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The Adjective
STYLE TIP 11c. An adjective is a word that is used to modify a noun
Some adjectives are more or a pronoun.
specific and vivid than
To modify a word means to describe the word or to make its
GRAMMAR

others. You can make your

writing more interesting by meaning more definite. An adjective modifies a noun or pro-
replacing dull adjectives noun by telling what kind, which one, how many, or how much.
with more vivid ones.

ORIGINAL Which One How Many or

Mr. Sato is a nice man. What Kind? or Ones? How Much?
[The adjective nice is dull
and doesn’t really say gentle dog sixth grade two tickets
much about Mr. Sato.]
Irish town these books full pitcher
REVISED
Mr. Sato is a generous
scary movie other people most players
man. [The adjective purple shoes any CD no work
generous is more specific
about Mr. Sato.]
Adjectives usually come before the words they modify.
Sometimes, however, an adjective comes after the word it
modifies.
EXAMPLES The dog is gentle. [The predicate adjective gentle
modifies dog.]
The sea, blue and sparkling, stretched out before us
invitingly. [The adjectives blue and sparkling modify
the noun sea.]

Reference Note NOTE The adjectives a, an, and the are called articles.
For information on using
a and an, see page 520.

Exercise 10 Identifying Adjectives

Identify each adjective in the following sentences. Do not
include a, an, or the.
EXAMPLE 1. The sky was clear, and the night was cold.
1. clear, cold
1. A silvery moon rode down the western sky.
2. It shed a pale light on the quiet countryside.
3. Long meadows spread out between two hills.
4. The smell of the wild grass was strong.
5. The only sound we heard was the sharp crackle of the fire.

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11
6. Suddenly, several stars came out. c
7. I watched until the entire sky glowed with bright stars.
8. I was lonely and happy at the same time.
9. I finally became sleepy and longed for my warm bed.
10. Soon I went indoors and fell into a deep sleep.

GRAMMAR
Exercise 11 Identifying Adjectives and the Words
They Modify
Identify the adjectives and the words they modify in the C OM P U T E R T I P
following sentences. Do not include a, an, or the. Some software includes a
EXAMPLE 1. It costs five dollars to go to that movie. thesaurus feature. You can
use the computer thesaurus
1. five—dollars; that—movie to find synonyms to replace
1. I have a free ticket for the last game. dull or overused adjectives
in your writing. Always
2. We ate spicy crawfish, and they were delicious. check the meaning of an
3. The new neighbor is helpful and nice. unfamiliar adjective in a
4. The bear, angry and hungry, surprised the campers. dictionary, though, to make
sure it is just the right
5. Many students compete in the regional events.
word.
6. Will country musicians play at the county fair?
7. Despite the long delay, we remained cheerful.
8. A shiny coin stared up at me from the the icy sidewalk.
9. Take one booklet and pass the rest to the next row.
10. A few colorful birds perched in the tall, green trees on the
bank of the river.

Exercise 12 Writing Adjectives for a Story

The following story is about a cave exploration. Copy
the sentences, adding an appropriate adjective for
each blank. Underline the adjectives you add.
EXAMPLE 1. Exploring caves is on days.
1. Exploring caves is fun on hot days.
1. Have you ever been in a cave like the one
shown at right?
2. Would you say it looks and ?
3. My father and I explored this cave once.
4. It was but , too.
5. We found some rock formations.
6. We also heard sounds.

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GRAMMAR
Reference Note
For information on
capitalizing proper
adjectives, see page 548.
HELP
Some proper
nouns, such as Easter and
Sioux, do not change
spelling when they are used
as proper adjectives.
338 Chapter 11 Parts of Speech Overview
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7. My father took some photographs.
8. We looked up and saw bats flying above our heads.
9. After exploring for about hours, we were ready to see
the sky again.
10. Spelunking, as cave exploring is called, can be a very
experience, if you have a guide.
Proper Adjectives
A proper adjective is formed from a proper noun and begins
with a capital letter.
Proper Nouns Proper Adjectives
Japan Japanese islands
Easter Easter Sunday
Queen Victoria Victorian drama
Sioux Sioux customs
Exercise 13 Identifying Adjectives
Identify all of the adjectives in the following sentences. Then,
underline each proper adjective. Do not include the articles a,
an, or the.
EXAMPLE 1. The Navajo weaver made a blanket on a wooden
loom.
1. Navajo , wooden
1. Music can express sad or happy feelings.
2. The quartet sang several Irish songs.
3. The gold watch with the fancy chain was made by a
famous Swiss watchmaker.
4. She is a Balinese dancer.
5. On vacation, Mom enjoys long, quiet breakfasts.
6. Many Australian people are of British origin.
7. The Egyptian mummies are on display on the first floor.
8. We are proud of Joshua.
9. The movie is based on a popular Russian novel.
10. In Canadian football, a team has twelve players on the field
at one time.
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Exercise 14 Writing Proper Adjectives

