ADJECTIVES AND

ADVERBSTHEIR DEFINITIONS AND FUNCTIONS

ADJECTIVES

ADJECTIVES• An adjective describes or modifies a noun

or pronoun. The articles a, an, and the are adjectives.

Advertising is a big and powerful industry.

(A, big, and powerful modify industry.)

ADJECTIVES• Numbers are also adjectives.

Fifty-three relatives came to my party.

ADJECTIVES• Note: Many demonstrate, indefinite, and

interrogative forms may be used as either adjectives or pronouns (that, these, many, some, whose, and so on). These words are adjectives if they come before a noun and modify it; they are pronouns if they stand alone.

Some advertisements are less than truthful.

(Some modifies advertisements and is an adjective).Many cause us to chuckle at their outrageous claims.(Many stands alone; it is a pronoun and replaces the

noun advertisements.)

PROPER ADJECTIVES• Proper adjectives are created from

proper nouns and are capitalized.

English has been influenced by advertising slogans. (proper noun)

The English language is constantly changing. (proper adjective)

COMMON ADJECTIVES• Common adjectives are any adjectives

that are not proper; they are not capitalized (unless they are used as the first word in a sentence.)

Ancient mammoths were huge, woolly creatures whose complete bodies have been found frozen deep in the ice

fields of Siberia.

DEMONSTRATIVE ADJECTIVES

• Demonstrative adjectives point out a particular noun. This and these point out something nearby; that and those point out something at a distance.

This mammoth is huge, but that mammoth is even bigger.

• Note: When a noun does not follow this, these, that, or those, it is a pronoun, not an adjective.

COMPOUND ADJECTIVES• Compound adjectives are made up of

two or more words. (Sometimes, they are hyphenated.)

The stomachs of these quick-frozen, fur-covered mammoths contained the animals’ last meals, perfectly preserved.

INDEFINITE ADJECTIVES• Indefinite adjectives give approximate or

indefinite information. They do not tell exactly how much or how many.

Some mammoths were heavier than today’s elephants.

PREDICATE ADJECTIVES• A predicate adjective follows a form of

the be verb (or other linking verb) and describes the subject.

At its best, advertising is useful; at its worst, deceptive.

(Useful and deceptive modify the noun advertising.)

FORMS OF ADJECTIVES• Adjectives have three forms: positive,

comparative, and superlative.

• The positive form is the adjective in its regular form. It describes a noun or a pronoun without comparing it to anyone or anything else.

Joysport walking shoes are strong and comfortable.

FORMS OF ADJECTIVES• The comparative form (-er, more, or less)

compares two things. (More and less are used generally with adjectives of two or more syllables.)

Air soles make Mile Eaters stronger and more comfortable than Joysports.

• The superlative form (-est, most, or least) compares three or more things. (Most and least are used most often with adjectives of two or more syllables.)

My old Canvas Wonders are the strongest, most comfortable shoes of all!

ADVERBS

ADVERBS• An adverb describes or modifies a verb, an

adjective, another adverb, or a whole sentence. An adverb answers questions such as how, when, where, why, how often, or how much.

The temperature fell sharply. (Sharply modifies fell.)

The temperature was quite low. (Quite modifies the adjective low.)

ADVERBS• An adverb describes or modifies a verb, an

adjective, another adverb, or a whole sentence. An adverb answers questions such as how, when, where, why, how often, or how much.

The temperature dropped very quickly. (Very modifies the adverb quickly, which modifies the verb dropped.)

Unfortunately, the temperature stayed cool.(Unfortunately modifies the whole sentence.)

TYPES OF ADVERBS• Adverbs can be grouped in four ways: time,

place, manner, and degree.• Time (These adverbs tell when, how often, and how

long.) today, yesterday daily, weekly briefly, eternally • Place (These adverbs tell where, to where, and

from where.) here, there nearby, beyond backward, forward

TYPES OF ADVERBS• Adverbs can be grouped in four ways: time,

place, manner, and degree.• Manner (These adverbs often end in ly and tell how

something is done.) precisely regularly regally smoothly well

• Degree (These adverbs tell how much or how little.) substantially greatly entirely partly too

FORMS OF ADVERBS• Adverbs have three forms: positive,

comparative, and superlative.

• The positive form is the adverb in its regular form. It describes a verb, an adjective, or another adverb without comparing it to anyone or anything else.

With Joysport shoes, you’ll walk fast. They support your feet well.

FORMS OF ADVERBS• The comparative form (-er, more, or less)

compares two things. (More and less are used generally with adverbs of two or more syllabus.)

Wear Jockos instead of Joysports, and you’ll walk faster. Jockos’ special soles support your feet better than Rocksports.

FORMS OF ADVERBS• The superlative form (-est, most, or least)

compares three or more things. (Most and least are used often with adverbs of two or more syllables.)

Really, I walk fastest wearing my old Canvas Wonders. They seem to support my feet, my knees, and my pocketbook best of all.

ADJECTIVES AND

ADVERBSTHEIR DEFINITIONS AND FUNCTIONS