including ‘could’, ‘will’, might’.
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Question
Which of the following are primary auxiliary verbs?
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Is
-
Play
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Have
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Run
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Does
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Could
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Answer
The primary auxiliary verbs in this list are ‘is’, ‘have’, and ‘does’. They are all forms of the main primary auxiliary verbs ‘to have’, ‘to be’, and ‘to do’. ‘Play’ and ‘run’ are main verbs and ‘could’ is a modal auxiliary verb.
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Question
Name 6 out of the 9 modal auxiliary verbs.
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Answer
Answers include: Could, would, should, may, might, can, will, must, shall
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Question
‘The fairies were asleep’. In this sentence, is the verb ‘were’ a linking verb or an auxiliary verb?
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Answer
The word ‘were’ is used as a linking verb as it stands alone in the sentence. It is used to link the subject (fairies) and the adjective (asleep).
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Question
What is the difference between dynamic verbs and stative verbs?
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Answer
A dynamic verb describes an action or process done by a noun or subject. They are thought of as ‘action verbs’ e.g. ‘kick’, ‘run’, ‘eat’. Stative verbs describe the state of being of a person or thing. These are states that are not necessarily physical action e.g. ‘know’, ‘love’, ‘suppose’.
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Question
Which of the following are dynamic verbs and which are stative verbs?
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Drink
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Prefer
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Talk
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Seem
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Understand
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Write
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Answer
The dynamic verbs are ‘drink’, ‘talk’, and ‘write’ as they all describe an action. The stative verbs are ‘prefer’, ‘seem’, and ‘understand’ as they all describe a state of being.
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Question
What is an imperative verb?
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Answer
Imperative verbs are verbs used to give orders, give instructions, make a request or give warning. They tell someone to do something. For example, ‘clean your room!’.
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Question
Inflections give information about tense, person, number, mood, or voice. True or false?
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Question
What information does the inflection ‘-ing’ give for a verb?
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Answer
The inflection ‘-ing’ is often used to show that an action or state is continuous and ongoing.
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Question
How do you know if a verb is irregular?
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Answer
An irregular verb does not take the regular inflections, instead the whole word is spelt a different way. For example, begin becomes ‘began’ or ‘begun’. We can’t add the regular past tense inflection -ed as this would become ‘beginned’ which doesn’t make sense.
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Question
Suffixes can never signal what word class a word belongs to. True or false?
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Answer
False. Suffixes can signal what word class a word belongs to. For example, ‘-ify’ is a common suffix for verbs (‘identity’, ‘simplify’)
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Question
A verb phrase is built around a noun. True or false?
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Answer
False. A verb phrase is a group of words that has a main verb along with any other auxiliary verbs that ‘help’ the main verb. For example, ‘could eat’ is a verb phrase as it contains a main verb (‘could’) and an auxiliary verb (‘could’).
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Question
Which of the following are multi-word verbs?
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Shake
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Rely on
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Dancing
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Look up to
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Answer
The verbs ‘rely on’ and ‘look up to’ are multi-word verbs as they consist of a verb that has one or more prepositions or particles linked to it.
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Question
What is the difference between a transition verb and an intransitive verb?
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Answer
Transitive verbs are verbs that require an object in order to make sense. For example, the word ‘bring’ requires an object that is brought (‘I bring news’). Intransitive verbs do not require an object to complete the meaning of the sentence e.g. ‘exist’ (‘I exist’).
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Answer
An adverb is a word that gives more information about a verb, adjective, another adverb, or a full clause.
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Question
What are the 3 ways we can use adverbs?
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Answer
We can use adverbs to modify a word (modifying adverbs), to intensify a word (intensifying adverbs), or to connect two clauses (connecting adverbs).
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What are modifying adverbs?
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Answer
Modifying adverbs are words that modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. They add further information about the word.
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Question
‘Additionally’, ‘likewise’, and ‘consequently’ are examples of connecting adverbs. True or false?
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Answer
True! Connecting adverbs are words used to connect two independent clauses.
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Question
What are intensifying adverbs?
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Answer
Intensifying adverbs are words used to strengthen the meaning of an adjective, another adverb, or a verb. In other words, they ‘intensify’ another word.
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Question
Which of the following are intensifying adverbs?
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Calmly
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Incredibly
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Enough
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Greatly
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Answer
The intensifying adverbs are ‘incredibly’ and ‘greatly’. These strengthen the meaning of a word.
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Question
Name the main types of adverbs
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Answer
The main adverbs are; adverbs of place, adverbs of time, adverbs of manner, adverbs of frequency, adverbs of degree, adverbs of probability, and adverbs of purpose.
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Question
What are adverbs of time?
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Answer
Adverbs of time are the ‘when?’ adverbs. They answer the question ‘when is the action done?’ e.g. ‘I’ll do it tomorrow’
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Question
Which of the following are adverbs of frequency?
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Usually
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Patiently
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Occasionally
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Nowhere
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Answer
The adverbs of frequency are ‘usually’ and ‘occasionally’. They are the ‘how often?’ adverbs. They answer the question ‘how often is the action done?’.
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Question
What are adverbs of place?
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Answer
Adverbs of place are the ‘where?’ adverbs. They answer the question ‘where is the action done?’. For example, ‘outside’ or ‘elsewhere’.
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Question
Which of the following are adverbs of manner?
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Never
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Carelessly
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Kindly
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Inside
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Answer
The words ‘carelessly’ and ‘kindly’ are adverbs of manner. They are the ‘how?’ adverbs that answer the question ‘how is the action done?’.
Show question
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Modifiers
After the completion of this article/post, you would be able to
• explain modifiers.
• identify different types of modifiers used in sentences.
• make sentences by using different types of modifiers.
Overview:
1: Modifiers
2: Premodifiers
3: Postmodifiers
4: Dangling Modifiers
Part 1: Modifiers
What is a modifier?
