The dictionary is the bible of English teachers and the eight parts of speech are like the ten commandments. In order not to be confused, an English teacher must be able to master these parts of speech for they constitute all sentences made and they are the foundation for a deeper understanding of syntax and semantics.
One of the things that aren't too easy to master is adjectives. We use adjectives everyday and adjectives are the only rescue we have to lengthen a struggling 500-word essay or to beautify a simple prayer with.
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The Math teacher lead the singing of the national anthem this morning.
The first man in the moon was Neil Armstrong.
Four great novels were written by Mark Twain.
The elder wand was taken by Voldemort.
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Last time, we discussed limiting adjectives and now, we're going to focus on descriptive adjectives. There are two major types of adjectives -- limiting and descriptive. Descriptive adjectives are very common. They describe.
As a review, ADJECTIVES are words that modify, limit, specify or describe the meaning of a noun. ADJECTIVES are describing words. It could also be said that adjectives answer the questions: 1. What kind of? 2. In what number? 3. How many? 4. Which one?
KINDS OF DESCRIPTIVE ADJECTIVES
1. COMMON DESCRIPTIONS
Well, these are all the words that you could basically think of when asked what adjectives are and its examples.
The sky is blue.
The building is high.
The cat is happy.
(Pretty convincing examples, ey? Makes sense, ey?)
2. NOUNS
Now, nouns can also become adjectives but there are two types of nouns acting as adjectives. First is noun adjuncts and the second is noun compounds.
NOUN ADJUNCTS are nouns attached to other nouns to act as adjectives. In this case, both the words describe the meaning referred to.
Student-assistant: a student-assistant is a student and an assistant.
Student-teacher: a student-teacher is a student and a teacher.
Pet dog: a pet dog is a pet and a dog.
On the other hand, NOUN COMPOUNDS are two nouns describing different meanings combined to form a single idea.
Keyboard: this word is from the two nouns, key and board.
Armchair: from nouns, arm and chair.
Wristwatch: from nouns, wrist and watch.
I'd like to say that the words blackboard, smartphone and sweetheart are NOT noun compounds. When we say noun compounds, it means that there are more than one nouns. The words above are combinations of genuine adjectives and nouns.
The reason for the occurrence of these words is that they were separated words before and after long and repeated use, they were solidified. We have two types of words, as far as I can remember: separated; hyphenated, and; solid.
The words blackboard, smartphone, sweetheart and the like may be compound words but they aren't compound nouns.
* Nouns acting as adjectives and modifying another noun may also be modified by way of hyphenated adjectival nouns. Refer to the examples below.
The car is in left-hand drive.
I wanted to have a four-wheel vehicle.
The four-wall prison he refers to is the classroom.
3. VERB FORMS
We also use verbs as adjectives and we use two forms: the past form and the progressive form.
Verbs in the past PAST FORM are used as adjectives in the following examples.
The unseen creature lurk in the dark.
The blessed saint gave a miracle.
The wounded soldier fought until the end.
Verbs in the past PAST FORM are used as adjectives in the following examples.
The unseen creature lurk in the dark.
The blessed saint gave a miracle.
The wounded soldier fought until the end.
Verbs in the PROGRESSIVE FORM are used as adjectives in the following examples.
The coming month is full of festivities.
The sleeping dog woke up when the bell rang.
The people were mesmerized by the singing bird.
The sleeping dog woke up when the bell rang.
The people were mesmerized by the singing bird.
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