Are those your books? Please give me those papers. 6. Common Errors Corrected 33. ADJECTIVES I Near the edge of the forest stood a house. Flowers grew about the door and a tree cast its shade upon it. A boy sat upon the porch whittling a stick and whistling a tune. Near the edge of the pine forest stood an old, red-roofed house. Purple irises and yellow daffodils grew about the door and an ancient elm tree cast its deep shade upon it. A blue-eyed, rosy-cheeked boy sat upon the vine-clad porch whittling a stick and whistling a merry tune. Which paragraph gives you the clearer picture? Notice that all the words that were added help you to see more exactly the thing spoken about. For example, the first paragraph speaks of a forest, the second of a pine forest; the first mentions a house, but the second tells us that it is old and that it has a red roof. Make a list of all the added words in the second paragraph which modify or change the picture. Words which help us to describe or point out things more exactly are called adjectives. An adjective is a word used to describe or limit a noun or pronoun. Adjectives modify nouns: red leaves, two boys, heavy bundle, honest man. Select the adjectives in the following sentences by finding first the nouns and then the words which describe or limit those nouns: Exercise. 1. An old Indian wearing a striped blanket stood at the door of a clay hut. 2. Five little peppers grew in a window box. 3. A sparkling stream danced through the shady wood. 4. "Rosy, paper lanterns glow, in streets of old Japan.” 5. Bright red poppies grew in the little girl's sunny garden. 6. Every American child has read of the famous Old North Church in Boston. 7. The weary traveler lay down to rest on the soft, warm hay. 8. Thirteen stripes, seven red ones and six white ones, are found in our flag. 9. The patient soldiers trudged wearily through the hot sunshine. 10. The bright blue of the Italian sky forms a wonderful background for the marble palaces. II COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES John's bundle is heavy, William's is heavier, but Robert's is the heaviest of the three. In the sentence given above you notice that John's bundle is a heavy one, but that William's has more, or a greater degree of the quality of heaviness, and that Robert's has the most or greatest degree of that quality. One bundle is heavy, the next is heavier, and the third is the heaviest. These various forms of the adjective heavy enable us to make a comparison between the first and the second bundle and between the second and third. Comparison of adjectives is their change of form to express different degrees of a quality. The first form of the adjective, which merely states that a noun has a certain quality, is called the positive degree. As, beautiful flower; brave man; cold weather. The second form of the adjective, which indicates a greater degree of the quality mentioned, is called the comparative degree. As, warmer water; brighter skies. The third form of the adjective, which states that the noun has the greatest possible degree of the quality mentioned, is called the superlative degree. As, largest girl, tallest boy. The regular or usual way of forming these degrees of an adjective is to add the syllables er and est to its positive form. Adjectives of several syllables form their various degrees by adding the words more or less, most or least, to the positive form. As, beautiful, more or less beautiful; most or least beautiful. Compare in this manner: wholesome, dignified, difficult, favorable, mysterious. III IRREGULAR COMPARISON Some adjectives are compared irregularly. The comparison of these adjectives must be memorized. They are: ADJECTIVES THAT ARE NOT COMPARED Some adjectives have such meanings that they cannot be compared. For example, this, that, which, fourteen, universal, unanimous, are not compared because no comparative or superlative degrees are possible. 34. CAPITALIZATION-PROPER ADJECTIVES A word like American, made from a proper name and doing the work of an adjective, is called a proper adjective. Write some other proper adjectives that you remember. The expression, Elizabethan Age, is written with capital letters because it is the name of an important period in the world's history. Important events, periods, or single days always begin with capitals. Write the names of all the holidays that you can remember. Write the names given to the wars that occurred during the years 1775-83, 1861-65, 1914-18. The first word of a sentence begins with a capital letter. Proper nouns and proper adjectives begin with capital letters. Important words used as titles begin with capital letters. Names of months of the year and days of the week begin with capital letters. Words used as parts of geographical names begin with capital letters. Names of special days, events, or periods of time begin with capital letters. Turn to page 1 (The Wise Dervish). reason for each capital used in that story. Give the 35. A SUDDEN SHOWER Barefooted boys scud up the street Doors bang; and mother-voices call And there, abrupt-the rain! the rain! |