The words or phrases that modify the noun/pronoun are known as modifiers. In other words, some words or phrases take their position before and after the noun head in a noun phrase and modify the noun adding special meaning to it. Modifiers placed before the noun head are called premodifiers while modifiers after the noun head are postmodifiers. Therefore, a noun phrase is usually formed as follows.
( Determiner + Premodifier + Noun head + Postmodifier)
Example: I saw the beautiful girl singing
The |
Beautiful |
Girl |
singing |
Determiner |
Premodifier |
Noun head |
Postmodifier |
Look at the passage below. Notice the words in italics:
Elvis Presley came from a poor family. He was born on 8 January in Mississippi. When Elvis was 13, he asked his mother to buy him a bicycle which was too expensive. His mother, a poor housewife, could only buy an ordinary guitar. In the same year Elvis and his family left Mississippi. They moved to Memphis, a small town in Tennessee. One day in 1954 he went to a recording studio called Sun Records. He wanted to make a record for his mother’s birthday. The secretary at the studio heard Elvis and took him to her boss, Sam Phillips. Elvis was Sam Phillips’ dream – a white boy with a black voice.
If you notice carefully, you will see the words in italics tell us something about the nouns they modify. For example, the adjective ‘poor’ modifies the noun ‘family’. Now let us see how some other modifiers have been used in the text:
which was too expensive |
modifies |
bi-cycle |
poor |
modifies |
housewife |
a small town in Tennessee |
modifies |
memphis |
recording |
modifies |
studio |
called sun Records |
modifies |
studio |
for his mother’s birthday |
modifies |
record |
Sam Phillips |
modifies |
her boss |
white |
modifies |
boy |
black |
modifies |
voice |
From the examples, we see that adjectives are often used as modifiers. But there are other examples of modifiers which are not adjectives. Therefore a noun can also be modified by a phrase, a clause or another noun. We have also seen that modifiers can be used both before and after nouns they modify.
Part 1
Exercise 1
Work in pairs to find out modifiers in the following passage. Write them in the table below to show which of them are premodifers and which of them are postmodifiers.
Premodifiers |
Postmodifiers |
Charles Dickens, of all the great nineteenth Century English novelists, is perhaps the most beloved by his readers. The ideas for many of the events and people in Dickens’s novels grew from his own experiences. Dickens was born in Portsmouth, on the southern coast of England, and grew up in a poor neighbourhood in London. His father, a clerk, accumulated huge debts. Dickens endured a difficult childhood, for he was forced to work in factories from an early age. His employers were often needlessly cruel. The painful experiences Dickens endured as a child worker inspired him to write Oliver Twist and David Copperfield. In these two well-known novels appear some of the cruelest characters in English fiction. Vivid portraits of schoolmasters, criminals and innocent victims are found in many of his novels. Dickens, who died as a result of continuing poor health at the age of fifty-eight, left an enduring legacy.
Part 2: Premodifiers
What is a Premodifier?
Modifiers which are placed after determiners but before the head of a noun phrase are called premodifiers. Adjectives are widely used as premodifiers, yet there are some other types of premodifers too.
Different types of premodifiers:
1. Adjectives as premodifiers:
We had a pleasant holiday last week.
There were plenty of bright people before the castle.
Sabrina is a meritorious student.
2. Nouns as premodifiers:
Are the removal expenses paid by your company?
The passenger ship dropped anchor in the harbor.
3. Adverbs as premodifiers:
We had a very pleasant holiday last week.
She writes a few letters to her parents.
4. –ing participles as premodifiers:
Only a beginning student will find difficulty with Calculus.
The developing countries are doing well in garments business.
5. –ed participles as premodifiers:
Often the reduced price of everyday commodities are out of reach for the poor.
The defeated army were captivated in the prison.
His father is a retired English teacher.
6. Compound words as premodifiers:
We have just bought a brand-new car.
That’s an absolutely first-class idea.
That is an out-of-date dictionary.
The room is decorated with red-and-white-striped wallpaper.
Part 3: Postmodifiers
What is a Postmodifier?
A noun can be modified by a following word, phrase or clause, and the word, phrase, or clause is called postmodifier. Postmodifiers are of different types:
1. Adjectives as postmodifiers:
There is nothing new about these techniques.
They found her mother sick.
2. Adverbs as postmodifiers:
Can someone tell me a way out of it?
The authority here are very strict.
Can you find the road back?
We visited the house where Shakespeare lived.
3. Prepositional phrases as postmodifiers:
A white woman in jeans was watching me.
A ferryman with colourful toys was waiting in the station.
There must be a better way of doing it.
The little boy is tired of hard work.
4. Relative clauses as postmodifiers:
I saw the boy who was going to the market.
They cleaned the room which was filled with dirt.
5. –ing participles clauses as postmodifiers:
A man wearing a grey suit left the office.
The people working in the IT business are often young.
Do you know any of those people sitting behind us?
6. -ed participle clauses as postmodifiers:
The question debated in the parliament yesterday was about the new tax.
The subject discussed in the book is difficult to understand.
7. –to infinitive clauses as postmodifiers:
I have got something to say to you.
I have nothing to share with him.
8. Appositive clauses as postmodifiers:
We were delighted at the news that our team had own.
Everybody will agree the fact that inflation is causing hardship.
Part 4: Dangling Modifiers
What is a dangling modifier?
A dangling modifier is a word or phrase that modifies a word not clearly stated in the sentence. In other words, dangling modifiers are used either as a single word or a group of words in a sentence where they usually indicate the completion of some work but the performer of the work is not modified directly by it. These modifiers usually appear at the very beginning of a sentence, but these may appear at the end of a sentence as well.
Consider the following example:
Having finished the study, Ragib turned on TV.
In the example above, “having finished” states an action but does not name the doer of that action. In English sentences, the doer must be the subject of the main clause that follows. In this sentence, it is Ragib. He seems logically to be the one doing the action (“having finished”), and this sentence therefore does not have a dangling modifier.
Now consider this sentence:
Having finished the assignment, the TV was turned on.
“Having finished” is a participle expressing action, but the doer is not the TV set (the subject of the main clause): TV sets don’t finish assignments. Since the doer of the action expressed in the participle has not been clearly stated, the participle phrase is said to be a dangling modifier.
