Parts of Speech – Adjectives

Adjectives are words that describe or modify nouns or pronouns. They add information by describing people, places, or things in a sentence. These words add spice to our writing. There are four general categories of adjectives: descriptive, limiting, compound, and articles. Descriptive adjectives are the type most often associated with adjectives. Their purpose is to qualify the properties or behavior of nouns or pronouns. In the following examples, the descriptive adjective is italicized and the noun or pronoun being modified is underlined: The impressive candidate got the job. His effective writing makes a lasting impression on clients. Please process the important data first. In most cases, the adjective comes immediately before the noun or pronoun it is modifying. However, the adjective is sometimes used in the predicate form. In these instances, it is found after the subject of the sentence. Here are some examples of descriptive adjectives in predicate form: The conference was long. My superior is understanding. All the computers were broken. 

Limiting adjectives place boundaries or limits on the noun or pronoun they’re modifying. These limits are usually quantified by numbers, size, or time: The two lawyers worked on the case. The incomplete analysis forced the cancellation of the project. The late start put the sales team behind. It is important to distinguish between descriptive and limiting adjectives because they are often both used in the same sentence. When this is the case, always place the limiting adjective before the descriptive adjective in the sentence: Poor form: The new two agents went to lunch together. The commodity late report gave much insight. She gave him her personal, full attention. Good form: The two new agents went to lunch together. The late commodity report gave much insight. She gave him her full, personal attention. Compound adjectives are formed by combining two or more adjectives. These new, combined words are easy to spot because they usually have a hyphen between them. For example: This is a well-written letter. The 20-minute meeting was the first of many. The final category of adjectives is articles. This small collection of adjectives is limited to the words the, a, and an. The word the is called a definite article. When used in a sentence, it expressly defines the noun as opposed to any noun. The articles a and an are called indefinite articles because they indirectly refer to a noun. For example: Joe finished the report. (definite) Joe finished a report. (indefinite) Marcia drafted the agreement. (definite) Marcia drafted an agreement. (indefinite) Grammar 

The two examples using definite articles clearly relate to the report or the agreement. The two indefinite article examples talk about a report or an agreement. These could be any report or agreement compared to the report or agreement described by the definite article. Since there’s only one definite article (the), no decision is required as to which one to use. But there are two indefinite articles (a, an); so how do you know which one to use? The general rule is this: If the first letter of the noun following the article is a consonant, then use the article a. If the first letter of the noun is a vowel, then use the article an. Here are some examples: a bank representative an advancement in rank a card from relatives an asset allocation issue a downturn in sales an excuse of the worst kind a factory spokesperson an exercise in futility a home equity loan an ideal situation a joke book an idiosyncrasy of his a machine repairman an occasion for celebration a pair of socks an oddity in his behavior a stock report an upset stomach a victory over defeat an upturn in the economy Although this general rule governing a and an works a majority of the time, there are some exceptions. For instance, the article a should be used for all words that start with the sounds of h, long u or whuh (as in the “whuh” sound in the word once), regardless of the first letter of the word. The article an should be used—regardless of the first letter— where the first sound of the word is any vowel sound (except long u), or with words that start with a silent h. a euphemistic phrase an FCC ruling a European vacation an HMO representative a home equity loan an LLC corporation a hot commodity an MBA program a hotel chain an NBA team a once great corporation an RJ Reynolds subsidiary a one-track mind an SEC regulation a one-way ticket an X-ray machine a unified effort an herbal tea a uniform product an honorarium for speaking a union contract an hourly basis Since the job of adjectives is to describe a noun or pronoun, these words are often used for comparison. When comparing adjectives, there are a few rules to learn. First, the three 171 BUSINESS WRITING CLEAR AND SIMPLE CHAPTER 4 Grammar 6023_BusinessWritingClear(fin) 8/16/07 2:36 PM Page 175 levels of comparison are called: positive, comparative, and superlative. We use these tools in everyday life, so now you know the grammatical name for them. How you modify adjectives depends on the number of syllables in the word. For example, adjectives with only one syllable are made comparative by adding -er, and made superlative by adding -est: Positive big cold fast hot late long short small thin warm Comparative bigger colder faster hotter later longer shorter smaller thinner warmer Superlative biggest coldest fastest hottest latest longest shortest smallest thinnest warmest Adjectives with two syllables can form the comparative by either adding -er to the positive, or by placing the word more or less before the adjective. The superlative can be formed by adding -est to the positive, or by placing the word most or least before the adjective: Positive Comparative angry angrier careful more (less) careful frequent more (less) frequent happy happier hungry hungrier often more (less) often patient more (less) patient quiet quieter shallow shallower sincere more (less) sincere Superlative angriest most (least) careful most (least) frequent happiest hungriest most (least) often most (least) patient quietest shallowest most (least) sincere Adjectives with three or more syllables can only use more or less to form the comparative and most or least to form the superlative: Positive Comparative advantageous more (less) advantageous adventurous more (less) adventurous comparable more (less) comparable Superlative most (least) advantageous most (least) adventurous most (least) comparable

erroneous more (less) erroneous most (least) erroneous flexible more (less) flexible most (least) flexible laborious more (less) laborious most (least) laborious monotonous more (less) monotonous most (least) monotonous pessimistic more (less) pessimistic most (least) pessimistic Positive Comparative Superlative reluctant more (less) reluctant most (least) reluctant tedious more (less) tedious most (least) tedious Some adjectives have irregular comparative and superlative forms: Positive Comparative Superlative good better best bad worse worst When a sentence refers to one of the five human senses—sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell, use an adjective rather than an adverb to describe the action. Poor form: The desk feels coldly. The spice tasted bitterly. The odor smelled strongly. The song sounded distinctly. Good form: The desk feels cold. The spice tasted bitter. The odor smelled strong. The song sounded distinct. When multiple adjectives are used consecutively in a sentence to modify the same noun, one of two rules must be applied. The first rule is to read the sentence and ask the question: “Would a conjunction fit correctly between the two adjectives?” If the answer is yes, then place a comma between the two consecutive adjectives. The large, challenging project will be well worth the late hours. (The large and challenging project will be well worth the late hours.) The organization has always valued loyal, bright employees like you. (The organization has always valued loyal and bright employees like you.) The meeting addressed a lot of the pressing, challenging i
ssues. (The meeting addressed a lot of the pressing and challenging issues.)

The second rule concerning multiple adjectives is used when the first adjective modifies the second adjective, changing the meaning of the sentence. In these situations, do not add a comma between the consecutive adjectives: The quarterly shareholders report will come out next week. The antique oak furniture matched the décor of the office. The faded blue color fit well with the rest of the clothing line.