Adjectives | Chapter 18 | English Grammar | Benjamin Hathaway

1001 Questions and Answers on English Grammar by Benjamin Hathaway Adjectives 1. Give the rule for adjectives. Adjectives limit, or qualify, nouns or pronouns. 2. The adjective in the predicate may limit what besides a noun or pronoun, sometimes a phrase or sentence used as the subject, as To err is human. That they should not consent is not strange. 3. What is the position of an adjective? It is usually placed immediately before the noun it qualifies, as It is impious in a good man to be sad. 4. Name exceptions to this rule. 1. When in the predicate, the adjective may follow the noun, as Pitt was eloquent. 2. When the adjective shows the result of the verb's action, it follows the noun, as Virtue renders life happy. 3. When other words depend on it, the adjective follows, as a man generous to his enemies. 4. When several adjectives qualify the same noun, they may follow it as a woman modest, sensible, and virtuous. 5. When the adjective is preceded by an adverb, it may follow the noun as a girl affectedly modest. 6. When the adjective is emphatic it follows, as goodness infinite, wisdom unsearchable. Five. Give examples of the adjective qualifying a noun and other adjectives taken together. A rich old miser. A pretty little girl. A poor old man. A fine black horse. Oh, for a lodge in some vast wilderness. One little sin brings in its train many great sins. 6. Does an adjective ever qualify another adjective? Some grammarians claim it does, as in the following. A bright blue silk. A pale red flower. A light green color. 7. Name some compound adjectives. Sugar-coated. Panic-stricken. Broad-brimmed. Fleet-footed. Loud-sounding. Three-legged. heart-rending, pain-relieving, soul-cheering, sweet-scented, hoary-headed, one-bladed, well-spent, bed-ridden, threadbare, air-tight, blood-stained, lovesick, sweet-faced. 8. Give some phrases that are used as adjectives. An everyday occurrence. Out-of-doors work. A well-to-do merchant, a never-to-be-forgotten story, a good-for-nothing man, an out-of-the-way place, a long-to-be-remembered pleasure. 9. When different classes of adjectives qualify the same noun, which should be placed first? The numeral and pronominal adjectives precede all others, as that old obelisk, the ten great commandments, the seven wise men. 10. When the numerals one, two, three, etc. are used with first and last, which should come first? Best authorities use the ordinal first, the first two, the last forty. 11. When more than one descriptive adjective qualify a noun, which should be placed next to it? The adjective that most distinguishes the noun should be placed nearest to it, as a poor old woman, not old poor woman, that beautiful young lady, not young beautiful lady, a handsome gold cane, not gold handsome cane. 12. What error is frequently made in the use of adjectives? Their wrong position relative to the noun, as a new pair of boots for a pair of new boots, a green load of wood for a load of green wood, an empty barrel of flour for an empty flour barrel, a black lady's glove for a lady's black glove, etc. 13. When adjectives are used with nouns that denote number, what case should be used? They must correspond with the number of the noun, as this molasses, these books. 14. In the expression one hundred dollars, why is one used when the noun is plural? One limits hundred, not dollars. 15. In the expression that jury, why not use those with the collective noun? Jury is singular in meaning in this case. 16. When the adjective is necessarily plural, how should the noun be? It should be made plural, too, as He came thirty years ago, not thirty year. The sheep sheared five pounds of wool, not five pound. He earned three shillings a day, not three shilling. The tree is four feet through, not four foot. 17. Name exceptions to this. The words dozen, hundred, thousand, stone, weight, score, and brace retain the singular form when united with plural adjectives, as five dozen, six hundred, etc. 18. When the pronominals this and that are both used in referring to something previously mentioned in a sentence, to which does each refer? This refers to the person or thing last mentioned, and that to the first. as religion praises men above themselves while irreligion sinks them beneath the brutes. This binds them down to a poor, pitiable speck of perishable earth, but that opens for them a prospect to the skies. 19. When should each other and one another be used? Each other should be applied to two objects only, as David and Jonathan loved each other dearly, one another should always be applied when more than two objects are meant as pupils should be polite to one another that is one pupil should be polite to another pupil 20. When should an adjective of the comparative degree be used when two objects are compared and two or more than two objects when the conjunction than is used to express the comparison as Cain was the older of the two. The sun is brighter than the moon, stars, or comets. Newton was greater than Leibniz. 21. When is an adjective of the superlative degree used? When more than two objects are compared, as Numa was the wisest of the Roman kings. 22. What other way is there of knowing when to use the superlative and when the comparative degree? The latter term must include the former term when the superlative degree is used, as man is the noblest of animals. The latter term must exclude the former when the comparative degree is used, as Jupiter is larger than all other planets. 23. What of the use of adverbs for adjectives? Errors frequently occur in the use of adverbs for adjectives, as he returned safely, safe. She looks beautifully, beautiful. He sat silently, silent. I began to feel coldly, cold. The rose smells sweetly, sweet. She looks badly, bad. 24. Give sentences showing the wrong use of adjectives for adverbs. The wind blows wild, wildly. I never can think so very mean, meanly, of him. He reads good, well, look sharp, sharply. They walk rapid, rapidly. How can we tell whether an adjective or an adverb should be used? Perhaps the best way to determine whether an adjective or adverb is required is to first consider whether manner or quality is to be expressed by the word. If the former, an adverb. If the latter, an adjective should be used. Or, when required with the verb in the predicate, some form of the verb to be can be substituted for the verb employed. As the crops look beautiful, the crops are beautiful. 