Some more examples of dangling modifiers and revisions:
Dangling Modifier:
After reading the original study, the article remains unconvincing.
(The article – the subject of the main clause – did not read the original study.)
Possible Revision:
After reading the original study, I find the article unconvincing.
Dangling Modifier:
Relieved of your responsibilities at your job, your home should be a place of relax.
(Your home – the subject of the main clause – is not relieved of your responsibilities.)
Possible Revision:
Relieved of your responsibilities at your job, you should be able to relax at home.
Dangling Modifier:
The experiment was a failure, not having studied the lab manual carefully.
(The experiment – the subject of the main clause – is not supposed to study the lab manual.)
Possible Revision:
They failed the experiment, not having studied the lab manual carefully.
Dangling Modifiers |
Possible Revisions |
||
Having arrived late for practice, a written excuse was needed. |
Having arrived late for practice, the captain of the team needed a written excuse. |
||
Without knowing his name, it was difficult to introduce him. |
Because Sujana did not know his name, it was difficult to introduce him. |
||
To improve his results, the experiment was done again. |
He improved his results by doing the experiment again. |
||
Part-1:
Exercise-1:
Premodifiers |
Postmodifiers |
Southern |
Of all the great nineteenth century English |
Poor |
novelists |
huge |
On the southern coast of England |
difficult |
A clerk |
painful |
who died as a result of continuing poor health |
child |
at the age of fifty-eight |
two well-known |
|
cruelest |
|
vivid |
|
innocent |
|
poor |
|
Nouns and pronouns are commonly used parts of speech that appear in almost all of our sentences. While they get the job done, sometimes you just want a little bit more sparkle and pizzazz. Would you rather take a vacation or a sensational vacation? Would you rather throw a party or a gigantic, outrageous party? Would you rather pet a kitten or a wicked, ghostly kitten? OK, maybe not so much that last one …
When we want to zhuzh up our nouns and pronouns, we need to find some good adjectives. Adjectives are a major part of speech that not only make nouns and pronouns more interesting, but they also provide a lot more information when we use them in speech and writing. With all of the good work they do, it seems only fair that we learn more about them and how to best use them in our sentences.
What is an adjective?
An adjective is a word that modifies a noun or a pronoun. In general, the purpose of an adjective is to describe a noun or pronoun and provide more information about it. Adjectives provide answers to questions such as “What kind?” “Which one?” and “Whose is it?”
To demonstrate how adjectives work, let’s look at two example sentences. The first sentence has no adjectives, and the second sentence has two adjectives.
- Leslie bought shoes at the store.
- Leslie bought new shoes at the busy store.
Both of these sentences are perfectly fine. However, the second sentence gives more information than the first one does. The second sentence tells us the shoes that Leslie bought haven’t been used before and that the store that she went to had a lot of customers in it.
There are two ways that adjectives are used in sentences and clauses:
1. The adjective is right next to the noun/pronoun that it modifies. Most of the time, adjectives come before the nouns/pronouns they modify, but they can sometimes come after them:
- The blue birds built a nest. (The adjective blue modifies the noun birds.)
- I was looking for someone else. (The adjective else modifies the pronoun someone.)
2. The adjective follows a linking verb and functions as a subject complement.
- The house is old. (The adjective old follows the linking verb is. Old modifies the noun house as the subject complement of the sentence.)
In either case, it is possible to use multiple adjectives to modify the same noun or pronoun:
- It was a dark and stormy night.
- My big, goofy dog is named Buddy.
- The mirror was crooked, cracked, and dirty.
When multiple adjectives are used before a noun/pronoun, they typically follow a specific adjective order.
A noun refers to a person, place, or thing. Learn about the different types of nouns and how to use them correctly in a sentence.
List of adjectives
There are tons and tons of adjectives. The following list gives a tiny sample of the many, many adjectives that exist:
- happy
- embarrassing
- tall
- delicious
- uncomfortable
- clumsy
- suspicious
Examples of adjectives in a sentence
The following sentences give examples of how we use adjectives:
- Gavin is a smart guy.
- The big basket is full of red apples.
- The cocky rabbit lost the race to the careful tortoise.
- The old clock was broken.
- The masked villain’s plot was stopped by the brave, groovy teenagers and their goofy, cowardly dog.
What is an adjective clause?
An adjective clause is a dependent clause that—like an adjective—modifies a noun or a pronoun. Adjective clauses are also referred to as relative clauses because they usually (but not always) begin with a relative pronoun. Relative pronouns include words such as who, whom, whose, where, which, and that.
In the sentence I know a girl who can play the piano, the noun girl is modified by the dependent clause who can play the piano. Because this clause modifies a noun, it is an adjective clause.
Because adjective clauses act as adjectives, they cannot stand alone as a complete sentence. For example, the following adjective clause doesn’t make grammatical sense by itself:
- That plays beautiful songs.
Instead, the adjective clause must modify a noun or pronoun:
- I am looking for a music box that plays beautiful songs.
Adjective clause examples
The following sentences all have adjective clauses. As you read each sentence, see if you can identify which noun or pronoun is being modified by the adjective clause.
- Jason was the student who knew the right answer.
- I found the squirrel that was hiding in my tool shed.
- The movie, which we saw yesterday, won lots of awards.
- My parents visited the place where they first met.
Answers: 1. Student 2. Squirrel 3. Movie 4. Place
How are adjectives used?
Adjectives can be used in several different ways when they modify nouns.
To describe nouns & pronouns
A common reason we use adjectives is to describe nouns and pronouns. Adjectives can describe a noun’s/pronoun’s characteristics. They can also describe approximate or exact quantities of nouns/pronouns. For example:
- Quality: The busy beavers built a big dam.
- Approximate amount: I gave bread to some ducks.
- Exact quantity: She has three sisters.
List of adjectives used to describe
There are a huge number of adjectives that you can use to describe people and things. Some examples are listed below, but you can probably think of other fun adjectives that can describe people and things.
