Adjectives!

What’s a stinkin’ adjective anyway?

• An adjective modifies or describes a noun or pronoun.

• The most common adjectives are “a,” “an,” and “the.” These three adjectives are called articles.

• ARTICLES ARE ALWAYS ADJECTIVES!

So what about the rest of the adjectives?

• Adjectives (that aren’t articles) answer four questions about the noun/pronoun they modify:– What kind?– How many?– How much?– Which one?

What kind?• funky dance

(What kind of dance? A funky dance.)• squeaky noise

(What kind of noise? A squeaky noise.)• green light

(What kind of light? A green light.)• Japanese food (What kind food? Japanese food.)

*Proper adjective!

How much?• some patience

(How much patience? Some patience.)

• more room (How much room? More room.)

• less energy (How much energy? Less energy.)

How many?• one baby

(How many babies? One baby.)

• three singers (How many singers? Three singers.)

• several dollars(How many dollars? Several dollars.)

Which one?• this job

(Which job? This job.)• that man

(Which man? That man.)• those words

(Which words? Those words.)

…but WAIT! Aren’t these the “pointing pronouns”?

Those words are not

acceptable in this house, young man.

You’re fired…from this job.

DANGER! DANGER!• Sometimes words can function as a

pronoun OR an adjective. It depends on the context!

• For example: Some of the people received tickets. Some people received tickets.

• Use the questions, “of” phrases, and the substitution trick to differentiate them!

So why does this matter? Why is it important to be

able to use adjectives

effectively?

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SO…

We can see that appropriate,

thoughtful adjective use makes language

more colorful, precise, and interesting!

WHITE BOARDS

OUT! (Level 0) 5…4…

3…2…1

1. Karaoke became a major trend in Japan and around the world.2. The machine is a Japanese invention.3. The concept is not a new one, however.4. American television featured shows in which joyous people sang.5. The word “karaoke” means “empty orchestra.”

Let’s practice identifying adjectives!

Wahoo!

Quick Write: Hot Mess of a Locker

Write a notably vivid description of the messiest, most repulsively

disgusting locker you can imagine. Highlight all of the articles in one color and the other adjectives in

another. Make it as memorable as possible! Start with the topic

sentence: “It was the worst locker Mr. Biela had ever seen.”

The End!…or is it?