Adjectives .ps



Adjectives

 

1)      determiner if any (a, my, Han’s & etc) + (2) Expression of order if any (first, final & etc) + (3) Expression of quantity if any (one, some, every & etc) + (4)Adjective of judgment or opinion if any (happy, boring & etc) + (5) Adjective of size &/or shape if any (big, round & etc) + (6) Adjective of age &/or condition if any (new, perfect & etc) + (7) Adjective of color if any + (8) Adjective that can also be used as noun if any (Thai, French & etc) + (9) the noun.

Examples:

!. The(1) many(3) big(5) yellow(7) pineapples (9).

2. First(2) broken(4) old(6) blue(7)glass(8) table(9).

 

The exact categories that adjectives fall into are not written in stone, and different grammar sources include more or less groups than others. Most have at least six different groups used in adjective order, however, and the sequence tends to be the same.

Directly before the noun come what are sometimes called phrase-making adjectives, or purpose adjectives. These are adjectives which directly describe what the noun is used for, or help to form the complex noun. An example of this might be the racing car, where racing is the purpose adjective.

Before the purpose adjective comes a material description of the noun, if necessary. This adjective tells what the noun is made of, such as the steel racing car. Before the material adjective is the location adjective, telling where the noun comes from, as in the Italian racing car.

Before location comes color, as in the red racing car. Before color is shape, as in the sleek racing car. Before shape comes a description of age, as in the new racing car. Before age is size, as in the smallracing car. At the very beginning of the noun phrase come any opinion adjectives, such as beautiful orbest, which describe the noun using terms that are subjective.

 

 

Brian asks a very interesting question:

I have a question in regard to an answer found in my text book. The topic is commas. The book claims the following sentence is correct with no commas:

She was the daughter of the governor of the state and lived in a big white clapboard house. 

I want to know if this is correct and if it is, why is there no comma between big and white?

Yes, the sentence is correct. We don't need a comma after "state" because the sentence has a compound verb (was and lived), and you shouldn't put a single comma between such verbs.

As for the "big white clapboard house," we're dealing here with a series of adjectives, and in some cases we do put commas between adjectives. These are coordinate adjectives: Each adjective modifies the noun. For example,

She is a smart, cheerful and industrious worker.

In such cases the comma replaces "and." (Some people might still put a comma after "cheerful" anyway.)

But sometimes an adjective series is cumulative. That is, each adjective modifies the next adjective:

She wore a dark blue linen jacket.

So in the sentence Brian asks about, "big" modifies "white" and the two adjectives modify "clapboard." The three adjectives, taken together, modify "house."

Why not write "white clapboard big house" or "linen blue dark jacket"? They sound odd, don't they? Well, here's a general guide for giving a sequence of adjectives of different kinds:

1. Start with an article, number, and comparative or superlative form: a, the, first, faster, biggest

2. Evaluative adjective (that is, one describing your opinion or judgment): bitter, honest, handsome

3. Size: large, small, long

4. Shape: square, round, ovoid

5. Age: young, old, 15th-century

6. Colour: blue, crimson, green

7. Nationality: Canadian, Japanese, Italian

8. Religion: Christian, Buddhist, Muslim

9. Material: steel, porcelain, mahogany

10: Noun as adjective: student government, communications course, faculty office

So we need to say "a big white clapboard house" because the sequence is article(1), size(3), colour(6), and material(9). And we say "a dark blue linen jacket" because the sequence is article (1),evaluative (dark)(2), colour(6), and material(9).

As a general rule, an article and three adjectives should be the most for one noun.

1. Opinion or judgment -- beautiful, ugly, easy, fast, interesting

2. Size -- small, tall, short, big

3. Age -- young, old, new, historic, ancient

4. Shape -- round, square, rectangular

5. Color -- red, black, green, purple

6. Nationality -- French, Asian, American, Canadian, Japanese

7. Material -- wooden, metallic, plastic, glass, paper

8. Purpose or Qualifier -- foldout sofa, fishing boat, racing car

So: the "beautiful long curved old red Italian steel racing car"

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