- silly
- young
- many
- few
- twelve
- fifty
Looking for the right word to describe someone’s best attributes? Instead of common words like “kind” or “funny,” use one of these positive words.
To compare nouns & pronouns
We also use adjectives to compare people and things to each other. When we compare two things, we use a comparative adjective. For example, if a black pencil has a length that exceeds that of a brown pencil, we would say that the black pencil is longer than the brown pencil. Longer is a comparative adjective. When we compare more than two things, we use a superlative adjective. For example, if we had three boxes that weighed 2, 5, and 10 pounds, we would say that the 10-pound box is the heaviest of the three boxes. A comparative adjective ends in -er or uses the words more or less, and a superlative adjective ends in -est or uses the words most or least.
List of adjectives used to compare
As long as it makes sense to do so, almost any adjective can be used as a comparative or superlative adjective. Listed below are just a few examples of adjectives that can be used to compare nouns and pronouns:
- cuter
- slower
- more massive
- less complicated
- toughest
- darkest
- most impressive
- least believable
Types of adjectives
Because they can do so much, it doesn’t come as a surprise that there are many different types of adjectives. In fact, we can think of at least 13 different types of adjectives! If you’d like to learn more about each of the different types of adjectives, you can check out our detailed guides on adjectives listed below.
- Comparative adjectives
- Superlative adjectives
- Predicate adjectives
- Compound adjectives
- Possessive adjectives
- Demonstrative adjectives
- Proper adjectives
- Participial adjectives
- Limiting adjectives
- Descriptive adjectives
- Interrogative adjectives
- Attributive adjectives
- Distributive adjectives
Adjective vs. determiner
Unlike nouns and verbs, the types of adjectives are not as strictly defined. For this reason, style guides and grammar resources may not consider some of the types of adjectives you learn about here to actually be adjectives at all. In particular, some may consider words that act as possessives, demonstratives, interrogatives, and quantifiers as a part of speech known as determiners, which may also include the articles a, an, and the. Because of this, don’t be surprised if you see an adjective described as a determiner depending on the particular style guide that you use.
Adjective vs. adverb: what’s the difference?
Adjectives are used similarly to another part of speech known as adverbs. Both adjectives and adverbs are used as modifiers in sentences: they give more information when used with other words.
The main difference between adjectives and adverbs is what words they modify. As mentioned previously, adjectives modify nouns and pronouns. Adverbs modify, well, pretty much everything else. Adverbs can modify verbs, adjectives, entire sentences and clauses, and even other adverbs.
The key to determining whether to use an adjective or an adverb as a modifier is to figure out what part of speech is being modified. If you want to modify a noun or a pronoun, you need an adjective. If you want to modify something else, you need an adverb.
For example, take a look at the following sentence:
- I cuddled the cat.
This sentence is fine but a little plain. Suppose you wanted to make this sentence more interesting by describing the cat. Before you do, consider what kind of word cat is. It is a noun. Because it is a noun, you need to use an adjective to modify it as in:
- I cuddled the fluffy cat.
Let’s go back to our original sentence again. This time, we want to give more information about how we treated the cat. So, we want to modify the word cuddled. Before we go grab a modifier, let’s consider what kind of word cuddled is. It is a past tense verb. Because it is not a noun or a pronoun, we will use an adverb to modify it as in:
- I gently cuddled the cat.
By identifying the word you want to modify, you can avoid making a grammatical error and mixing up adjectives and adverbs. Let’s test this out by looking at the following sentence and choosing the correct word:
- My dog smelled (bad/badly) after she rolled around in the stinky garbage.
Before we can choose the right word, we need to consider what we are trying to say. We want to say that the dog had a stinky smell after playing in the trash. So, we know that the word smelled is a linking verb in the sentence and not an action verb: the dog isn’t smelling something. The word that we want to modify, then, is the word dog. We know that the word dog is a noun. Since we are modifying a noun, we would use the adjective bad and not the adverb badly.
All the adjectives, none of the errors
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This lesson helps you understand what premodifiers and postmodifiers are, and how to use them correctly in a sentence.
What is a modifier?
A modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that gives information about something in a sentence. It generally is an adjective or an adverb. An adjective modifies a noun, and an adverb modifies a verb, an adjective, or an adverb.
The word ‘smart’ is working as an adjective here; it is modifying the noun ‘man’.
Jon runs fast.
The word ‘fast’ is working as an adverb here; it is modifying the verb ‘runs’, telling us the manner of the action.
Jon is extremely smart.
The word ‘extremely’ is working as an adverb here, modifying the adjective ‘smart’.
Here, both ‘fast’ and ‘very’ are adverbs. The word ‘fast’ is modifying the verb ‘runs’ and the adverb ‘very’ is modifying the adverb ‘fast’, telling us the intensity of the action.
Modifiers are divided into two categories based on their placements in the sentence:
- Premodifiers
- Post modifiers
Premodifiers and postmodifiers are used in noun phrases to modify the head (noun) of the noun phrase. A noun phrase is comprised of a noun and pre and post-modifiers.
Premodifiers are words that come before a noun and give information about it. We have three things in pre-modifiers:
- Determiners
- Numbers
- Adjectives
A) Determiners
Determiners are words that determine the quantity of a noun or indicate which noun the speaker is referring to. Determiners include the following:
- Articles = a, an, the
- Possessive adjectives = my your, his, her, their, our, its
- Demonstrative adjectives = this, that, these, those
- Distributive adjectives = each, Every, either, neither, any, both, etc
- Quantifiers = Some, many, a few, the few, a lot of, several, etc
Premodifiers | Meaning | Examples |
Articles | a, an = refers to an unspecified singular countable noun the = refers to a specified |
This is a book. I don’t have an apple. The movie was great. |
Possessive adjectives | refers to the possession of a noun | My house is not as big as yours. I love your dog. You can’t question his loyalty. |
Demonstrative adjectives | refers to a noun that is close or far away from the speaker |
Don’t touch this box. They are planning to cut that tree. These candies are delicious. Do you know those people? |
Distributive adjectives | refers to members of a group separately | You can take either box. Neither team deserved to win the match. Every team played well. |
Quantifiers | to talk about the number of the noun |
Bring some books to read. I have a few friends to meet. Many people are waiting to see me fall. There is a lot of money in this. |
Note: the texts in red are noun phrases. It has a noun and a determiner.
