Where should an adjective be placed in s simple declarative sentence?
Can two or more adjectives be placed together in a simple declarative sentence?
Position of adjectives
a) Usually in front of a noun: A beautiful
girl.
b)
After verbs like "to be", "to seem" , "to look", "to taste":
Examples
- The
girl is beautiful
- You
look tired
- This
meat tastes funny.
c)
After the noun: in some fixed expressions:
Examples
- The
Princess Royal
- The
President elect
- a court
martial
d) After the noun with the
adjectives involved, present, concerned:
Examples
- I
want to see the people involved/concerned (= the
people who have something to do with the matter)
- Here
is a list of the people present (= the people
who were in the building or at the meeting)
Be
careful! When these adjectives are used before the noun they
have a different meaning:
- An
involved discussion = detailed, complex
- A
concerned father = worried, anxious
- The
present situation = current, happening now
FORM
AND FUNCTION OF ADJECTIVES
Form of Adjectives
Rules
1.
Adjectives are invariable:
They do not change their form depending on the gender or number
of the noun.
| A
hot
potato |
Some
hot
potatoes |
2.
To emphasise or strengthen the meaning of an adjective
use 'very' or 'really':
|
A
very
hot
potato
|
Some
really
hot
potatoes.
|
Adjectives are words used to describe nouns.
Adjectives give more information about a noun.
Use adjectives to make your writing more interesting.
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"Fast, fun, new, old, red, ugly" are all adjectives. They describe a noun.
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READ THESE EXAMPLES:
It's a fast car. It's a fun car. It's a new book.
It's an old book. It's a red book. It's an ugly ______. |
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Adjectives can come BEFORE the NOUN (adjective + noun)
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EXAMPLES:
It's an expensive book. It's a _______ing book. It's a red book. |
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Adjectives can come AFTER a BE verb. (BE + adjective)
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EXAMPLES:
The butterfly is pretty. The butterfly is blue. Butterflies are interesting. |
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Nouns can also work as adjectives. A noun can help describe an object.
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EXAMPLES:
It's a business meeting. They're having a job interview. It's a school conference. |
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Present participles (-ing verbs) can also work as adjectives.
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EXAMPLES:
Football is an exciting game. Football is interesting. It's an interesting game. |
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Past participles (verb 3) can also work as adjectives.
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EXAMPLES:
The man is tired. The exhausted man fell asleep. He was worn out by work today. |
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Adjectives can be hyphenated.
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EXAMPLES:
The computer-generated error message made the program freeze.
My friend isn't very good at do-it-yourself projects. |
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Numbers can be used as adjectives.
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EXAMPLES:
That's a three-ton truck.
The man is a thirty-seven-year-old trucker.
In his 20-year career, he's never had an accident. |
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Adjectives can be used to compare things.
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EXAMPLES:
Cats are softer than dogs. My cat is the cutest cat I know. |
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