Holt Traditions • Warriner's Handbook • Sixth Course
Chapter 1: The Adjective (Exercise 4 & Review A)
Complete Grammar Explanation & Interactive Answer Key
Grammar • Usage • Mechanics • Sentences
Predicate Adjectives, Articles, Demonstrative & Proper Adjectives • Interactive Study Guide
Academic Honor Code & Ethical Study Policy
Important Notice for Students, Parents, and Educators: This comprehensive grammar lesson and interactive answer key is provided strictly for educational help, academic support, self-checking, and concept mastery—NOT for cheating or copying homework. Study the complete adjective rules below, solve Exercise 4 and Review A on your own first, and then click Click to Show Answer below each item to check your understanding.
Complete Lesson Explanation: The Adjective (Rule 1c)
1. What Is an Adjective and What Questions Does It Answer?
Rule 1c: An adjective modifies a noun or a pronoun.
To modify means "to describe" or "to make more definite." An adjective modifies a noun or a pronoun by telling what kind, which one, how many, or how much.
| Question Answered | Examples of Adjectives Modifying Nouns |
|---|---|
| What Kind? | ripening apples, Asian country, happy child, up-to-date look |
| Which One? | this book, those girls, last straw, next step |
| How Many? | two students, several choices, both answers, many people |
| How Much? | one-half cup, more money, enough time, less trouble |
Tips & Tricks (Memory Aid): The phrase "these five interesting books" can help you remember the questions an adjective can answer: Which books? These books. How many books? Five books. What kind of books? Interesting books.
2. Position of Adjectives & Predicate Adjectives
- Before the Word It Modifies: An adjective usually precedes the noun or pronoun it modifies.
Example: The tired and hungry hikers straggled into camp. - After the Word It Modifies (For Emphasis): Sometimes, for stylistic emphasis, an adjective follows the word it modifies.
Example: The hikers, tired and hungry, straggled into camp. - Predicate Adjectives: An adjective that modifies the subject of a sentence may appear in the predicate after a linking verb. Such an adjective is called a predicate adjective.
Examples: The hikers felt tired and hungry. / Tired and hungry were the hikers.
3. Articles (Indefinite & Definite)
The most frequently used adjectives are a, an, and the. These three words are called articles.
- Indefinite Articles (a and an): Refer to any member of a general group. A is used before words beginning with a consonant sound; an is used before words beginning with a vowel sound.
Examples: Felipe added a tomato and an avocado to the salad.
Sound Rule Example: A European said, "It is an honor to be here with you." (A is used before European because European begins with a consonant "y" sound. An is used before honor because the h in honor is silent, so it is pronounced as though it begins with a vowel sound.) - Definite Article (the): Refers to a specific person, place, thing, or idea.
Example: We spent the hour discussing the revolution that began in 1791 in Haiti.
HELP Note (Possessive Pronouns vs. Possessive Adjectives): In this textbook, the words my, your, his, her, its, our, and their (which take the place of possessive nouns) are called possessive pronouns. Because they precede nouns and tell which one or whose (e.g., my job, your essay, their plans), some teachers prefer to call these words possessive adjectives. Similarly, possessive forms of nouns (such as Jim's desk, Mrs. Cho's book) are sometimes referred to as adjectives. Follow your teacher's instructions regarding these forms.
4. Adjective or Pronoun? (Including Demonstrative Words)
In different contexts, the exact same word may be used as different parts of speech. Remember the core distinction: an adjective modifies a noun or pronoun, whereas a pronoun takes the place of a noun or pronoun.
| Words Often Used as Both Adjectives and Pronouns | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| all another any both each |
either few many more most |
much neither one other several |
some such that these this |
those what which whose |
- ADJECTIVE: Ntozake Shange wrote both poems. (Both modifies the noun poems.)
PRONOUN: Ntozake Shange wrote both. (Both takes the place of the noun poems.) - ADJECTIVE: These books are overdue. (These modifies the noun books.)
PRONOUN: These are overdue. (These takes the place of the noun books.) - ADJECTIVE: Several ducks had dark green heads. (Several modifies the noun ducks.)