B) Numbers
Numbers include both cardinal and ordinal numbers. They also give information about a noun; they talk about the exact quantity (number) of the noun they modify.
one, two, three first, second, third…
Examples:
- Simra has two cars.
- I bought 5 laptops last month.
- This is my first trip to Auli.
- She was his second wife.
Note: Numbers are considered a part of quantifiers only. But we keep them separate as they refer to specific quantifies.
C) Adjectives
Adjectives are words that describe a noun. Here are some common adjectives in English: good, bad, smart, beautiful, foolish, rich, poor, intelligent, dumb, wise, ugly, tall, huge, talented, kind, cruel, short, fat, slim, etc.
Examples:
- It is a big hotel. We all can stay here.
- He is a tall man.
- We need some talented people to run our business.
- You are an old fighter.
Other types of adjectives
- Present participle adjective
- Past participle adjective
- Noun adjective
Examples:
- It is an exciting movie to watch. (present participle = exciting)
- This is a motivating story. (present participle = motivating)
- A motivated man can do anything. (past participle = motivated)
- They need a wriiten apology. (past participle = written)
- Neha got me a leather bag. (noun that’s working as an adjective)
- It is an action movie. (noun that’s working as an adjective)
Position of premodifiers
Use two or more pre-modifiers in the following structure: Determiners + Numbers + Adjectives + Noun
Examples:
- Look at those three huge trees in his backyard.
- We can’t eat these many dark chocolates.
NOTE: We can’t use two or more types of determiners in a noun phrase.
A this manMy this car
But we do use the following structure: quantifiers + OF + possessive adjective + noun
- Some of my friends
- None of your projects
- One of his students
Examples:
- Some of my friends will stay here.
- They didn’t like none of your proects.
- We are talking about one of his students.
NOTE: the combination of a premodifier/s and the noun it modifies is called a noun phrase. A noun phrase can be formed in three different ways:
- Premodifier/s + noun
- Noun + postmodifier/s
- Premodifier/s + noun + postmodifier/s
Postmodifiers
Postmodifiers are words that come after a noun and give information about it. There are 6 things that come in post-modifiers:
- Prepositional phrases
- Present participle phrases
- Past participle phrases
- Infinitive phrases
- Relative/Adjective clauses
- Appositives
They all are called postmodifiers as they come right after the noun they modify.
Prepositional phrase
A prepositional phrase starts with a preposition and is followed by the object of the preposition. When a preposition phrase comes right after a noun and modifies it, we call it a postmodifier.
Examples:
- The house across the street is believed to be haunted.
Noun phrase = the house across the street
Premodifiers = the
Noun = house
Postmodifier = across the street (prepositional phrase)
Here, the prepositional phrase ‘across the street’ modifies the noun ‘house‘ and tells us which house we are referring to in the sentence.
- The guy in the blue shirt is my neighbor.
Noun phrase = the guy in the blue shirt
Premodifiers = the
Noun = guy
Postmodifier = in the blue shirt (prepositional phrase)
Which guy is my neighbor? The prepositional phrase ‘in the blue shirt’ identifies the noun guy. Not any guy present there is my neighbor; the guy in the blue shirt is my neighbor.
- They are writing a movie about his life.
Noun phrase = a movie about his life
Premodifiers = the
Noun = man
Postmodifier = about his life (prepositional phrase)
The prepositional phrase ‘about his life‘ modifies the noun ‘movie’ and helps us to understand which movie the speaker is talking about writing. It is starting with the preposition ‘about’ and is followed by the object of the preposition his life.
Present participle phrase
A present participle phrase starts with a present participle (a verb ending with ‘ING’), sits next to a noun, and modifies it.
I was talking about the man sitting next to your sister.
Noun phrase = the man sitting next to your sister
Premodifiers = the
Noun = man
Postmodifier = sitting next to your sister (present participle phrase)
The present participle phrase (in red) is coming next to and modifying the noun ‘man’. It is working as an adjective.
Note that a present participle phrase is a reduced adjective phrase.
- I was talking about the man sitting next to your sister. (present participle phrase)
- I was talking about the man who is sitting next to your sister. (adjective clause)
More examples:
- The man talking to Amy is a professional singer.
- I will talk to the students protesting outside the college.
- Nobody likes to talk with the man sitting on the rock alone.
Past participle phrase
A past participle phrase starts with a past participle (V3), sits next to a noun, and modifies it.
We have come here to see the boy injured in the attack.
Noun phrase = the boy injured in the attack
Premodifier = the (article)
Noun = boy
Postmodifier = injured in the attack (past participle phrase)
Here, the past participle phrase is identifying the noun ‘boy’ and giving essential information for us to identify him.
Note that a past participle phrase is a reduced adjective phrase.
- We have come here to see the boy injured in the attack. (past participle phrase)
- We have come here to see the boy who was injured in the attack. (adjective clause)
Examples:
- The man taken to the police station is a terrorist.
- The actor approached for this role is busy with his own project right now.
- They are still searching for the bike stolen from this park last month.
Infinitive phrases
A group of words that starts with an infinitive and works as a noun, adjective, or adverb is called an infinitive phrase. As a post modifier, it functions as an adjective; it comes right after a noun and modifies it.
The guy to learn SEO from is Mangesh Kumar Bhardwaj.
Noun phrase = the guy to learn SEO from
Premodifier = the
Noun = guy
Postmodifier = to learn SEO from (infinitive phrase)
‘To learn SEO from’ is an infinitive phrase that’s modifying the noun ‘guy’.
We are looking for a house to buy.
Noun phrase = a house to buy
Premodifier = a
Noun = house
Postmodifier = to buy (infinitive)
‘To buy’ is an infinitive that’s working as a postmodifier in the noun phrase. It is giving information about the noun ‘house’.
