Adjectives

Definition of Adjective

Adjectives are describing words. Large, grey and friendly are all examples of adjectives. In the examples below, these adjectives are used to describe an elephant.  

Examples:

 Large elephant
 Grey elephant
 Friendly elephant

Adjectives Modify Nouns

The word elephant is a noun. Adjectives are added to nouns to state what kind, what colour, which one or how many. Adjectives are said to modify nouns and are necessary to make the meanings of sentences clearer or more exact.

Examples:

 Follow the yellow cab.
(In this example, the adjective 'yellow' modifies the noun 'cab'.)

 Craig caught another large bass.
(In this example, the adjective 'large' modifies the noun 'bass'.)

 It is the girl with the pale face again.

 The principal words should be in bold.
(Beware of the adjective 'principal' - see right)

 The rusty nail he stood on was the cause of the infection. 

 Please put the old documents in the shredder.

 There is an essential matter we need to discuss.

 Peter guessed the right number.

Adjectives Modify Pronouns

Although less common, adjectives can also modify pronouns.

Examples:

 It is a blue one.
(In this example, the adjective 'blue' modifies the pronoun 'one'.)

 Only a brave few have received a recommendation.
  

THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF ADJECTIVES Adjectives are describing words. However, there are many other words that are classified as adjectives, some of which do not fall easily under this description. PERSONAL TITLES Personal titles such Mr, Mrs, Auntie, Uncle, Dr and Lord are classified as adjectives when they are attached to a name.  The day after tomorrow, you can visit Auntie Pauline and Uncle Joe.  The lecture on Friday will be presented by Dr Ingols and Prof. Munro. POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES Possessive adjectives are used to show possession. They are my, your, his, her, its, our and their. (They are also called possessive pronouns.) THE ARTICLES  The words a, an and the are known as articles and are classified as adjectives too. 'A' and 'an' are called the indefinite articles, as they do not indicate a specific noun; whereas, 'the' is called the definite article, because it does point to a specific noun.  A cup (< any cup)  The cup (< a specific cup) DEMONSTRATIVE ADJECTIVES Demonstrative adjectives are used to demonstrate or indicate specific things. This, that, these and those are all demonstrative adjectives.  If I hear that parrot again, I will call the RSPCA. ('That' is a demonstrative adjective. It refers to a specific parrot.)  Medals will only be given to those runners who complete the marathon in less than 8 hours. ('Those' is a demonstrative adjective. It refers to specific people.) INDEFINITE ADJECTIVES   Unlike demonstrative adjectives, which indicate specific items, indefinite adjectives do not point out specific things. They are formed from indefinite pronouns. The most common indefinite adjectives are no, any, many, few and several.  The chief has heard many people make the same promise. (The indefinite adjective 'many' modifies the noun 'people'.)  According to a council spokesman, there are no wallabies left in Derbyshire. However, over the past few months, many walkers have reported seeing several adults with young. (The indefinite adjectives in this example are no, few, many and several.) NUMBERS Numbers are classified as adjectives too.  Four dolphins stayed with the boat until dawn. (The adjective 'four' modifies the noun 'dolphins'.)  All we could muster was 9 cans of beans. (The adjective '9' modifies the noun 'cans'.)

Articles Exercise

Choose the correct definite or indefinite article: "the", "a", "an" or "x" (zero article) .

1. I bought                             a              an              the              X              pair of shoes.
2. I saw                             a              an              the              X             movie last night.
3. They are staying at                             a              an              the              X             hotel.
4. I think                             a              an              the              X             man over there is very unfriendly.
5. I do not like                             a              an              the              X             basketball.
6. That is                             a              an              the              X               problem I told you about.
7.                             A              An              The              X              night is quiet. Let's take a walk!
8.                             A              An              The              X              price of gas keeps rising.
9. John traveled to                             a              an              the              X             Mexico.
10. Juan is                             a              an              the              X             Spanish.
11. I read                                       a                  an                  the                  X              amazing story yesterday.
12. My brother doesn't eat                             a              an              the              X             chicken.
13.                             A              An              The              X              love is such                             a              an              the              X             beautiful thing.
14. I live in                             a              an              the              X             apartment.                             A              An              The              X              apartment is new.
15. I would like                             a              an              the              X             piece of cake.
16. I was in                             a              an              the              X             Japanese restaurant.                             A              An              The              X              restaurant served good food.
17. Sara can play                             a              an              the              X             guitar.

 

Articles

Using Articles

What is an article? Basically, an article is an adjective. Like adjectives, articles modify nouns.

English has two articles: the and a/an. The is used to refer to specific or particular nouns;a/an is used to modify non-specific or non-particular nouns. We call the the definite article and a/an the indefinite article.

the = definite article

a/an = indefinite article

For example, if I say, "Let's read the book," I mean a specific book. If I say, "Let's read abook," I mean any book rather than a specific book.

