Adjective & Modifier Summary
Diagnostic
Adjective & Modifier Diagnostic: identifying specific points that need review
*The term "adjective" is reserved here for the category of words called Adjective (in caps). Note that nouns, phrases, and clauses can also function as modifiers (a term for function.) CaGEL 4.2.2-3, 14.2
Quiz 1: beginning – intermediate
Quiz 2: intermediate – advanced
Adjectives
Adjective Order: putting adjectives in a natural sounding word order
Beg.–Int. ESL
- Adjective Order – opinion, appearance, age, color origin
- Sent. Examples
- Variations
- Post-Noun Modifiers
- Practice 1– multiple choice
- Practice 2– read and edit
I drew pretty, little, purple-and-pink paisley pussycat.
Adjective Suffixes: forming adjectives from other word forms
Int.–Adv. ESL, Native Speakers
- Adj From Nouns – al, -ary, -ful, -ish, -ous
- Noun to Adj Suffixes
- Adj from Verbs– abie, -ant, -ive, -ing, -ed
- Verb to Adj Suffixes
- Similar but Different– tasty v. tasteful, and more
- -ic v. ical
- Practice 1 – multiple choice
- Practice 2 – read and edit
It was a spectacle.
It was spectacular.
It was a spectacular sky.
It was an awesome sight.
It was an awful sight.
It was an historic night.
It was a historical event.
Adj Complements: indicating resulting states
Beg.–Int. ESL
- Resulting States – post-modifiers to object nouns
- Pattern List
- Adjective Position
- Adjective vs. Adverb
- Want/Find (desire vs. encounter)
- Have/ Get/ Make (service)
- Slang–"do"
- Common Mistakes
- Practice 1– multiple choice
- Practice 2– read and edit
Larry washed the car clean.
Larry wiped the car dry.
Larry pushed the door open.
She wants her car cleaned. (service)
She wants her car clean. (state)
She found her car clean. (unexpected state)
Nouns as Modifiers to Nouns
Noun Modifiers: modifying a noun with a noun
Beg.–Int. ESL
- Noun Modifiers
- Hyphens
- Modifier Word Form
- Grammar Notes
- Practice 1– multiple choice
- Practice 2– multiple choice
Its a chair for an office.
It's an office chair. (singular)
It is a sports car. (a rare plural modifier)
Number Modifiers: changing numbers-nouns to modifiers
Beg.–Int. ESL
- Number-Noun Modifiers
- Hyphens
- Arabic vs. Spelled Numbers
- Common Mistakes
- Grammar Notes
- Practice 1 – multiple choice
- Practice 2 – Arabic / spelled number
The ladder had five steps.
It was a five-step ladder.
There are a million uses for WD-40. (spelled out)
Participles as Modifiers to Nouns
Participle Modifiers 1: Agent vs. Receiver
Int.–Adv. ESL, Native Speakers
- Source -ing / Receiver -ed
- Participle Modifier List
- Modifiers to Nouns
- Common Mistakes
- Practice 1 – multiple choice
- Practice 2 – correct/incorrect
- Practice 3 – read and edit
The act was entertaining.
We were entertained.
It was an entertaining act.
The highly entertained audience sat silently.
Participle Modifiers 2: describing an on-going process or a completed state
Int.–Adv. ESL, Native Speakers
a roasting chicken - still cooking!
a roasted chicken - done!
A recently spotted owl was making a nest. (seen)
A spotted owl nests in spring. (natural appearance)
A sleeping dog should not be awakened. (ongoing)
A sleeping bag is required for camping. (function)
Participle Modifiers w/ Prepositions: describing emotional reactions
Int.–Adv. ESL
- Compare Word Forms
- Participle + Prep Complements
- Participle Modifier & Preposition List
- Common Mistakes
- Practice – multiple choice
Related Practices: Participle-Prep Prac, Gerund Objects, Verb + PP Prac 1, Verb + PP Prac 2, Verb + PP Prac 3
The children were interested in hearing his story.
The press was excited about the President's speech.
The President is pleased with the
response.
The President is pleased with how the people responded.
Celebrities are concerned ____ the activities of the Paparazzi.
Participle Modifier Quiz: auto-correcting quiz
Int.–Adv. ESL
- source: -ing ending
- receiver: -ed ending
- ongoing process: -ing ending
- completed process: -ed ending
I was surprised to see how much the neighborhood had changed. (past participial adjective)
It was surprising to see how much the neighborhood had changed. (present participial adjective)
We saw broken windows. (past participial adjective)
We heard breaking news. (present participial adjective)
Clauses as Modifiers to Nouns (Adjective Clauses)
Modifiers to Adjectives
Modifiers to Adj: indicating how much or to what degree
Beg.–Int. ESL
- Number-Noun & Adverb Modifiers
- Tall–High Modifiers
- Long–Wide Modifiers
- Dimension Modifier Exceptions
- Color Modifiers
- Common Mistakes
- Practice 1– multiple choice
- Practice 2– multiple choice
- Practice 3– multiple choice
Related pages: Adverbs of Manner, Adverbs of Degree
The basketball player is nine feet tall. (plural)
He can place a ball in a basket ball hoop ten feet high.
He sleeps in a bed that is nine and a half feet long.
He is extremely tall.