Examples:
- I wish I had someone to stand by me.
- This is the best way to learn English.
- I need a book to read in my free time.
Adjective clauses
An adjective clause is a dependent clause that sits next to a noun/pronoun and gives information about it.
I love the book that my father gifted me on my last birthday.
Noun phrase = the book that my father gifted me on my last birthday
Noun = book
Premodifier = the
Postmodifier = that my father gifted me on my last birthday (adjective clause)
‘That my father gifted me on my last birthday‘ is the adjective clause that’s sitting next to the noun book and modifying it. An adjective clause is also called a relative clause as it starts with a relative pronoun.
Examples:
- I don’t know anyone who can teach you boxing.
- People who can control their minds live a highly successful life.
- We are looking for a place where we party peacefully.
Appositives
An appositive is a noun or a noun phrase that comes after a noun and renames it.
Her roommate Sofia Charles does not talk to people politely.
Noun phrase = her roommate Sofia Charles
Noun = roommate
Postmodifier = Sofia Charles
‘Sofia Charles’ is the postmodifier (a noun) that’s coming next to the noun ‘roommate’ and renaming it.
Examples:
- My friends Mangesh and Archit help me with everything I do.
- My history teacher Jon Morley is getting married next week.
There are two types of appositives in English:
- Essential Appositives
- Nonessential Appositives
Note that only essential appositives function as postmodifiers; nonessential appositives are offset using commas as they give extra information about the noun they come after.
Essential appositive: My history teacher Jon Morley is getting married next week.
Nonessential appositive: Jon Morley, my history teacher, is getting married next week.
Noun phrases using Premodifiers and Postmodifiers
Premodifiers and postmodifies are a part of a noun phrase; a noun phrase is formed using them.
1. Noun phrases using premodifiers
- Give me some fresh mangoes
Noun phrase = some fresh mangoes
Premodifiers = some, fresh
- Go and bring those five muscular boys.
Noun phrase = those five muscular boys
Premodifiers = those, five, muscular
2. Noun phrases using postmodifiers
- People protesting outside the house are not from this area.
Noun phrase = people protesting outside the house
Postmodifier = protesting outside the house (present participle phrase)
- I love men in uniform.
Noun phase = men in uniform
Postmodifier = in uniform (prepositional phrase)
3. Noun phrases using both premodifiers and postmodifiers
- The Chinese cupset that you gifted me last week has been broken.
Noun phrase = the Chinese cupset that you gifted me last week
Premodifier = the, Chinese
Postmodifier = that you gifted me last week
- Look at those black dogs across the bridge.
Noun phrase = those black dogs across the bridge
Premodifier = those, black
Postmodifier = across the bridge
Table of Contents
- What is a word that modifies a noun or pronoun?
- What is a post modifier in grammar?
- What is a nominal modifier?
- What is a verbal phrase modifier?
- What is a Resumptive modifier?
- What is a free modifier?
- What is introductory phrase?
- What are introductory phrases examples?
- What are some good introductory words?
- How do you introduce a unique way?
- What is a creative way to introduce a friend?
- How do you introduce someone?
- How do you introduce someone to an audience?
- How do you welcome a guest in a speech?
adjective
What is a post modifier in grammar?
Post-modifiers are the modifiers which come after the words they modify. Customarily, the adverbs come after the verbs and modify them. Appositives, prepositional phrases (adjectives/adverbs), infinitives (adverbs/adjectives), dependent clause, etc. usually come after the nouns they modify.
What is a nominal modifier?
The initial consonant on the adjective, then, is first conditioned by the noun class of the noun it modifies, determining its singula form, and then undergoes an additional mutation from singular to plural forms. …
What is a verbal phrase modifier?
Verb phrase modifiers are defined as words, phrases, and clauses that describe a verb phrase. The two grammatical forms that can function as verb phrase modifiers are: Adverb phrase. Adjective clause.
What is a Resumptive modifier?
In English grammar, a resumptive modifier is a modifier that repeats a key word (usually at or near the end of a main clause) and then adds informative or descriptive details related to that word.
What is a free modifier?
Free modifiers are words and phrases the author tacks on to a sentence to make the sentence better. Okay. Free means you can tack on the modifier wherever you want to – at the beginning and end of a sentence are common. You can even push apart a sentence and stick in the modifier within the sentence itself.
What is introductory phrase?
What Is an Introductory Phrase? An introductory phrase is like a clause, but it doesn’t have its own subject and verb; it relies on the subject and verb in the main clause. It sets the stage for the main part of the sentence. Sometimes a comma is necessary after an introductory phrase.
What are introductory phrases examples?
Phrases are commonly used as introductions to a sentence. Words like ‘however,’ ‘indeed,’ ‘therefore;’ phrases like ‘on the one hand,’ ‘in particular,’ ‘for example,’ and ‘in the meantime’ are examples of introductory language that ought to be concluded with a comma when they begin a sentence.
What are some good introductory words?
Example: Using Transition Words to Indicate Sequence/Order of Events
generally… furthermore… finally | during | later on |
---|---|---|
first… just in the same way… finally | finally | then |
basically… similarly… as well as | first of all | simultaneously |
afterward | to begin with | soon |
at first | in the first place | while |
How do you introduce a unique way?
20 Creative Ways to Introduce Yourself
- “I’m shy, please come say hi.”
- A name is worth a thousand conversations.
- Highlight something that makes you unique.
- Start with a pop culture reference.
- Confess your nickname.
- Let the way you dress reflect who you are.
- Make a T-shirt.
- Make a “business” card.
What is a creative way to introduce a friend?
If you’re wondering how you could easily introduce your friends to each other, here are some tips that might help you do so.
- INTRODUCE YOUR FRIENDS RIGHT AFTER SAYING HI.
- INTRODUCE THEM BY THEIR NAMES.
- DESCRIBE YOUR FRIENDS BRIEFLY AND HIGHLIGHT THEIR STRENGTHS/BEST QUALITIES.
