In This Unit, We Will Look at Different Types of Adjectives and How They Can Improve Our

Name ______Grammar

Date ______Adjectives

In this unit, we will look at different types of adjectives and how they can improve our writing. We will also look at when each type of adjective is used. An adjective is a word that describes a noun or pronoun. An adjective answers what kind? how much? how many?or which one? about the word it describes.

• Proper and Common Adjectives
• Forms of Adjectives
• Specific Adjectives

Example Adjectives

What kind? / Wooly socks / Blue eyes / Chinese cabbage
How much?
How many? / Six eggs / Few books / Many days
Which one? / That girl / These notes / This problem

Name ______

Date ______

Quiz Date ______

Forms of Adjectives

1. Positive

The positive (base) form of an adjective describes a noun without comparing it to another noun.

A hummingbird is small.

1. Comparative

Compares two people, places, things, or ideas. The comparison is formed by adding –er to one-syllable adjectives or the word more or less before longer adjectives.

A hummingbird is smaller than a sparrow.

Hummingbirds are more colorful than sparrows.

1. Superlative

Compares three or more people, places, things, or ideas. The superlative is formed by adding –est to one-syllable adjectives or the word most or least before longer adjectives.

The hummingbird is the smallest bird I’ve seen.

The parrot is the most colorful bird in the zoo.

Example:

Positive / Comparative / Superlative
large / larger / largest
old / older / oldest

1. Irregular

The comparative and superlative forms of some adjectives are different words. More or most is not needed with these words.

Good, bad, many, little, better, worse, more, less, best, worst, most, and least

Practice

Directions: For each underlined adjective below, write whether it is positive, comparative, or superlative.

Example:Many theaters have afternoon shows. (Positive)

1. The audience for a matinee is smaller than the audience for a show at night is.

1. Since there are fewer viewers in the afternoon, a good seat is easy to find.

1. Most people who see a movie go on the weekend.

1. That is my least favorite time to see a movie.

1. The best movie I’ve ever seen is the new version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

1. It is more faithful to the book than the old movie is.

1. For instance, the Oompa-Loompas had orange skin in the old movie but not in the book.

1. The new movie’s special effects are more impressive than the old one’s were.

1. Forty years after Dahl wrote the book, it is still a great story.

Homework

Directions: Underline each adjective below, and write whether it is positive, comparative, or superlative.

1.) Canada is the second largest country in the world, after Russia.

2.) Vanessa’s shirt is greener than anyone else’s here.

3.) Today was more pleasant than yesterday.

4.) I am going to buy the large French fries at McDonalds.

5.) Judy is the fastest runner on the team.

6.) Do you think a snake is stronger than an owl?

7.) The vanilla ice cream is cold.

8.) Math is easier for her than language arts.

Article Adjectives

Articles

The adjectives a, an, and the are articles.

“Owlet” is the name for a baby owl.

The article a comes before singular words that begin with consonant sounds. Also use a before singular words that begin with the long u sound.

a shooting star a unique flower

The article an comes before singular words that begin with any vowel sounds except long u.

an astronautan unusual outfit

Practice

Directions: Write a, an, and the on the line before each noun.

1. ______plants

1. ______flute

1. ______alphabet

1. ______fruits
   
2. ______idea

Homework

Directions: Write a or an before each noun.

1. _____ zookeeper 2. _____ orangutan3. _____ gift shop

4. _____ animal5. _____ polar bear6. _____ arctic fox

7. _____ coyote 8. _____ anteater9. _____ koala

Directions: Circle the articles in each sentence.

10. Before we visited the gorilla habitat, we stopped to watch a hyena.

11. A peacock wandered across the path as we wandered toward the antelope exhibit.

12. I think the zoo is an exciting place to go.

13. I saw a polar bear and an igloo while vacationing in Alaska.

Directions: Create a sentence of your own that includes at least two articles such as a, an, and/or the.

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Demonstrative Adjectives

Point out specific nouns and are placed before the noun in the sentence. The words this, that, these and those are demonstrative.

This nest has four eggs, and that nest has two.

These eggs will hatch before those eggs will.

Practice

Rewrite each sentence using the correct form of the demonstrative adjective.

1. The sailors wanted to land on those island.

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1. The men asked, “Will these ice ahead crush the boat?”

