ENGLISH IV: GRAMMAR REVIEW PART II

ADJECTIVE
-

word used to describe a noun or pronoun or to give it a more specific meaning

It can answer these questions about the noun or pronoun: What Kind? Which one? How
many? and How much?
It may precede the noun or follow the noun.
articles (a, an, the), nouns (proper and common), and verbs (participles) can also be
adjectives.
ORDER OF ADJECTIVES:
Art
icl
e/
Pro
no
size
un
age

color
participle
proper adjective
noun adj.
NOUN being modified

ADVERB
-

Word that modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb.

It may answer these questions: Where? When? In what manner? or To what extent?
An adverb functioning as a part of the verb does not answer these questions (The car
backed up along the curb).
Several nouns can function as adverbs and answer the questions where? Or when?

ADJECTIVE and ADVERB USAGE

-

Degrees of Comparison: positive, comparative, superlative

Comparative: to compare two persons, places or things. Superlative: to compare three
or more.
Modifiers of one and two syllables: Use er or more to form the comparative degree and
est or most to form the superlative degree.
Modifiers more than two syllables: use more and most to form the comparative and
superlative degrees.
The irregular comparative and superlative forms of certain adjectives and adverbs must be
memorized.
Make sure that your sentences compare only items of similar kind.
When comparing one of a group with the rest of the group, make sure that your sentence
contains the word other or the word else.
Avoid using absolute modifiers illogically in comparisons (dead, entirely, eternal, final,
perfect)

MISCELLANEOUS PROBLEMS IN USAGE

-

Double Negative: when a clause contains two negative words when only one is needed.
Do not use two negative words in a sentence. (The store doesnt accept no credit cards)
Do not use but in its negative sense with another negative. (He wasnt but a child at the
time)
Do not use barely, hardly, or scarcely with another negative word. (She wasnt barely
able to tell us who called)