Marvelous Modifiers Marvelous Modifiers Designed by Elisa Paramore
Dec 29, 2015
Function of AdjectivesFunction of Adjectives
Adjectives are words that modify nouns or pronouns and answer one of the following questions:
Which? What kind of ? How many ? How much?
Adjective EndingsAdjective Endings
able or ible ac or ic al and ical an and ian ary ed en ent and ant ern
Position of AdjectivesPosition of Adjectives
before the noun or pronoun it modifies- example- the purple sweater
after a linking verb- example- John was brilliant as an appositive of the noun modified- example-
This precocious youth, able and alert, graduated from Harvard.
after a direct object- example- The circumstances made the detective suspicious.
Rule 1 for effective use of Rule 1 for effective use of adjectivesadjectives
When comparing 2 people or objects, use the comparative adjective form-the comparative form is made by adding ‘er’ to the adjective or the words more or less
The superlative form is made by adding ‘est’ or using the words most or least before the adjective
Rule # 2 for AdjectivesRule # 2 for Adjectives
When comparing more than 2 people or objects use the superlative form of the adjective
Practice ExercisePractice Exercise
Add the correct ending to make the following words into the comparative form
white slow agile clean active friendly
Practice ExercisePractice Exercise
Add the correct ending to following adjectives to make the superlative form:
white slow agile clean active friendly
Rule #3 for adjectivesRule #3 for adjectives
When comparing one person or object with others in the group, use the words any other or anyone else, not just the word any
Rule #4 for adjectivesRule #4 for adjectives
Avoid making double comparisons like more happier or most fastest
Rule #5 for adjectivesRule #5 for adjectives
Use the article ‘a’ before a word that starts with a consonant sound.
Use the article ‘an’ before a word that starts with a vowel sound
Practice ExercisePractice Exercise
Add the correct article to following words honeycomb esophagus honorable man unhappy ending eucalyptus tree unicorn
Rule # 6 for adjectivesRule # 6 for adjectives
say ‘half a (or an)’ and not ‘a half a (or an)’ Example- This program is only half an hour
long.
Rule # 7 for adjectivesRule # 7 for adjectives
Repeat the article ‘a, an or the’ before a second noun in a series for contrast, clearness or emphasis
Example- Please order the beef and cheese nachos for me. (one item only)
Example- Please order the beef and the cheese nachos for me. (2 items only)
Rule # 8 for adjectivesRule # 8 for adjectives
When 2 or more adjectives modify a noun, repeat the article only if different objects are meant- example- In the shop we found a black and white dress. (1 dress)
Example- In the shop we found a black and a white dress. ( 2 dresses)
Rule # 9 for adjectivesRule # 9 for adjectives
An article such as ‘a, an or the’, or a preposition applying to all members of a series of nouns should only be used before the first item or repeated before each one
Never use the article “the” before the word both
Rule # 10 for adjectivesRule # 10 for adjectives
The words this and that are singular and are only used to modify singular nouns or pronouns. The words these and those are plural and are used only to modify plural nouns and pronouns
Rule # 11 for adjectivesRule # 11 for adjectives
Do not use double negatives negatives are words that begin with the
letter ‘n’ such as in the words- never, nothing, no, none and nobody
Do not use negatives with half negative words such as hardly, scarcely, barely, only and but (when it means only)
Rule # 12 for adjectivesRule # 12 for adjectives
After the words be, become, grow, seem, appear, look, feel, taste, smell, remain and sound use a predicate adjective to describe the subject of the sentence- Example- Ben felt clumsy.
Rule # 13 for adjectivesRule # 13 for adjectives
The word good is used as an adjective the word well is only used as an adjective
when it means “ in good health, attractive or satisfactory”
Practice exercisePractice exercise
Change the following sentences as needed to follow the rules for adjectives
On a hike Brad watches carefully for copperheads and rattlers, for the both snakes are common in the mountains.
That there butterfly with red bands on its wings is called a red admiral.
