Grammar UnitAdjectives

Let’s Review . . .The adjective is the third of the eight parts of

speech. Just for the record, here are all eight:

• Noun• Pronoun• Adjective• Verb• Adverb• Preposition• Conjunction• Interjection

First, let's start with a basic definition:

• Adjectives modify nounsand pronouns.

• mod·i·fy = To change in form or character; alter. To make less extreme, severe, or strong: refused to modify her stand on the issue. Grammar. To qualify or limit the meaning of. For example, summer modifies day in the phrase a summer day.

Possessive pronouns can be used as adjectives.

• Example: That is his book.

Adjectives answer these questions

about the noun:

• WHAT KIND of noun is it?

• WHICH noun is it?

• HOW MANY of that noun are there?

The, A, and An are called articles.Articles are always adjectives.

They modify nouns and pronouns.

Now, you have 2 minutes . . .

Turn to the student next to you and see how many Adjectives you and your partner can come up with.

Identify the adjectives in the following sentence and explain WHY each one is an adjective.

The two dark cats were walking on the fence.

The - adjective because it modifies the noun cats and is an article.

Two - adjective because it modifies the noun cats & answers the question HOW MANY.

Dark - adjective because it modifies the noun cats & answers the question WHAT KIND.

The - adjective because it modifies fence & is an article.

Let’s try another . . .

These southern countries have dry weather.

• These - adjective because it modifies the noun countries & answers the question WHICH.

• Southern - adjective because it modifies the noun countries & answers the question WHAT KIND

• Dry - adjective because it modifies the noun weather & answers the question WHAT KIND.

And one more for practice. . .

The chocolate one is his last cookie.The - adjective because it modifies the pronoun one and is

an article.

Chocolate - adjective because it modifies the pronoun one & tells WHAT KIND.

His - adjective because it is a possessive pronoun that modifies the noun cookie and answers the question WHICH ONE.

Last - adjective because it modifies the noun cookie and tells WHICH ONE.

Now, with a partner . . .Write 3 sentences including as many

adjectives in each as you possibly can.

GO!

Please take a fewminutes to review.

Your quiz will begin shortly.

Adjective Quiz• Find and explain the adjectives in the following

sentences.

• 1. He suggested they clean the statue for their community service project.

• 2. The bank book was on the kitchen table. • 3. Five dollars was required of each student. • 4. The teacher asked the shy boy to give an oral

report. • 5. I visited the family for several days. • 6. Do you have a special someone in your life? • 7. Her story was printed in the town paper.

Adjective Homework

In a newspaper or magazine, find an article that interests you and is more than 10 sentences in length.

Tape the article to a clean sheet of paper.

With a BLUE pencil or pen, underline and number all the adjectives in the article.

On the paper, identify the type of adjective it is.

Due Tomorrow at the beginning of class.

Answers• 1. The - article, modifies the noun statue

Their - possessive pronoun, modifies the noun projectCommunity - modifies the noun project, tells what kind ofService - modifies the noun project, tells what kind of

• 2. The - article, modifies the noun bookBank - modifies the noun book, tells what kindThe - article, modifies the noun tableKitchen - modifies the noun table, tells what kind of table (some people might say it tells which table; that is an acceptable answer also.)

• 3. Five - modifies the noun dollars and tells how manyEach - pronoun used to modify the noun student, tells how many

• 4. The - article, modifies the noun teacherThe - article, modifies the noun boyShy - modifies the noun boy, tells what kindAn - article, modifies the noun reportOral - modifies report, tells what kind

• 5. The - article, modifies the noun familySeveral - modifies the noun days, tells how many

• 6. A - article, modifies the pronoun someoneSpecial - modifies the pronoun someone, tells what kindYour - possessive pronoun, modifies the noun life

• 7. Her - possessive pronoun, modifies the noun storyThe - article, modifies the noun paperTown - modifies the noun paper, tells what kind