PRONOUN: Several had dark green heads. (Several takes the place of the noun ducks.)
NOTE on Demonstrative Words: The words this, that, these, and those are called demonstrative pronouns when they take the place of nouns or other pronouns, and they are called demonstrative adjectives when they modify nouns or pronouns.
5. Adjective or Noun? (Nouns Used as Adjectives & Proper Adjectives)
Most words that are ordinarily used as nouns can also be used as adjectives when placed before another noun to modify it:
| Used as Nouns | Used as Adjectives |
|---|---|
| sofa | sofa cushion |
| hotel | hotel lobby |
| taco | taco salad |
| high school | high school senior |
| Marine Corps | Marine Corps cadet |
Proper Adjectives: An adjective that is formed from a proper noun (such as Marine Corps in Marine Corps cadet, or Kansas in Kansas county, or African American in African American women) is called a proper adjective. Like proper nouns, proper adjectives are always capitalized.
Important Warning (Compound Nouns vs. Adjectives): Do not mistake part of a compound noun for an adjective! The entire word group of a compound noun is considered a single noun (e.g., paper clips, cable TV, time capsule, United States, Blue Highways, modern dance, East St. Louis, comic strip). If you are unsure whether a word group is a compound noun or an adjective modifying a noun, consult an up-to-date dictionary.
Exercise 4: Identifying Adjectives and the Words They Modify (Items 1–10)
Directions: Identify the adjectives and the words they modify in the following sentences. Do not include articles (a, an, and the).
STYLE & TEACHING TIP: Using specific adjectives—especially those that appeal to the five senses (such as crimson, coral, or terra cotta instead of just red)—helps you create vivid images. In Exercise 4, remember not to mark compound nouns like Blue Highways and United States as adjective-noun pairs, and do not include possessive pronouns like His.
Example
1. I have read two fascinating books by the talented writer William Least Heat-Moon.
Answer: two—books; fascinating—books; talented—writer
Answer: two—books; fascinating—books; talented—writer
1
His first book, Blue Highways, chronicled a journey across the United States in 1978.
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Verified Answer & Explanation:
- first — modifies book (Note: His is a possessive pronoun; Blue Highways and United States are compound proper nouns.)
2
That book attracted many readers and made the national bestseller lists.
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Verified Answer & Explanation:
- That — modifies book (demonstrative adjective telling which one)
- many — modifies readers (adjective telling how many)
- national — modifies lists
- bestseller — modifies lists (noun used as an adjective telling what kind of lists)
3
In PrairyErth, Heat-Moon narrows his focus to a single Kansas county.
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Verified Answer & Explanation:
- single — modifies county
- Kansas — modifies county (proper noun used as a proper adjective)
4
The unusual title comes from the shorthand term scientists use for the unique soils of the central states.
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Verified Answer & Explanation:
- unusual — modifies title
- shorthand — modifies term
- unique — modifies soils
- central — modifies states
5
Chase County lies in east-central Kansas.
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Verified Answer & Explanation:
- east-central — modifies Kansas (hyphenated compound adjective; note that Chase County is a compound proper noun)
6
It is, as Heat-Moon says, "the most easterly piece" of the West.
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Verified Answer & Explanation:
- easterly — modifies piece (Note: most modifies the adjective easterly, so most is an adverb here.)
7
A county with a population of 3,013 may seem an unlikely location for an examination of the role humanity plays on this planet.
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Verified Answer & Explanation:
- unlikely — modifies location
- this — modifies planet (demonstrative adjective)
8
After all, the county has only two towns and a few villages.
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Verified Answer & Explanation:
- two — modifies towns (tells how many)
- few — modifies villages (tells how many)
9
In many ways, though, Kansas is a microcosm of America.
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Verified Answer & Explanation:
- many — modifies ways
10
In this masterful prose, Chase County in turn reveals itself to be a microcosm of Kansas.
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Verified Answer & Explanation:
- this — modifies prose (demonstrative adjective)
- masterful — modifies prose
Review A: Identifying Nouns, Pronouns, and Adjectives (Items 1–10)
Directions: Tell whether each italicized word or word group in the following sentences is used as a noun, a pronoun, or an adjective. If a word or word group is used as an adjective, give the word it modifies.
