Types of Adjectives

DESCRIPTIVE ADJECTIVE:

These types of adjectives add detail or description to the noun.

[In the following examples, the adjective is bold and the noun is underlined.]

When Tennessee and Connecticut first met in women's basketball in 1995, it was a nice made-for-TV game between an established power and one on the rise.

NICE describes the predicate nominative GAME and ESTABLISHED describes the object of the preposition POWER.

Note: In this sentence, ESTABLISHED is also a participle.

The tall man thought he could reach the top shelf of the bookcase.

TALL describes the subject MAN and TOP describes the direct object SHELF.

After the difficult surgery, the famous doctors to a nap.

DIFFICULT modifies the object of the preposition SURGERY and FAMOUS describes the subject DOCTOR.

A worthwhile rivalry had been born.

WORTHWHILE describes the subject RIVALRY.

Monica said, "Wow, this is a great game."

GREAT describes the predicate nominative GAME.

2. LIMITING ADJECTIVE:

These types of adjectives specify or limit the noun.

[In the following examples, the adjective is bold and the noun is underlined.]

The two teams have met every season since 1932.

TWO tells us how many TEAMS and EVERY tells us how many SEASONS.

Note: It does not describe the teams; it tells us which ones to limit our attention to.

Saturday, Oregon plays USC before what should be a sellout crowd.

SELLOUT tells us what size of crowd. A specific number would also be limiting.

Did Garret see this article that appeared in the paper?

THIS indicates which "limited" article.

Note: In this sentence, THIS is NOT a demonstrative pronoun.

Will you be sitting at the captain's table this evening?

CAPTAIN'S limits what table we are considering.

Note: This type of possessive is called a possessive noun.

This season, the two are meeting on a home-and-home basis, unusual for non-conference rivals.

HOME-AND-HOME limits the basis for meeting.

Note: We use hyphens to connect words that work together to modify the noun.

3. PREDICATE ADJECTIVE:

This is a special type of adjective that follows a linking verb and modifies (directly refers to) the subject of the sentence.

[In the following examples, the predicate adjective is bold and the subject/noun is underlined.]

People are interested in this game.

ARE is a linking verb connecting the subject PEOPLE with its descriptor of equal weight INTERESTED.

Note: The descriptor is an adjective; therefore, it is a predicate adjective. A noun would be a predicate nominative.

Watching the championship was fun.

WAS is a linking verb connecting the subject WATCHING with its descriptor of equal weight FUN.

Note: WATCHING is the form of a verb used as a noun—a gerund.

Don argues that cheering for a team can be nerve-wracking, too.

CAN BE is a linking verb connecting the subject CHEERING with its descriptor of equal weight NERVE-WRACKING.

Note: CHEERING is the form of a verb used as a noun—a gerund.

If you're not careful, the whole group is going to judge you on what you do on this day.

ARE in the contraction YOU'RE is a linking verb connecting the subject YOU with its descriptor of equal weight CAREFUL.

The two teams look very similar in the tempo that they play.

LOOK is a linking verb connecting the subject TEAMS with its descriptor of equal weight SIMILAR.

Note: TO BE is not the only linking verb.

Stan does not seem scared of them.

DOES SEEM is a linking verb connecting the subject STAN with its descriptor of equal weight SCARED.

4. VERBALS AS ADJECTIVES:

Two types of verbals can acts as adjectives. Participles are always adjectives and may end in EN, ED or ING. Infinitives (TO+VERB) may act as adjectives, adverbs or nouns.

[In the following examples, the verbal is bold and the noun it modifies is underlined.]

Playing tough defense, both teams push the ball up the floor and score a lot of points.

PLAYING modifies or describes the subject TEAMS. It is not the verb for the subject, but rather it describes the subject.

Note: PUSH and SCORE are the verbs for the subject TEAMS.

Connecticut, averaging 90.3 points, is winning by an average of 29.

AVERAGING describes CONNECTICUT. It is not the verb for the subject, but rather it describes the subject.

Note: IS WINNING is the verb for the subject CONNECTICUT.

USC, shocked by a loss to OSU in its season opener, has little hope of going to the Rose Bowl.

SHOCKED describes USC. It is not the verb for the subject, but rather it describes the subject.

Note: HAS is the verb for the subject USC.

It will be an interesting game to watch.

TO WATCH modifies the predicate nominative GAME.

5. DEGREES OF ADJECTIVES

Adjectives are used to indicate levels, degrees of intensity or comparison

high ____ base

higher ____ comparative

highest ____ superlative

When comparing two things always use the comparative. For example in a comparison between two people the correct usage would be: Bill is taller. Bill is the tallest would require that there be more than two people.

6. ARTICLES

Some sources identify the articles A, AN, THE as adjectives.

The tempo of the game could reflect a track meet more than a basketball game.

Note: Use "A" before words that begin with a consonant or consonant sounds.

Tennessee no longer has Chamique Holdsclaw, twice the national player of the year.

But the Lady Vols have an outstanding combination in Tamika Catchings, Semeka Randall and Kristen Clement.

Note: Us "An" before words that begin with a vowel or vowel sound

http://www.grammaruntied.com/