How do you introduce someone?
Here are four steps:
- First, state the name of the person being introduced to. This is the ‘higher-ranking’ person.
- Second, say “I would like to introduce” or, “please meet” or, “this is,” etc.
- Third, state the name of the person being introduced.
- Finally, offer some details about each, as appropriate.
How do you introduce someone to an audience?
Tips for Introducing a Guest Speaker
- Remind the audience why the topic is important to them.
- Establish the speaker’s qualifications to speak on the topic.
- Get the presentation off on a high note by establishing an up-beat tone.
- Make the speaker feel especially welcome.
How do you welcome a guest in a speech?
“Here’s a hearty welcome, big and warm enough to encompass you all! To say we are thrilled to see you is an understatement.” “It’s my pleasure to extend a cheerful welcome to you all! Your presence makes us very happy.”
In English, words are grouped into word classes based on their function in a sentence. There are nine main word classes in English; nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, pronouns, determiners, conjunctions, and interjections. This explanation is all about adjectives.
Adjective meaning
An adjective is a word usually used to modify and provide more information about a noun or pronoun. Adjectives are often called ‘describing words’ as they describe a feature or quality of the noun, such as colour, size, quantity etc. Therefore, adjectives can be used to add depth and more meaning to a sentence.
Adjective examples
There are many adjectives in the English language that can be used to tell us more information about a noun.
In the examples below, the adjectives and nouns have been highlighted:
-
A beautiful forest
-
A meaningful gift
-
An old car
-
The baby’s first word
-
A red book
-
A relaxed outfit
-
He was happier than her
-
The tallest boy in the class
-
My car
-
That tree over there
-
American football
The order of adjectives
When we use more than one adjective, there is a certain order we put them in.
Take a look at this sentence:
The blue old big car drove down the lane.
It really doesn’t sound right, does it? This is because adjectives are arranged in a regular order.
Take a look at this corrected sentence:
The big old blue car drove down the lane.
This sentence just ‘feels’ better as the adjectives are placed in a recognisable way.
For native English language speakers, putting adjectives in the correct order tends to come naturally, we can just feel it in our bones. However, for non-native speakers, remembering the order of adjectives can be a tricky process.
When there is a sequence of multiple adjectives, their order can be arranged as follows:
-
Quantity (‘three bottles of rum’)
-
Opinion or Observation (‘It’s a lovely shirt’ / ‘It’s a ripped shirt’)
-
Size (‘It’s a tiny shirt’)
-
Shape (‘It’s a square shirt’)
-
Age (‘It’s a new shirt’)
-
Color (‘It’s a pink shirt’)
-
Origin (‘It’s an American shirt’)
-
Material (‘It’s a cotton shirt’)
-
Purpose (‘It’s a business shirt’)
If we used all of these adjectives in the correct order to describe the shirt, the sentence would look like this, ‘Three, lovely, tiny, square, new, pink, American, cotton business shirts.’
Fig 1. A big, old, blue car
The positioning of adjectives
Adjectives can be placed in several different positions within a sentence. These positions include:
-
Before a noun (pre-modification)
-
After a noun (post-modification)
-
On its own as a complement
Pre-modification adjectives
Pre-modification is when an adjective is placed before a noun to add information. For example:
-
The red car
-
The ugly man
-
The happy hamster
-
A loud noise
Adjectives that pre-modify a noun are traditionally called attributive adjectives.
It is important to note that pre-modification is a term that can be applied to any information added before a noun. Other word classes pre-modify a noun, for example, determiners (‘the’ dog) and adverbs (the ‘very’ big dog). Whole phrases and clauses may also pre-modify a noun. By adding these different bits of information you create a noun phrase.
Post-modification adjectives
Post-modification is when an adjective is placed after a noun to add information. For example:
-
The car will be red
-
The man was ugly
-
The hamster is happy
-
The noise was loud
These are traditionally called predicative adjectives. The adjective is not used immediately after the noun, instead, it follows an auxiliary verb that links the sentence such as ‘is’, ‘was’, or ‘seems’.
Adjectives as a complement
Adjectives can also be used as a complement to ‘complete the sentence’. This is a form of post-modification however, in this case, the adjective is used with a pronoun rather than a noun. Here are some examples:
-
It will be red
-
He was ugly
-
She is happy
-
It was loud
As you can see, the adjective is used to modify the pronouns (‘he’, ‘she’, ‘it’). It describes a quality about the person or thing, however, it does not specifically state what is being described. Complements usually follow the forms of the verb ‘to be’ such as ‘is’, ‘was’, and ‘will be’.
Most adjectives can be used as a pre-modification, post-modification, or a complement. For example:
The adjective ‘happy’ can pre modify a verb (‘the happy hamster’), post-modify a verb (‘the hamster is happy’), or be used as a complement to a pronoun (‘it was happy’).
There are only a few adjectives that are restricted to one position. For example:
The adjective ‘main’ can be used to post-modify a noun (‘the main reason’) but can not be used to pre-modify a noun (‘the reason is main’).
This is the opposite for the adjective ‘alone’ which can be used to post-modify a noun (‘the child is alone’) but can not be used to pre-modify a noun (‘the alone child’).
Fig 2. A happy hamster
Types of adjectives
There are many different types of adjectives, which are categorised based on the functions they perform in a sentence.
The main adjectives are:
-
Descriptive adjectives
-
Evaluative adjectives
-
Quantitative adjectives
-
Interrogative adjectives
-
Proper adjectives
-
Demonstrative and indefinite adjectives
-
Possessive adjectives
-
Compound adjectives
-
Degree of comparison adjectives (positive, comparative, and superlative).
Descriptive adjectives
Descriptive adjectives, sometimes called qualitative adjectives, are used to describe a feature or quality of a thing, person, or object. They add extra information about a noun or a pronoun. For example, in this sentence ‘the red car’, red is the descriptive adjective as it describes the colour of the car.
