Adding Details with Adjectives

Readers usually ask more to the writer – more color, more variety, more information – in short, more

specific details. Adjectives added to nouns, and adverbs added to verbs give the reader adding

information by further describing and qualifying the nouns and verbs.

Adjectives

An adjective makes a noun or pronoun specific or concrete by limiting and describing it.

N N adj adj N adj

a. Zoos protect species. Some new zoos protect endangered species

N adj N adj adj N

b. Zoos breed animals. Far – sighted zoos rare and exotic animals

N N adj adj adj N

c. Zoos need support. All zoos need continued public support

Kinds of Adjectives

Possesive Pronouns and Possesive Nouns. The possesive form of the pronoun is called an

adjective because it describes and qualifies nouns: his book, my book. The reader knows

exactly what book the writer is talking about.

Numbers All numbers are adjectives. They modify and qualify the noun by telling how

many.

Example: Five apples Fifty dollars Twenty – four hours

Descriptive Adjectives The adjectives above do not actually describe nouns. To give the

reader a mental picture of something, the writer chooses adjectives that describe the qualities

or characteristics of it.

Position of Adjectives

1. The adjective usually appears in front of the noun :

 Adj N adj N adj N
Spring vacation Freshman class Term paper

2. But the adjective can follow the noun it modifies

N adj adj
The woman`s answer was polite but guarded

These adjectives are completers following the linking verb was

Adj N adj adj

The wining team, laughing and shouting, ran off the field

These present participles are adjectives modifying the noun team . Notice that two of
them, laughing and shouting , follow the noun.

Special Forms of Adjectives

1. Sometimes present and past participles are used as adjectives:
Adj N Adj N Adj N Adj N
excited fans winning pass opening game defeated team

2. When a noun precedes another noun, the first noun is used as an adjectives to describe or limit
the second noun:
Adj N Adj N Adj N Adj N
canvas tent circus tent plastic cushions cotton candy

3. Prepositional phrases are also used as adjectives.

N Adj
Toshiro sent five letters of application.

of application spesifies the kind of letters that Toshiro sent; therefore, the phrase is an adjective.

EXERCISE
EXERCISE
In the following 1E
sentences, brackets all the adjectives used and underlines once nouns described by
adjectives.

Example: Alex spent [an] [exciting] time at [the] [opening pro-football] game.

1. In this box seat, Alex watched a closely fought battle.

2. The turning point came for the home team during the last few minutes of the game.

3. Everyone praised the winning pass of the rookie quarterback and the clever tactics of the head
coach.
4. The excited fans roared as the place kicker sent the ball through the uprights of the goal post for
the extra point.

5. The wining team, laughing and shouting, ran off the football field.

6. As he left the sports stadium, Alex hoped that this game marked the beginning of an Oiler
winning streak.