Grammar Adj

• Adjective


  A word that modifies a noun or a pronoun. It answers the questions what kind, which one, how many, how much, or whose.
• Modifier


  Makes the meaning of another word more specific by describing or limiting that word
• Positions of adjectives

  • Before the word they modify
  • After the word they modify (predicate adjective)
• Articles


  The words a, an, and the
• Possessive nouns and pronouns


  Usually called adjectives
• Participle


  A verbal used as an adjective, with endings like -ing, -d, -ed, -t, or -en
• Predicate adjective


  An adjective that follows a linking verb and modifies the subject
• Linking verbs

  • am
  • is
  • are
  • was
  • were
  • taste
  • look
  • grow
  • be
  • feel
  • appear
  • remain
  • being
  • smell
  • become
  • stay
  • been
  • sound
  • seem
• Finding a predicate adjective


  Locate the verb, then ask what or how after the verb
• Prepositional phrase


  A group of words consisting of a preposition, its noun or pronoun object, and any modifiers of the object
• Adjective phrase


  A prepositional phrase that modifies a noun or pronoun
• Clause


  A group of words that contains both a subject and a verb, used as a part of a sentence
• Independent clause


  Expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence
• Dependent (subordinate) clause


  Does not express a complete thought and cannot stand alone as a sentence
• Adjective clause


  A dependent clause that modifies a noun or pronoun
• Relative pronouns


  Who, whom, which, that
• Relative adjective


  Whose, when it introduces an adjective clause
• Relative pronouns serve two purposes: (1) Introduce the clause, (2) Serve a grammatical function within the clause
• Adjective phrases and clauses should come immediately after the words they modify
• Participial phrases may come immediately after the words they modify, or at the beginning of the sentence. If at the beginning, they must modify the subject of the sentence that follows.
• Nonessential adjective clauses and nonessential participial phrases should be set off by commas
• Degrees of comparison


  Positive, comparative, superlative
• Positive degree


  Used when no comparison is expressed
• Comparative degree


  Used when two people or things are being compared
• Superlative degree


  Used when three or more people or things are being compared