Adjectives: Highlighting Details printable pdf download

Adjectives: Highlighting Details

San José State University Writing Center

Written by Fatima Hussain

Adjectives: Highlighting Details

Adjectives are words that describe, identify, or quantify nouns and pronouns. They highlight

details and sharpen the image or idea they modify.

 Descriptive adjectives describe a noun.

Example: Jenny drives a black Porsche.

 Identifying adjectives indicate which thing is being referred to.

Example: We have never been to that store.

 Quantitative adjectives quantify a noun.

Example: I have three brothers and two sisters.

Proper Adjectives

Proper adjectives are formed from proper nouns and must be capitalized.

Examples of Proper Adjectives

My friend Jasmine is Lebanese.

I am fascinated by Shakespearean literature.

Descriptive Adjectives

Descriptive adjectives have three forms that express different degrees.

 The positive form of an adjective is the simplest base form.

 The comparative form compares two or more objects.

 The superlative form compares three or more objects.

Examples of Descriptive Adjectives

Positive: That is a small cat.

Comparative: That cat is smaller than my cat.

Superlative: That is the smallest cat I have ever seen.

Adjectives, Spring 2011. Rev. Fall 2014.

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Adjectives: Highlighting Details