Chapter 21 adjectives position in a sentence

CHAPTER 21. ADJECTIVES: POSITION IN A SENTENCE

Words which are used to modify nouns or pronouns are usually referred to as adjectives. For

instance, the adjectives in the following sentences are underlined.

e.g. Large trees could be seen.

They are happy.

In the preceding examples, the adjective large modifies the noun trees, and the adjective happy

modifies the pronoun they.

It should be noted that adjectives can be formed from two or more words combined by the use of

hyphens.

e.g. the three-month-old baby

a ninety-dollar jacket

a two-hour trip

As illustrated in these examples, the nouns in such hyphenated expressions are generally in the

singular. Thus, the singular forms of the nouns month, dollar and hour are used.

Most English adjectives have the same form for the singular as for the plural. The only exceptions

are the demonstrative adjectives this and that, discussed Chapter 19.

1. Proper adjectives

Proper adjectives are adjectives derived from proper nouns. In English, proper adjectives must

begin with a capital letter. The proper adjectives in the following sentences are underlined.

e.g. The French town has an interesting history.

Many of my friends are American.

This house is a fine example of Victorian architecture.

The derivation of proper adjectives from proper nouns is somewhat irregular.

For instance, the spelling of the following proper nouns and proper adjectives

can be compared.

Proper Noun Proper Adjective

America American

Canada Canadian

Germany German

Mexico Mexican

George Georgian

Victoria Victorian

Many proper adjectives end with an or ian. However, other endings are also used, as

indicated below.

Proper Noun Proper Adjective

England English

France French

China Chinese

2. Attributive adjectives

Adjectives which precede the noun they modify are usually referred to as attributive adjectives.

For instance, in the following examples, the attributive adjectives are underlined.

e.g. Heavy rain is expected.

1