LESSON 6: ADJECTIVES
Relevant Review
•
Words can be separated into eight groups called the parts of speech.
•
Nouns are words that name people, places, things, or ideas.
•
Pronouns are words that take the place of nouns.
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Nouns and pronouns can be subjects.
Lesson
Language would be boring if sentences were only made of subjects and verbs. It's time
to learn about adjectives and add some spice to our sentences!
Adjectives are words that describe (or modify) nouns and pronouns.
Examples: cute cat, yummy cookie, four dogs
Adjectives are one of the parts of speech.
The Parts of Speech
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Nouns name people, places, things, or ideas. Nouns can be subjects.
Pronouns take the place of nouns. Pronouns can be subjects.
Verbs tell us what the subject is or does.
Adjectives modify nouns and pronouns.
Adverbs
Prepositions
Conjunctions
Interjections
Adjectives give us information about nouns and pronouns. They tell us more about a
person, place, thing, or idea: Which person, place, thing, or idea? What kind of person,
place, thing, or idea? How many people places, things, or ideas? Whose person, place,
thing or idea? Words that answer these questions about nouns and pronouns are
adjectives.
We call these questions the adjective questions, and they will help you identify
adjectives in sentences. All adjectives answer one of these questions.
Adjective Questions
Memorize these!
1. Which one?
2. What kind?
3. How many?
4. Whose?
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1 Here are some examples of how the adjective questions work.
Adjective + Noun
Adjective Question
Adjectives
cute cat
Which one?
cute
that cat
(Which cat?)
that
jelly doughnut
What kind?
jelly
round doughnut
five pens
(What kind of doughnut?)
How many?
round
five
some pens
(How many pens?)
some
Caroline’s basket
Whose?
Caroline’s
my basket
(Whose basket?)
my
A, an, and the are three very common words. They are called articles, and they are a
type of adjective. It may seem strange, but they answer the question Which one?
Diagramming Adjectives
Diagram adjectives by placing them on slanted lines under the nouns or pronouns that
they modify. That makes sense because adjectives modify nouns and pronouns.
Sentence diagramming really shows us that adjectives modify nouns and pronouns!
So far, we have only learned about nouns and pronouns acting as subjects. So, for now,
you’ll only be diagramming adjectives under subjects.
Adjectives are not diagrammed under verbs because adjectives modify nouns and
pronouns, not verbs.
The cute cat meowed.
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Lesson 6 Sentence Diagramming Exercises
1. Three yellow birds chirped.
Key
Three yellow birds chirped.
birds
chirped
sentence - statement
subject (noun)
verb
adjective modifying birds
Three
answers How many?
adjective modifying birds
yellow
answers Which ones? or What kind?
Tip
You can often use What kind? and Which one? interchangeably. GET SMART (INSTRUCTOR) LESSON 6
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3 2. Will the cute cat meow?
Key
Will the cute cat meow?
sentence – question (interrogative sentence)
The cute cat will meow.
sentence – statement (declarative sentence)
cat
subject (noun)
Will meow
verb phrase
Will
helping verb
meow
main verb
the
adjective modifying cat
answers Which one?
cute
adjective modifying cat
answers Which one?
Tip
It is good to have students identify which of the four questions an adjective
answers.
This helps them to remember the adjective questions, and it makes them
explicitly identify why a word is an adjective.
That will come in handy when things begin getting more complicated!
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3. The boy's pen broke.
Key
The boy's pen broke.
pen
sentence - statement
subject (noun)
broke
verb
boy's
adjective modifying pen
answers Whose?
The
adjective modifying pen
answers Which one?
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5 4. The flower will grow.
Key
The flower will grow.
sentence - statement
flower
subject (noun)
will grow
verb phrase
will
helping verb
grow
main verb
adjective modifying flower
answers Which one?
the
Adjective Question Quiz: Two Choices
1. Have students tell you the four questions as you greet them today.
2. Have them write the questions on a sheet of paper.
It will only take a moment!
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5. My blue notebook fell.
Key
My blue notebook fell.
notebook
sentence - statement
subject (noun)
fell
verb
My
adjective modifying notebook
answers Whose?
blue
adjective modifying notebook
answers Which one?
Extra Practice: Identifying Adjectives
Don’t worry about diagramming the following sentences. Only focus on finding the
adjectives within the sentences.
Remember, adjectives are words that describe nouns and pronouns.
1. Underline the adjectives in the following sentences.
a. Five energetic dancers won the dance competition.
b. Natasha’s book was made into a hit movie.
c. The silver and white paper snowflakes hung in the frosted windows.
d. The kind gardener planted pink and red roses around my front door.
2. Give three examples of adjectives modifying nouns.
Answers will vary. Beth’s cat, scented candles, light rain, yellow bird …
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