Change the following proper nouns into proper adjectives. HELP
Then, use each proper adjective in a sentence. You may want
EXAMPLE 1. France to use a dictionary

GRAMMAR
to help you spell the adjec-
1. French—We bought French bread at the bakery.
tives in Exercise 14.
1. England 6. Thanksgiving
2. Inca 7. Shakespeare
3. Hinduism 8. Korea
4. Celt 9. Navajo
5. Alaska 10. Boston

Demonstrative Adjectives
This, that, these, and those can be used both as adjectives and Reference Note
as pronouns. When they modify nouns or pronouns, they are For more information
called demonstrative adjectives. When they are used alone, on demonstrative
pronouns, see page 332.
they are called demonstrative pronouns.
ADJECTIVE What are these skates doing in the living room?
PRONOUN What are these doing in the living room?

ADJECTIVE I prefer that brand of frozen yogurt.

PRONOUN I prefer that.

Exercise 15 Identifying Demonstrative Pronouns and

Demonstrative Adjectives
In each of the following sentences, identify the italicized word
as a demonstrative pronoun or a demonstrative adjective.
EXAMPLE 1. Who gave you those beautiful flowers?
1. demonstrative adjective
1. That is the strangest hot-air balloon I have ever seen!
2. Will those squirrels find enough to eat during the winter?
3. My dog, Manda, has been chewing on this piece of rawhide
for three weeks.
4. These are the only shoes I can find that will fit you.
5. According to the guidebook, those are the largest trees in
North America.

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GRAMMAR
Go to the Chapter Menu
for an interactive activity.
Go to the Chapter Menu
for an interactive activity.
340 Chapter 11 Parts of Speech Overview
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6. Is that your final offer?
7. The geese always return to these same lakes.
8. What do you plan to do with that lump of clay?
9. I’m afraid she’s gone too far this time.
10. Can this be the same person I knew back in third grade?
Review C Identifying Adjectives
Identify the adjectives in the following sentences. Do not
include a, an, or the.
EXAMPLE 1. I enjoy visiting the large railroad museum in
our city.
1. large, railroad
1. Museums can be interesting.
2. Large cities have different kinds of museums.
3. Some museums display sculpture and paintings.
4. These museums may focus on one special kind of art.
5. For example, they might specialize in Chinese art or
Mexican art.
6. Other museums feature birds, sea creatures, dinosaurs,
and other animals.
7. A curator holds an important job in a museum.
8. A curator needs to know many facts about a
particular display.
9. Some valuable objects must be displayed in a stable
environment.
10. Some people prefer displays of modern art, while others
enjoy exhibits of folk art.
Review D Identifying Nouns, Pronouns, and
Adjectives
Identify all of the nouns, pronouns, and adjectives in each of
the following sentences. Do not include a, an, or the.
EXAMPLE 1. I think models make a great hobby.
1. I—pronoun; models—noun; great—adjective;
hobby—noun
1. Do you have a favorite hobby?
2. Models are enjoyable and educational.
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3. They require little space.

4. I keep mine on a bookshelf my dad and I built ourselves.
5. Models are packaged in kits.
6. My favorite models are historic ships and antique planes.
7. On my last birthday, my parents gave me two model kits

GRAMMAR
of biplanes.
8. They came with directions in several languages.
9. Many of the tiny parts are designed for an exact fit.
10. Do you think the bright decals add a realistic look?

Review E Identifying Nouns, Pronouns, and

Adjectives
Go to the Chapter Menu
Identify all of the nouns, pronouns, and adjectives in each of for an interactive activity.
the following sentences. Do not include a, an, or the.
EXAMPLE 1. Pueblos are practical housing for people in hot, dry
regions.
1. Pueblos—noun; practical—adjective; housing—
noun; people—noun; hot—adjective; dry—
adjective; regions—noun
1. The brown building in the photograph below contains
several individual homes.
2. Pueblo is a Spanish word for a structure like this and for
a town.
3. This building is located at the Taos Pueblo in New Mexico.

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4. Can you tell how pueblos are made?

5. They are built of adobe.
6. People make adobe by mixing mud with grass or straw.
7. They shape the mixture into bricks and let them bake in
the sun.
GRAMMAR

8. Buildings made with this material stay cool during the

summer months.
9. Anyone on a visit to the Southwest can find other pueblos
like this one.
10. Old pueblos built by the Hopi and the Zuni fascinate me.

Review F Writing Sentences Using Nouns, Pronouns,

Go to the Chapter Menu
for an interactive activity.
and Adjectives
Write ten original sentences using the parts of speech given
below. In each sentence, underline the word that is the listed
part of speech.
EXAMPLE 1. an adjective that comes after the word it describes
1. Our guide was very helpful.
1. a proper noun
2. a possessive pronoun
3. an adjective that tells how many
4. a reflexive pronoun
5. a proper adjective
6. an article
7. a third-person pronoun
8. a demonstrative adjective
9. an indefinite pronoun
10. a noun that names an idea

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