ADJECTIVES

Attributive adjectives answer the question, “What kind?” They come before the noun, pronoun, or noun equivalent they are modifying.

Examples: The lame giraffe limped slowly northward. (Lame tells us what kind of giraffe.)
The clown put a smile on the sad-faced girl. (Sad-faced tells what kind of girl.)
Mary loves Russian dressing. (Russian tells what kind of dressing.)

Numerative adjectives answer the question, “How many/what number in a series?” They come before the noun, pronoun, or noun equivalent they modify. These adjectives may be confused with pronouns or noun equivalents. If the word precedes a noun, pronoun, or noun equivalent it is an adjective. Otherwise, it is most likely a pronoun or noun equivalent.

Examples: Six battalions of Saracens attacked the stronghold. (adjective)
China has 1.3 billion people. (adjective)
Five of the students aced last Friday’s mid-term exam. (pronoun)
I just finished my fourth trip to Disneyland. (adjective)
She was the first student to get a 3/3/3 on her Chinese DLPTs. (adjective)
The Australian swim team finished in first at the Olympics. (noun equivalent)

Possessive adjectives answer the question “Whose?” They show possession. Do not confuse them with possessive pronouns. Remember, possessive pronouns usually end with the suffix “s” and do not precede nouns, pronouns, or noun equivalents.

Examples: Their victory was stunning. (adjective)
Victory was theirs. (pronoun)

ADJECTIVES (continued)