Verb into Adjecti

Adjectives are usually placed before the nouns they modify, but when used with linking verbs,

such as forms of to be or “sense” verbs, they are placed after the verb. The latter type of

adjective is called a predicative adjective.

In these simple sentences, the adjectives wild, long, and furious follow forms of the verb to be:

Example: The rock star was wild.

Example: The cat’s tail is long.

Example: I am furious with my business partner.

“Sense” verbs, such as look, seem, appear, taste, sound, feel, or smell, also demand a verb +

adjective word order:

Example: The cookies smell awesome!

Example: That shirt looks great on you.

When Verbs Become Adjectives: Participles

Perhaps you are feeling that the relationship between verbs and adjectives is complicated

enough, but consider that verbs can also become adjectives by turning into participles. These are

verb forms ending in - ing (present participles) or -ed or -en (past participles) that are used to

modify nouns.

Example: The smiling baby is really cute.

The present participle smiling is used as an adjective here, as is cute.

Example: This is my new washing machine.

Washing is acting as an adjective for machine.

Example: This is my broken washing machine.

Example: This washing machine is broken.

In both these instances, broken is an adjective modifying washing machine.

Example: I gave my friend an engraved watch.

Here, the past participle engraved is acting as an adjective modifying watch.

Exercises

VERB → ADJECTIVE

Fill in the gaps with the correct form of the word in brackets. You need an ADJECTIVE.

1. Pam will always support you. She’s the most …………reliable …………………… person I
know (RELY).

2. The weather is quite ……………changable…………… nowadays. You never know what to

wear (CHANGE).

3. Stop singing such a ………repeatable………………… tune, Alan! (REPEAT).

4. I usually feel ……………………sleepy after lunch (SLEEP).

5. My father is the most …………tolerable…………… person in my family (TOLERATE).

6. Meg is so ……………manipulative………………! She can get whatever she wants

(MANIPULATE).

7. Most countries are trying to promote ………renewable………………… energy (RENEW).

8. Mary never stops talking. She’s a really …talkative……………………… person (TALK).

9. I don’t believe a word she said. What she told me was unbelieveable……………………
(BELIEVE).

10. The baby has an ……adorable………………… smile (ADORE).

11. Pesticides are ……………………harmful for the environment (HARM).

12. The business turned out to be quite ……profitable……………………… in the short term
(PROFIT).

13. Some students have problems with countable……………………… and

uncountable………………… nouns (COUNT).
14. They’ve have written such ……………………imaginative

stories that it’ll be hard to choose just one (IMAGINE)

15. We usually get …………tiresome…………… after our PE classes (TIRE).

16. Don’t worry, Peter, it isn’t your fault. Dave is so …irritable………………… that he
sometimes becomes ……unbearable………………… (IRRITATE/BEAR).

17. Amy Winehouse’s latest CD has become so ……successive …………………… that she has

sold millions of copies after being dead (SUCCEED).