TEACHING TIP: Check a dictionary when needed to distinguish between compound nouns (like modern dance, East St. Louis, and comic strip) and word groups consisting of an adjective modifying a noun.
Example
1. Everyone in class is writing a poem about an American pioneer.
Answer: Everyone—pronoun; American—adjective—pioneer
Answer: Everyone—pronoun; American—adjective—pioneer
1
Several students are writing theirs about people whose names are familiar to many; others have chosen people who they believe merit wider recognition.
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Verified Answer & Explanation:
- theirs — pronoun (possessive personal pronoun standing for their poems)
- many — pronoun (indefinite pronoun functioning as the object of the preposition to)
2
After much thought, I have finally narrowed my choices to two African American women whom I admire.
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Verified Answer & Explanation:
- much — adjective — modifies thought
- African American — adjective — modifies women (compound proper adjective)
3
Both of these women broke new ground in their fields—one in the performing arts and the other in the visual arts.
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Verified Answer & Explanation:
- these — adjective — modifies women (demonstrative adjective)
- new — adjective — modifies ground
4
The fieldwork that Katherine Dunham (right) did as an anthropology student in the West Indies inspired her to incorporate elements of African and Caribbean folk culture into modern dance.
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Verified Answer & Explanation:
- that — pronoun (relative pronoun introducing the adjective clause modifying fieldwork)
- modern dance — noun (open compound noun functioning as the object of the preposition into)
5
After touring the world for several decades, the dancer-choreographer founded the Katherine Dunham Children's Workshop, which she still directs, in East St. Louis, Illinois.
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Verified Answer & Explanation:
- several — adjective — modifies decades
- East St. Louis — noun (compound proper noun naming a city)
6
Tributes to Dunham continue to pour in, for she is considered a true dance innovator.
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Verified Answer & Explanation:
- she — pronoun (personal pronoun referring to Dunham)
- dance — adjective — modifies innovator (noun used as an adjective)
7
My other potential choice is Barbara Brandon, who in 1991 became the first African American woman cartoonist to achieve syndication in the mainstream press.
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Verified Answer & Explanation:
- potential — adjective — modifies choice
- mainstream — adjective — modifies press
8
As you can see below, Brandon's comic strip depicts life from the perspective of an African American woman.
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Verified Answer & Explanation:
- comic strip — noun (open compound noun functioning as the subject of depicts)
- perspective — noun (common noun functioning as the object of the preposition from)
9
Brandon pictures only the heads and, occasionally, the hands of her characters, all of whom are women, because she believes that women's bodies are displayed enough in the media.
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Verified Answer & Explanation:
- all — pronoun (indefinite pronoun referring to characters)
- media — noun (common noun functioning as the object of the preposition in)
10
As you might guess, my final choice of a subject will not be an easy one.
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Verified Answer & Explanation:
- you — pronoun (second-person personal pronoun)
- one — pronoun (indefinite pronoun taking the place of the noun choice)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q1: Why are 'modern dance', 'East St. Louis', and 'comic strip' classified as nouns instead of adjectives in Review A?
According to the textbook Note on compound nouns, you should never mistake part of a compound noun for an adjective. Because modern dance, East St. Louis, and comic strip are listed in standard dictionaries as compound nouns, the entire word group functions as a single noun.
Q2: Why is 'bestseller' in Exercise 4 (Item 2) and 'dance' in Review A (Item 6) classified as an adjective?
In English grammar, words ordinarily used as nouns frequently function as adjectives when placed directly before another noun to tell what kind. In Exercise 4 Item 2, bestseller modifies lists; in Review A Item 6, dance modifies innovator.
Q3: What is the difference between a demonstrative pronoun and a demonstrative adjective?
The words this, that, these, and those are demonstrative adjectives when they directly precede and modify a noun (such as "That book" in Exercise 4 Item 2 or "these women" in Review A Item 3). They are demonstrative pronouns when they stand alone in place of a noun.