Adverbs for Degree: indicating intensity
Int.-Adv. ESL, Native Speakers
- Degree Adverb Uses
- Meanings
- Degree Adverb List
- Modifying a Verb
- Modifying an Adverb
- Modifying an Adjective
- So/Very, Too, Enough
- Common Mistakes
- Practice 1 – multiple choice
- Practice 2 – check all that apply
- Practice 3 – edit sentence
He talks excessively. (verb)
He talks extremely fast. (adv)
He is rather talkative. (adj)
Increasing/Decreasing Modifiers to Nouns
Much / More: increasing the amount of something
Beg.–Int. ESL
- Much/ Many More
- Too Much / Too Many
- Much More + Adj
- Much / Far – Too – a bit too, rather too
- Common Mistakes
- Practice – multiple choice
People have much more knowledge about eating right.
Many more people are eating healthier diets.
People eat too much fat, sugar and salt.
People eat too many chips, cookies and candy bars.
He is much too old for her.
She is far too young for him.
Fewer / Less: decreasing the amount of something
Beg.–Int. ESL
- Fewer (count) / Less (noncount)
- Fewer than
- Less than
- Modifier of Degree
- Common Mistakes
- Grammar Notes
- Practice 1 – multiple choice
- Practice 2 – formal / informal
- Practice 3 – read and edit
*Do you want less lines and wrinkles on your face?
fewer lines than before / less wrinkling than before
We use fewer toxic chemicals. (number)
We use less toxic chemicals. (percentage, composition)
Less is more (noun)
Little/Few: indicating insufficient quantity for count and noncount nouns
Beg.–Int. ESL, Native Speakers
- Little / A Little
- Little / Few
- A little / A few
- Sufficient vs. Insufficient
- Practice 1 – multiple choice
- Practice 2 – select all
- Practice 3 – select all
Few people can give to food programs this year.
A few people will work with food programs.
Little help is being offered. (not much)
A little help is being offered. (enough)
The more, the more… : indicating that two things vary together
Beg.–Int. ESL
- The More / As
- Expected / Unexpected Outcome
- With Count & Noncount Nouns
- Basic & Fronted Clause Order
- Common Mistakes
- Practice 1 – multiple choice
- Practice 2 – multiple choice
The more we saw, the less we could believe.
The bigger, the better.
Comparative Modifiers to Nouns
Comparisons: describing similarities and differences
Int.–Adv. ESL, Native Speakers
- Similar/ Different
- Comparative Expressions
- Compare/Contrast–Linking Adv
- -er and more
- Common Mistakes
- Grammar–Farther/Further
- Practice 1– multiple choice
- Practice 2– multiple choice
- Practice 3– edit for errors
The apple is similar to the orange.
The color of the apple is unlike the color of the orange. This While the orange is high in fiber, the apple is not.
On the one hand, oranges are high in vitamin C; on the other hand, they are very acetic to the stomach.
The same as/ As ... as: stating equivalent aspects
Int.–Adv. ESL, Native Speakers
- Stating Equiv Aspects
- Noun/ Adjective List
- Practice 1 – multiple choice
- Practice 2 – multiple choice
The apple is the same weight as the orange.
The apple is as heavy as the orange.
The apple is as light as the orange.
More / -er: comparing the quality of two items, comparing the manner of two actions
Beg.–Int. ESL, Native Speakers
- -er / More / Less
- Adj Form Exceptions
- More -ly / Less -ly
- Adv -er Exceptions
- Much -er / Much more
- Than I do / Than me
- Common Mistakes
- Grammar Note–Fun
- Practice 1 – multiple choice
- Practice 2 – multiple choice
- Practice 3 – multiple choice
This apple is better than that one. (good - better)
This apple is more beautiful than that one.
This apple is less beautiful than that one.
He drives faster than she does. / she.
*He drives faster than her.
Farther/Further: expressing comparative distance or "additional"
Int..–Adv. ESL, Native Speakers
- Farther/Further-Distance
- Farther/Further-More
- Grammar Notes
- Practice 1 – multiple choice paragraph
- Practice 2 – read & edit
The shop is farther down the street. physical distance
The shop is further down the street. physical distance
What you say couldn't be further from the truth! (a lie) fig.
Do you need any further assistance? ("more")
We'll help them further their cause (advance) verb
Most / -est: indicating the unique quality of an item in a group, indicating a unique manner of an action
Beg.–Int. ESL, Native Speakers
- Superlative Adjectives
- Adj Exception List
- Common Mistakes
- Superlative Adverbs
- Superlative Adv List
- Superlative Expressions
- Practice 1 – multiple choice
- Practice 2 – multiple choice
- Practice 3 – read & edit
The Granny Smith apple is the tastiest apple for baking.
The Red Delicious apple is the most flavorful apple.
The Jonathan apple is the least flavorful apple.
The cheetah runs the fastest of all mammals.
The sloth moves the least fast of all mammals.
Related Page
The–Group: group names derived from adjectives
Beg.–Int. ESL
- Adj-Group Names – the blind, the homeless, the young
- Adj-Nationality Names– the English, the French
- Selected-Quality Names – the wheat, the blue
- Unique-Quality Names – the former, the tallest
- Practice 1– multiple choice
- Practice 2– multiple choice
- Practice 3– complete the paragraph
The blind need accessible walkways.
The English were proud of their team.
Do you want a large or small coffee. I'll have the large.
The latter will be much better. In fact, it's the best.