Evaluative adjectives
Evaluative adjectives give someone’s opinion about a noun. For example, ‘The exam was difficult‘ or ‘The cake was delicious’. It can’t be proved that the cake was delicious, therefore, it is an opinion (though who doesn’t find cake delicious?).
Quantitative adjectives
Quantitative adjectives provide information on the, you guessed it, quantity of the noun. Generally, quantitative adjectives answer the questions how much? and how many?. E.g. ‘I have three bags’ or ‘It took some time.’
Interrogative adjectives
Interrogative adjectives are words that ask a question. They are whose, which, and what. Interrogative adjectives must come before a noun or pronoun to be considered an adjective. E.g. ‘Whose drink is this?’
Proper adjectives
Proper adjectives are simply proper nouns acting as an adjective in a sentence. A proper noun is a specific or unique noun, such as a country, a famous person, or a brand. When a proper noun is used to describe another noun, e.g. ‘An American shirt’, it is considered a proper adjective. Further examples include Indian food and Nike trainers.
Demonstrative and indefinite adjectives
Demonstrative adjectives modify nouns by showing a direct reference to something or someone, e.g. I like that house.‘ The demonstrative adjectives are; this, that, those, and these. Demonstrative adjectives must go before a noun, otherwise, they are considered demonstrative pronouns.
Indefinite adjectives work in the opposite way to demonstrative adjectives in that they modify the noun in a non-specific way. Indefinite adjectives provide unspecific information about a noun, e.g. ‘ I gave him some work to do.’ Examples of indefinite adjectives are; some, any, many, few, most, and much.
Possessive adjectives
Possessive adjectives are used to show that a noun belongs to someone, e.g. his, hers, our, my, their. Possessive adjectives must go before a noun, otherwise, they are considered possessive pronouns. For example, ‘That’s my bike.’
Compound adjectives
A compound adjective is when more than one word is used to describe a noun, and these words are joined together in some way. Usually, compound adjectives are joined with a hyphen or are separated from the rest of the sentence with quotation marks. For example, ‘The ten-foot-high pole.’ and ‘He gave her his best ‘be quiet’ eyes.’
Degrees of comparison
When comparing two or more nouns, adjectives can give further information about the extent of the comparison. We can compare nouns using three types of adjectives, positive, comparative, and superlative.
The initial adjective is the positive degree adjective — it is the basic, unchanged form of the adjective (e.g. fast, slow, big). We then modify the positive degree adjectives to create comparative and superlative adjectives which show a comparison.
Comparative adjectives
A comparative adjective, as the name suggests, compares two or more nouns. This can be:
-
To a lesser degree, for example, smaller or less heavy. These adjectives can be made by adding the suffix ‘-er’ or the word ‘less’.
-
To the same degree, for example, ‘as big as’.
-
To a higher degree, for example, bigger or more powerful. These adjectives can be made by adding the suffix ‘-er’ or the word ‘more’.
Superlative adjectives
This is the highest or lowest possible form of the adjective. For example, ‘highest’, ‘tallest’, ‘most handsome’. Superlative adjectives can often be made by adding the suffix ‘-est‘ or the word ‘most’.
Fig 3. Comparative and superlative adjectives
You may also hear the term ‘grading‘, which simply means that an adjective can have more or less of the quality that they refer to. Comparative and superlative adjectives are both examples of grading.
Adjectives with irregular forms
There are some adjectives that, when made into comparative or superlative forms, become irregular. A good example of this is the adjective good. When changed into a comparative adjective good becomes better. When changed into a superlative adjective it becomes best.
Fig 4. Irregular comparative and superlative adjectives
Something similar also happens for the word bad.
Initial positive adjective — bad
Comparative adjective — worse
Superlative adjective — worst
Absolute adjectives
Absolute adjectives are qualitative adjectives that can’t be graded, intensified, or compared to anything else. In other words, they are in their ‘ultimate’ form. Some examples of absolute adjectives include:
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Perfect
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Empty
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Infinite
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Supreme
A thing can not be more ‘perfect’ or ‘more infinite’ than another. Therefore it is in its absolute form.
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British
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Northern
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Annual
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Rural
It is not possible to have a ‘more annual fair’ and it is not grammatically correct to say ‘more northern’. That is because each of these adjectives describes a group or category.
Adjective phrases
An adjective phrase is a simple phrase (group of words) that is headed by an adjective. The adjective phrase acts as the adjective in a sentence.
These flowers are more beautiful than the others.
In this example, the adjective phrase is ‘more beautiful than the others’. The main adjective is beautiful; however, the whole phrase is needed to fully describe the flowers.
Adjectives and suffixes
Some words exist independently as adjectives and do not exist in any other word class, for example:
- Good
- Bad
- Ugly
Other adjectives are formed from nouns by adding a suffix, for example:
- home → homeless
- hope → hopeful
Adjectives may also be formed from verbs by adding a suffix, for example:
read → readable
create → creative
The suffix at the end of a word can often indicate the class that a word belongs to.
Here is a list of suffixes that are common for adjectives:
Suffix | Examples |
-ible, -able | Gullible, comfortable |
-ful | Beautiful, skilful |
-y | Funny, dirty, sunny |
-less | Powerless, homeless |
-ous | Dangerous, nervous |
-some | Tiresome, wholesome |
-ive | Sensitive, supportive |
-ish | Foolish, selfish |
-al | Social, accidental |
Adjective — key takeaways
- An adjective is a word usually used to provide more information about a noun. Adjectives are often called ‘describing words’ as they describe a feature or quality of the noun such as color, size, quantity, etc.
- An adjective can be placed either before a noun (pre-modification), after a noun (post-modification), or on its own as a complement.
- The main adjectives are:
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Descriptive adjectives
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Evaluative adjectives
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Quantitative adjectives
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Interrogative adjectives
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Proper adjectives
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Demonstrative and indefinite adjectives
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Possessive adjectives
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Compound adjectives
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Degree of comparison adjectives (positive, comparative, and superlative).
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- An adjective phrase is a phrase built around the adjective that acts as the adjective in a sentence. For example, ‘This flower is nicer than the others’.