408 / Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics
Whose?
The neighbor’s pond held water hyacinths.
(Neighbor’s describes whose pond.)Adjectives show two characteristics.
- First, adjectives characteristically can be compared. Certain endings show the
comparisons that are characteristic of adjectives.
Saundra is a tall girl, taller than her coach, the tallest athlete in the league.
(Tall is the plain form of the adjective, used to describe one noun. Taller is
the comparative form, comparing two nouns, Saundra and her coach.
Tallest is the superlative form, comparing three or more nouns.)
With adjectives of three or more syllables, use more instead of –er and most
instead of –est.
pretty, prettier, prettiest; beautiful, more beautiful, most beautiful - Also, placement characterizes adjectives. Adjectives usually appear in front of
the nouns they modify.
A tall athlete often plays basketball.
(Tall describes what kind about the noun athlete.)
Adjectives can follow a linking verb; these are predicate adjectives.
She is tall.
(Tall tells what kind about the noun she and follows the linking verb is.)
ADVERbS
An adverb modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb.
Adverbs function to answer the following questions about verbs, adjectives, or other
adverbs:
Where?
We flew home.
(Home tells where about the verb flew.)
When?
Our vacation ended yesterday.
(Yesterday tells when about the verb ended)
How?
The plane bounced roughly in the storm.
(Roughly tells how about the verb bounced.)