Here's another way to explain it: The is used to refer to a specific or particular member of a group. For example, "I just saw the most popular movie of the year." There are many movies, but only one particular movie is the most popular. Therefore, we use the.

"A/an" is used to refer to a non-specific or non-particular member of the group. For example, "I would like to go see a movie." Here, we're not talking about a specific movie. We're talking about any movie. There are many movies, and I want to see any movie. I don't have a specific one in mind.

Let's look at each kind of article a little more closely.

Indefinite Articles: a and an

"A" and "an" signal that the noun modified is indefinite, referring to any member of a group. For example:

• "My daughter really wants a dog for Christmas." This refers to any dog. We don't know which dog because we haven't found the dog yet.
• "Somebody call a policeman!" This refers to any policeman. We don't need a specific policeman; we need any policeman who is available.
• "When I was at the zoo, I saw an elephant!" Here, we're talking about a single, non-specific thing, in this case an elephant. There are probably several elephants at the zoo, but there's only one we're talking about here.

Remember, using a or an depends on the sound that begins the next word. So...

• a + singular noun beginning with a consonant: a boy; a car; a bike; a zoo; a dog
• an + singular noun beginning with a vowel: an elephant; an egg; an apple; an idiot;an orphan
• a + singular noun beginning with a consonant sound: a user (sounds like 'yoo-zer,' i.e. begins with a consonant 'y' sound, so 'a' is used); a university; a unicycle
• an + nouns starting with silent "h": an hour
• a + nouns starting with a pronounced "h": a horse
  
  • In some cases where "h" is pronounced, such as "historical," you can use an. However, a is more commonly used and preferred.
    A historical event is worth recording.

Remember that these rules also apply when you use acronyms:

Introductory Composition at Purdue (ICaP) handles first-year writing at the University. Therefore, an ICaP memo generally discusses issues concerning English 106 instructors.

Another case where this rule applies is when acronyms start with consonant letters but have vowel sounds:

An MSDS (material safety data sheet) was used to record the data. An SPCC plan (Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasures plan) will help us prepare for the worst.

If the noun is modified by an adjective, the choice between a and an depends on the initial sound of the adjective that immediately follows the article:

• a broken egg
• an unusual problem
• a European country (sounds like 'yer-o-pi-an,' i.e. begins with consonant 'y' sound)

Remember, too, that in English, the indefinite articles are used to indicate membership in a group:

• I am a teacher. (I am a member of a large group known as teachers.)
• Brian is an Irishman. (Brian is a member of the people known as Irish.)
• Seiko is a practicing Buddhist. (Seiko is a member of the group of people known as Buddhists.)

Definite Article: the

The definite article is used before singular and plural nouns when the noun is specific or particular. The signals that the noun is definite, that it refers to a particular member of a group. For example:

"The dog that bit me ran away." Here, we're talking about a specific dog, the dog that bit me.

"I was happy to see the policeman who saved my cat!" Here, we're talking about aparticular policeman. Even if we don't know the policeman's name, it's still a particular policeman because it is the one who saved the cat.

"I saw the elephant at the zoo." Here, we're talking about a specific noun. Probably there is only one elephant at the zoo.

Count and Noncount Nouns

The can be used with noncount nouns, or the article can be omitted entirely.

• "I love to sail over the water" (some specific body of water) or "I love to sail over water" (any water).
• "He spilled the milk all over the floor" (some specific milk, perhaps the milk you bought earlier that day) or "He spilled milk all over the floor" (any milk).

"A/an" can be used only with count nouns.

• "I need a bottle of water."
• "I need a new glass of milk."

Most of the time, you can't say, "She wants a water," unless you're implying, say, a bottle of water.

Geographical use of the

There are some specific rules for using the with geographical nouns.

Do not use the before:

• names of most countries/territories: Italy, Mexico, Bolivia; however, the Netherlands,the Dominican Republic, the Philippines, the United States
• names of cities, towns, or states: Seoul, Manitoba, Miami
• names of streets: Washington Blvd., Main St.
• names of lakes and bays: Lake Titicaca, Lake Erie except with a group of lakes likethe Great Lakes
• names of mountains: Mount Everest, Mount Fuji except with ranges of mountains likethe Andes or the Rockies or unusual names like the Matterhorn
• names of continents (Asia, Europe)
• names of islands (Easter Island, Maui, Key West) except with island chains like theAleutians, the Hebrides, or the Canary Islands

Do use the before:

• names of rivers, oceans and seas: the Nile, the Pacific
• points on the globe: the Equator, the North Pole
• geographical areas: the Middle East, the West
• deserts, forests, gulfs, and peninsulas: the Sahara, the Persian Gulf, the Black Forest, the Iberian Peninsula

Omission of Articles

Some common types of nouns that don't take an article are:

• Names of languages and nationalities: Chinese, English, Spanish, Russian (unless you are referring to the population of the nation: "The Spanish are known for their warm hospitality.")
  
• Names of sports: volleyball, hockey, baseball
• Names of academic subjects: mathematics, biology, history, computer science