ADJECTIVES

- An adjective modifies a noun. Modify means to change a

little.
- An adjective gives a little different meaning to a noun.
- It describes or gives information about a noun.

Adjective can go in front of a noun

I met a kind man. I met an old man.

adj. + noun adj. + noun

or can go after the verb to be:

She is happy.
to be + adj

- The verb to be is used as a linking verb.

- Linking verbs connect a subject and its complement.
- When linking verbs are used to link subject and modifier
they are followed by an adjective.

The children are tired

Many of the most common adjectives are familiar one syllable

words as:
good, bad, strange, true, false, large, etc
 Others are formed by adding endings such as:

- al optional (option)
- less fruitless (fruit)
-y dreamy (dream)
- able fashionable (fashion)
- ish selfish (selfish)
- ive expressive (express) to nouns and verbs

Attributive and Predicative Adjectives

AN ATTRIBUTIVE ADJECTIVE COMES BEFORE A VERB

They attribute a quality to the noun they modify.

More than one adjective can modify the same noun.

He washed the empty cup.

"Empty" is an attributive adj ective. It is describing the cup.

A PREDICATIVE ADJECTIVE COMES AFTER A LINKING

VERB AND NOT BEFORE A NOUN

Adjectives which appear after a linking verb are called

predicative, because they form part of the predicate.

They modify the subject of the sentence .

Examples:

The painting was colourful.

noun: painting
linking verb: was
adjective: colourful (describing the
noun"painting")

The wind remained strong.

noun: wind
linking verb: remained
adjective: strong (describing the noun
"wind")

Most adjectives can freely occur in both the attributive

and the predicative positions. However, a small number of
adjectives are restricted to one position only.

ORDER OF ADJECTIVES

What is the correct order of adjectives before a noun?

Michael Swan (Practical English Usage, Oxford University
Press, 1997) writes:

"Unfortunately, the rules for adjective order are very

complicated, and different grammars disagree about the
details"

Common adjective order:

opinion size age shape color origin materia purpose

l
a silly young English Man
a huge round metal bowl
a small red sleeping Bag