There isn’t hardly any part of the world that is entirely free from mosquitoes.
The moon jellyfish is one of the most commonest of the jellyfish group.
Adjective clausesAdjective clauses
An adjective clause modifies a noun or pronoun and is attached to the word it modifies in one of 2 ways
with a relative pronoun such as who, whose, which and that
with a subordinating conjunction such as where like a main clause, a adjective clause has a subject
and verb but it can not stand alone
Punctuating Adjective ClausesPunctuating Adjective Clauses
Adjective clauses beginning with the word ‘that’ are never set off from the rest of the sentence with commas
Adjective clauses beginning with the words ‘who’ or ‘which’ should not be set off by commas if omitting the clause would change the basic meaning of the sentence
Adjective clause that begin with the words ‘who’ or ‘which’ should be set off with commas if omitting the phrase would not change the basic meaning of the
sentence.
Practice ExercisePractice Exercise
Identify the adjective clause in the following sentences and punctuate them as needed.
Earle Stanley Gardner whose Perry Mason is a leading favorite with mystery fans originally practiced law.
The knowledge of human foibles which helped Gardner in his legal practice later assured his success in business.
In 1923 Gardner began the career of fiction writing which later brought him a fortune.
The editor of Black Mask who read the story promptly returned it to Gardner.
purpose of adverbspurpose of adverbs
adverbs are words that modify a verb, an adjective or another adverb
adverbs commonly answer the questions- when, where, how, how often or how much
adverbs such as when and where may also be used to help ask questions
Adverb endingsAdverb endings
many end with ‘ly’ but not all adverbs do- very, always, almost, often, not, now, well, rather,
too and yesterday adverbs may also end with ‘ward’ and ‘long’
Practice exercisePractice exercise
choose the correct form of the adverb in the parentheses. Can Josh beat Timothy (easy, easily)? (Nowhere, nowheres) in the world is there more gold than
at Fort Knox, Kentucky. The motorcycle invented by Daimler in 1883 worked fairly
(good, well), but it was (not nearly, nowhere near) successful enough to catch the public interest.
If you speak your lines too (rapid, rapidly), most members of the audience will not understand what you are saying.
The floodwaters receded (gradual, gradually).
only use standard adverbs such as- anyway, anywhere, everywhere, nowhere, somewhere, regardless, not nearly, in no way, usually, seldom and hardly ever
do not use substandard adverbs such a- anyways, anywheres, everywheres, nowheres, somwheres, nowhere near ( not nearly) nohow, most times and seldom ever
do not use more than one adverb to describe another adverb, an adjective or a verb
Purpose of Adverb clausesPurpose of Adverb clauses
an adverb clause modifies a verb, adjective or another adverb
adverb clauses often answer the questions when, where, how or how much?
an easy way to differentiate between an adjectives and a adverbs and adjective and adverb clauses is that adverbs and adverb clause can be moved within the sentence
Adverb clausesAdverb clauses
adverb clauses start with an adverb that shows how the clause relates to the rest of the sentence- they show one of 4 things-
time- such as the words- after, as soon as, as long as, before, once, since, till, until, when, whenever and while
place- where or wherever cause- as, because, in order that, since, so that condition- although, as, as though, even if, even though, if,
in case, just as, provided that, though, unless, whereas, while
Punctuating adverb clausesPunctuating adverb clauses
If at the beginning of the sentence, it is separated from the rest of the sentence with a comma after the last word of the clause
If in the middle of the sentence it is enclosed in commas
If the clause comes at the end of the end of the sentence it is not separated from the rest of the sentence
Practice exercisePractice exercise
Identify the adverb clause in the following sentences and punctuate them as needed.
When Gardner was a young lawyer in California he specialized in brilliant legal tricks and masterly exhibitions of psychology.
His customary acuteness failed when he used a beneficiary under a will as a witness to the will.
Gardner retuned to law when the job of business analyst no longer satisfied him.
Soon he rebelled against the routine office hours and court calendars which dominates a lawyer’s life.
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