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Adjectives, Adverbs, and Other Modifiers
What are adjectivesadjectives?Adjectives modify nouns or pronouns. They can tell “Which one?” or “How many?”
A hot day
A happy camper
A silly twit
A big, bloody mess (both “big” and “bloody” modify
“mess”)
She is creative (“creative” is a subject complement that follows the linking verb “is”)
A boring course (present participle used as an adjective)
Articles (a, an, the), numbers, and some pronouns can also serve as adjectives. (See page 376.)
What are adverbs?• Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and
other adverbs. (See page 381.)• Many adverbs end with -ly• Many adverbs answer the questions
“How?” or “When?” Some tell “Where?” and “To what extent?”
• All these words are adverbs:Eating quickly (modifying a verb)Trying very hard (modifying an adverb)A really big show (modifying an
adjective)
Recognizing Adjectives & Adverbs
Many words have both an adjective and adverb form
Adjective Adverbhappy kids play happily
smooth rock runs smoothly
good food eat well
efficient workers work efficiently
casual dress dress casually
quick meeting talk quickly
hopeful children wait hopefully
real butter really hot
Comparatives and Superlatives (pp. 377-379)
Usually, add -er/more or -est/most.
Simple Comparative
Superlative
Hot Hotter Hottest
Good Better Best
Exciting More exciting Most exciting
Careful Less careful Least careful
• comparative = 2Sally is the larger of the twins. (not
largest) • superlative = 3 or more
August was the hottest month of the year.
How to decide: -er/-est or more/most?
• One syllable, use -er or -est:smarter, smartestfaster, fastest
• Two-syllable adjective that ends in -y, change the -y to -i and add -er or -est:
lovelier, loveliesthappier, happiest
• All other words, use more or most:more beautiful, most beautiful more helpful, most helpfulmore quickly, most quickly
pages 377-378
Irregular Adjectives and Adverbs
These four words do not use -er/-est or more/most to form the comparative or superlative:
Simple Comparative
Superlative
Good (adj.) Better Best
Well (adv.) Better Best
Bad (adj.) Worse Worst
Badly (adv.) Worse WorstThey can be confusing because the adjectiveadjective and adverbadverb forms are the same word. (See pages 379-383.)
Avoid Double Comparatives!
• NEVER use more or most with -er or -est.
Yesterday was more hotter than today.
That was the most dirtiest story I ever heard.
You are the bestest student.
page 378
Absolute Concepts• Don’t use comparatives or superlatives with
absolute concepts, which are adjectives or adverbs that have only two possibilities with no levels or degrees in between.
The most perfect student in the classA more unique idea (say “more unusual”
instead)
more priceless sort of dead
more on very pregnant
quite unanimous extremely perfect
slightly unique completely anonymous
Don’t use adjectives when adverbs are needed
You did a real nice job.– (an adjective can’t modify another
adjective)
You did a really nice job.– (the adverb “really” modifies “nice”)
He did good.He did well. or
He did a good job.
Come quick!Come quickly!
pages 381-382
Compound Adjectives• Two or more adjectives appearing together are
often separated by commas.Brad’s tiny, tight swimsuit showed off his hairy belly.
• The words “tiny” and “tight” work separately to modify “swimsuit.”
• Don’t use a comma when the last modifier and the noun have to go together. Try adding “and.” If it still sounds OK, the comma is necessary.Brad’s red sports car can go 120 miles an hour.
• “Brad’s tiny and tight swimsuit” sounds OK, but “Brad’s red and sports car” sounds wrong. Don’t use a comma in the second example.
Compound Adjectives
Brad was well known along the boardwalk. (no hyphen)
His SUV was fully equipped.
Brad worked full time on his tan.
Brad was a well-known jerk. (hyphenated)
He drove a fully equipped SUV.
Brad was a full-time chick magnet.
• Connect the words with a hyphen when they function together before a noun.
Brad’s gold-plated piercings stood out against his bright-red
sunburn.
“Gold-plated” and “bright-red” are compound adjectives.
• Do not hyphenate the words when they come after the noun they modify, and do not hyphenate -ly adverbs.
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Misplaced Modifierscause confusion; not clear what they are modifying because they are located too far from the word(s) they are modifying
To avoid confusion, put modifiers as close as possible to the word(s) they modify. pages 390-
391
Misplaced Modifiers• Put adjectives and adverbs close to the
words they modify. Notice how the meaning can change:
An old pile of clothes is on the floor.A pile of old clothes is on the floor.
I almost believe you are finished.I believe you are almost finished.
The winners will only be contacted.Only the winners will be contacted.
I can’t quite do this as well as Fred.I can’t do this quite as well as Fred.
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Misplaced Modifiers
• The following LIMITING MODIFIERS often cause confusion, so be careful with them:
almost just nearly simply even hardly merely only
page 391
Purdue University Writing LabPurdue University Writing Lab
Explain the meaning of each sentence:
• Almost everyone in the class passed the calculus exam.
• Everyone in the class almost passed the calculus exam.
• Which sentence indicates that everyone in the class FAILED the exam?
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Explain the meaning of each sentence:
• John nearly earned $100.
• John earned nearly $100.
• Which sentence indicates that John earned some money?
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Misplaced Modifiers: Phrases
Consider the different meanings
of the following sentences:
The dog under the tree bit
Carrie. vs.
The dog bit Carrie under the tree.
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Misplaced Modifiersare sometimes used for comic effect:
“The other day I shot an elephant in my pajamas.
How he got in my pajamas, I'll never know.”
-- Groucho Marx
Still, you don’t want to be unintentionally funny!
Purdue University Writing LabPurdue University Writing Lab
How might you correct the following sentence?
Julia called her adorable kitten opening the can of tuna and filled the food bowl.
Better: Opening the can of tuna, Julia called her adorable kitten and filled the food bowl.
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How might you correct the following sentence?
Portia rushed to the store loaded with cash to buy the birthday gift.Better: Loaded with cash, Portia rushed to the store to buy the birthday gift.
Or: Portia, loaded with cash, rushed to the store to buy the birthday gift.
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Dangling Modifier
• a word or phrase that modifies something that has not been stated clearly within the sentence
often occur at the beginnings and ends of sentences
often indicated by an -ing verb or a to + verb phrase
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Dangling Modifiers
Having finished dinner, the football game was turned on.
Having finished dinner, Joeturned on the football game.
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Dangling modifiers can be repaired by:
using the person or thing being modified as the subject of the main clause:
Having finished dinner, Joe turned on the football game.
adding the subject of the action to the dangling phrase:
After Joe finished dinner, he turned on the football game.
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How might you correct the following sentence?
Playing solitaire on the computer for three hours, Michael’s paper was not completed.
Better: Playing solitaire on the computer for three hours, Michael did not complete his paper.
Better: Because Michael played solitaire on the computer for three hours, he did not complete his paper.
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How might you correct the following sentence?
Locked away in the old chest, Richard was surprised by the antique hats.
Better: Locked away in the old chest, the antique hats surprised Richard. Better: The antique hats locked away in the old chest surprised Richard.
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How might you correct the following sentence?
To work as a loan officer, an education in financial planning is required.
Better: To work as a loan officer, one is required to have an education in financial planning.
Even better: If a person wants to work as a loan officer, he or she must have an education in financial planning.