26. What is correct regarding the use of double comparatives and superlatives? They should never be used. As a wiser man never lived, not a more wiser man, etc. The nightingale is the sweetest singer in the grove, not the most sweetest singer, etc. 27. Explain use of the pronominal adjectives each, every, either, neither, and one. They limit nouns in the third person singular, and when they are the leading words in their clauses, they require pronouns and verbs to agree with them, as every tree is known by its fruit. Let each of you perform his duty. 28. For what other word is either sometimes used? Either is now often used for each, as on either side of the entrance gate is a statue. 29. Explain the difference in use of either and neither, and any and none. Either and neither relate to two objects only. When more are referred to, any and none are used. As either of the two, neither of the two, any of the three, none of the four, etc. 30. Do any and none always require singular verbs like each, every, either, and one? Yes, as any of the society knows who the present secretary is, but none knows who the next will be. 31. What is correct regarding the use of two negatives? The use of two negatives should be avoided, as they are equal to an affirmative, as we didn't find nobody at home is the same as to say we did find somebody at home. 32. What vulgarisms are frequently indulged in? This here and that there, and the pronoun them for the adjective those, are grating errors, as this here boy, that there example, them rules, etc. Here and there should be omitted, and them should be those. 33. When should such be used? Whenever we refer to the noun, such should be used. But when degree is signified, we use the adverb so, as such apples are so nice. 34. For what is such often improperly used? For the adverb so, as in, he is such an unreasonable person, for he is so unreasonable a person. 35. What descriptive adjectives do not admit of comparison? Those that have in themselves a superlative signification, as, this stone is round, not, this stone is rounder than that. Note, some of these, however, are by good usage compared, as this is the more perfect exercise. 36. Correct the following 20 sentences. 1. We travel 50 mile a day. Miles. 2. Those sort of pens are first rate. Sorts. Good. 3. These molasses are nice. This. Is. 4. College students often haze each other. One another. 5. Two negatives destroy one another, each other. 6. Neither you nor nobody else never saw a white blackbird, anybody, ever. 7. Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, than all his other children. 8. The two first classes have recited, first two. 9. She sings very sweet, sweetly. 10. She brought home two pair of shoes. pairs. Eleven. Of all other vices, lying is the worst. Expunge other. Twelve. Which of them there boys is the best in school? Those boys. Thirteen. Idleness and vice go hand in hand. That is the parent. This is the child. This. That. Fourteen. He bought a sorrel handsome horse and a jersey Little Cow. Handsome Sorrel. Little Jersey. 15. Eve was the fairest of all her daughters. Fairer than all. 16. Neither of my brothers have returned. Has. 17. It is more easier to tear down than to build up. Easier. 18. My mother gave me a birthday handsome present. Handsome birthday present. 19. Let everybody attend to their own business. His. 20. Go and tell them children to be still. Those. 37. What is the program for parsing adjectives? 1. Name the part of speech. 2. Name its class and subclasses. 3. Give its degree, if it is compared. 4. Give its construction. 5. Name or recite the rule 38. Parse a common adjective The world runs after great men and neglects good ones Great is an adjective Descriptive, common, positive degree, and qualifies men 39. Parse a predicate adjective Liberty is sweet Sweet is an adjective Descriptive, common, positive degree, in the predicate, and qualifies liberty 40. Parse a proper adjective. The Australian gold fields are very extensive. Australian is an adjective, descriptive, proper, not compared, and qualifies fields. 41. Parse a participial adjective. A variety of pleasing objects charms the eye. Pleasing is an adjective, descriptive, participle, not compared, and qualifies objects. 42. Parse a distributive adjective. Either road leads to the city. Either is an adjective. Definitive, pronominal, distributive, not compared, and limits road. 43. Parse a demonstrative adjective. Where did I buy those scissors? Those is an adjective, definitive, pronominal, demonstrative, plural, not compared, and limits scissors. Parse an indefinite adjective. All must die. None can escape. None is an adjective, definitive, pronominal, indefinite, used as a noun, common, third, plural, common, nominative, subject of, can escape. Parse a reciprocal adjective. We should help one another. We should help one person another person. Or, we, one person, should help another person. One is an adjective, definitive, pronominal, indefinite, singular, not compared, and limits person, understood. Another is parsed in the same way. Person, understood after another, is the object of the transitive verb help. 46. Parse a cardinal adjective. The Atlantic Ocean is 3,000 miles wide. 3,000 is an adjective. Definitive, numeral, cardinal, not compared, and limits miles. 47. Parse an ordinal adjective. Repeat the first four lines in concert. First is an adjective. Definitive, numeral, ordinal, and limits, four lines 48. Parse a multiplicative adjective Let double blessings light on him that first invented sleep Double is an adjective Definitive, numeral, multiplicative, and limits, blessings End of adjectives