Adjectives modify or affect the meaning of nouns and pronouns, and
tell us which, whose, what kind, and how many about the nouns or
pronouns they modify. They come before the noun or pronoun they
modify except for the predicate adjective, which comes after a
linking verb and modifies the subject.
There are seven words in the English language that are always
adjectives. They are the articles a, an, and the, and the possessives
my, our, your, and their. One should memorize these words so they
are immediately recognized as adjectives.
Example of adjectives: The big brown bear grabbed the scared
small man. The, big and brown modify the subject bear and the,
scared and small modify the direct object man. Examples of a
predicate adjective: The big bear is brown. The brown bear was big.
Brown and big come after the linking verbs is and was and modify
the subject bear.
Adjectives that point out how many are indefinite pronouns like
many, several, both, and numbers.
Instructions: Find the adjectives that tell how many in these
sentences and tell what they modify.
1. Both companies need twenty-four workers by tomorrow.
2. Several citizens protested the many cars on the two lots.
3. Seventy-six trombones led the few drummers and some tubas.
4. Three people tried out for one part in the play.
5. Each train needed another car and more passengers.