Lesson 154 - Parts of the Sentence - Adjectives

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Adjectives modify or affect the meaning of nouns and pronouns and tell us which, whose, what kind, and how many about the nouns or pronouns they modify. They come before the noun or pronoun they modify except for the predicate adjective which comes after a linking verb and modifies the subject.

 

Examples of adjectives:

The big brown bear grabbed the scared small man.

(The, big, and brown modify the subject bear and the, scared, and small modify the direct object man)

Examples of predicate adjectives:

The big bear is brown. The brown bear was big.

(brown and big come after the linking verbs is and was and modify the subject bear)

 

There are seven (7) words in the English language that are always adjectives. They are the articles a, an, and the and the possessives my, our, your, and their. (The possessives are from the possessive pronoun list but are always used with nouns as adjectives.) One should memorize them so they are immediately recognized as adjectives.

Adjectives that point out how many are indefinite pronouns like many, several, both, and numbers.

Instructions: Find the adjectives that tell how many in these sentences and tell what they modify.

1. Both companies need twenty-four workers by tomorrow.

2. Several citizens protested the many cars on the two lots.

3. Seventy-six trombones led the few drummers and some tubas.

4. Three people tried out for one part in the play.

5. Each train needed another car and more passengers.

--For answers scroll down.

Answers:

1. Both companies need twenty-four workers by tomorrow.

- Both modifies companies 

- twenty-four modifies workers

2. Several citizens protested the many cars on the two lots.

- Several modifies citizens

- many modifies cars 

- two modifies lots

3. Seventy-six trombones led the few drummers and some tubas.

- Seventy-six modifies trombones

- few modifies drummers 

- some modifies tubas

4. Three people tried out for one part in the play.

- Three modifies people

- one modifies part

5. Each train needed another car and more passengers.

- Each modifies train

- another modifies car 

- more modifies passengers

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