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1. The sailor said, “That seals on the beach are huge.”

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1. The skipper warned, “This boats are heavy.”

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1. These is the stormiest ocean in the world.

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Homework

Directions: Circle each demonstrative adjective in each sentence. Then, write whether it is singular or plural.

1. These doctors are all highly qualified to treat your injury. ______

2. Those windows are so dirty that I can hardly see out of them.

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3. Can you understand the plot of this movie? ______

4. That boy got a perfect score on the math test. ______

5. Put the boxes in this cabinet, and we will find a better place for them. ______

6. When that light is green, the other one will be red. ______

7. Those birds live in the birdhouse. ______

Describing with Adjectives

Proper and Common Adjectives

Proper adjectives (bold) are formed from proper nouns and are always capitalized.

Common adjectives (underlined) are any adjectives that are not proper.

Examples:

A Chicago pizza has a thick crust and spicy sausage.

On a cold Minnesota day, a Hawaiian trip sounds great.

I’ll pack my big blue backpack for a weeklong trip.

Predicate Adjectives

Predicate adjectives follow linking verbs and describe subjects.

Example:

The apples are juicy. They taste sweet.

Compound Adjectives

Compound adjectives are made up of more than one word. Some are spelled as one word; others are hyphenated.

Examples:

White-throated sparrows

Evergreen trees
Homework

Common and Proper Adjectives

For the sentences below, tell whether each underlined adjective is common or proper. Add a “PA” if it is a predicate adjective.

Example: My dog Ramona makes some noises that are quite unusual. (Common and PA)

1. I wish I knew what the poor animal is trying to say!

1. She barks a lot, but she’s really sweet.

1. She is an Australian cattle dog.

1. She was born in Montana, though, so she is actually American.

1. Cattle dogs are muscular and have a lot of energy.

1. Whenever I throw a ball, Ramona makes some amazing catches.

1. The breed is also very protective.

1. Ramona’s low growl alerts us if a stranger approaches our house.

Use the comparative form of an adjective when comparing two things. For most one-syllable adjectives, add –er to make the comparative form. Using the superlative form to compare three or more things. For most one-syllable adjectives, add –est.

Positive / Comparative / Superlative
hot / Hotter / hottest

Comparative: It’s hotter today than yesterday.

Superlative: Tomorrow is predicted to be the hottest day of the week.

Place more or most in front of most multi-syllable adjectives to form the comparative and superlative form.

Positive / Comparative / Superlative
amazing / more amazing / most amazing

Comparative: This week’s episode of “Shark Life” was more amazing than last week’s episode.

Superlative: Ants are the most amazing insects on earth.

How can I improve my writing with adjectives?

Use Specific Adjectives

Adjectives need to be specific in order to create interesting and clear word pictures for the reader. Some adjectives like good and neat should be avoided because they are overused.

Overused adjectives: good, neat, big, pretty, small, cute, fun, bad, nice, dumb, great

I get a good feeling when I think of my grandmother’s house.

I get a cozy feeling when I think of my grandmother’s house.

Rewrite the sentence replacing the overused adjective with an adjective that is more specific.

That was a good lunch!

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My mom makes nice sweaters.

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The poster looks bad.

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Indefinite Adjectives

Tell approximately (not exactly) how many or how much.

Most students love summer.

Some days are rainy, but few days are boring.

Include Sensory Details

Effective adjectives often appeal to the senses. Each underlined adjective below helps you see, hear, smell, and feel an autumn day.

The October sky was framed by the glowing, golden leaves. The air smelled musty from the powdery leaves that crunched beneath my feet. Swirling winds blew in gusts, and the crackling chatter of the dry leaves drowned out any other sound.

Practice

Describe your favorite kind of day. Use sensory details that help the reader see, hear, smell, and feel the experience.

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Homework:

Directions: Underline all the adjectives in the paragraph.

**Hint: There are 20 adjectives.

The Colorado Rocky Mountains have a breathtaking appearance that seems almost unreal. The jagged peaks look like the Swiss Alps and cut through gray, hovering clouds. The snow-covered mountainsides reflect blinding sunshine similar to what you would see over the hot Sahara sand of the desert. The massive formations serve as a wilderness home to golden-brown grizzly bears, sleek mountain lions, and towering, long-legged moose.