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Business English at Work
© 2003 Glencoe/McGraw-Hill
Business English at Work
AdjectivesAdjectives
Adjective
PP 12-2a
An adjective is a word that modifies
(describes) a noun or a pronoun.
Several adjectives often appear in one
sentence.
More than one adjective may describe the
same noun or pronoun.
Business English at Work
AdjectivesAdjectives
Adjective
PP 12-2b
An adjective answers these questions:
What kind? green, old, round, strong
Which one? this, that, these, those
How many? two, few, 300, two-thirds, all,
some
Whose? hers, Maria’s, companies’
continuedcontinued
Business English at Work
AdjectivesAdjectives
Limiting Adjectives
PP 12-3
Indicate how many.
May be numbers or words.
We must wait six weeks for the new chairs.
Lisa charges a $200 consulting fee.
Business English at Work
AdjectivesAdjectives
Descriptive Adjectives
Before Nouns
PP 12-4
Answer the question What kind?
Usually precede nouns or follow linking verbs.
Are placed as closely as possible to the noun
or pronoun they modify.
We request sealed bids for the workstation
estimates.
Back disorders may result from poor posture.
Business English at Work
AdjectivesAdjectives
Descriptive Adjectives
After Linking Verbs
PP 12-5
Modify nouns or pronouns used as subjects.
Act as complements (predicate adjectives).
Proper office lighting is important.
The noise in this office seems excessive.
Business English at Work
AdjectivesAdjectives
Possessive Adjectives
PP 12-6
Possessive pronouns such as my, her, his,
your, its, our function as adjectives.
You should use a keyboard that meets your needs.
He liked his chair at work so much that he bought one
for his home office.
Richard’s degree is in marketing.
Modify a noun or a pronoun.
Answer the question whose?
Business English at Work
AdjectivesAdjectives
Proper Adjectives
PP 12-7
Proper adjectives are proper nouns or words derived
from proper nouns that function as adjectives. They
answer the question which?
We selected the Italian desk lamps.
Capitalize most proper adjectives as you would proper
nouns.
Shelly recommends a light blue venetian blind.
Do not capitalize proper adjectives when they lose their
connections with the proper nouns from which they were
derived.
Business English at Work
AdjectivesAdjectives
Demonstrative Adjectives
PP 12-8a
The four demonstrative adjectives that modify
nouns are this, that, these, those. These
adjectives answer the question which one? or
which ones?
Use this or that with singular nouns.
Use these and those with plural nouns.
Business English at Work
AdjectivesAdjectives
Demonstrative Adjectives
PP 12-8b
Examples—
We recommend this computer monitor for employees
with vision problems.
We will have difficulty complying with that safety
regulation.
Many of these injuries are unnecessary.
Are you sure those keyboards reduce wrist discomfort?
continuedcontinued
Business English at Work
AdjectivesAdjectives
Compound Adjectives—Hyphenated
Before and After Nouns
PP 12-11
Some compound adjective combinations use
hyphens when appearing before or after nouns or
in other locations in a sentence.
This work-related injury could have been prevented.
This office was described to me as fast-paced.
Business English at Work
AdjectivesAdjectives
Compound Adjectives—Hyphenated
Only Before Nouns
PP 12-12
Some compound adjective combinations use a hyphen
when appearing before a noun.
This well-known furniture company is the one we
selected.
When these combinations appear in other locations in a
sentence, they do not require hyphens.
We selected this furniture company because it is
well known.
Business English at Work
AdjectivesAdjectives
Common Compound Adjectives
PP 12-13
Do not use a hyphen when an adjective plus a
noun combination is widely recognized as a
concept or institution.
Our real estate agent recommended moving to a new
location.
Most of our positions require more than a high school
education.
To avoid wrist injury, learn the keystroke combinations
for your word processing program.
Business English at Work
AdjectivesAdjectives
Nouns with Numbers
PP 12-14
Use a hyphen to connect a number (words or
figures) and a noun to form a compound adjective
before a noun.
A 4-foot workstation A 15-pound object
Do not use a hyphen when the expression
consisting of a number and noun follows the noun.
A workstation that is 4 feet
An object that is 15 pounds
Business English at Work
AdjectivesAdjectives
Numerical Compound Adjectives
PP 12-15
Use hyphens in the numbers between 21 and
99 when the numbers are written as words.
Eighty-two out of one hundred adults will suffer
back problems at some point in their lives.
Our note to the bank is for $35,533 (Thirty-five
thousand five hundred thirty-three dollars).
Business English at Work
AdjectivesAdjectives
Series of Compound Adjectives
PP 12-16
Use a hyphen in a series of compound
adjectives even though the base noun does
not follow each adjective.
Are you able to lift 15-, 20-, or 30-pound objects?
We had an opportunity to choose 4-, 6-, or 8-foot
workstations.
Business English at Work
AdjectivesAdjectives
“Self” Words
PP 12-17
Use a hyphen when self is connected to
another word to form a compound adjective.
self-confidence
self-reliant
self-fulfilling
self-worth
Business English at Work
AdjectivesAdjectives
Fewer/Less
PP 12-29
Use fewer with plural nouns that can be counted.
Use less with singular nouns that refer to degree
or amount or to things that cannot be counted.
Using computer function keys causes fewer hand
injuries.
Simple ergonomic changes cost less money to implement
than you might imagine.
Treehorn Books had fewer complaints after lowering the
bookshelves.

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Adjectives

  • 1. Business English at Work © 2003 Glencoe/McGraw-Hill
  • 2. Business English at Work AdjectivesAdjectives Adjective PP 12-2a An adjective is a word that modifies (describes) a noun or a pronoun. Several adjectives often appear in one sentence. More than one adjective may describe the same noun or pronoun.
  • 3. Business English at Work AdjectivesAdjectives Adjective PP 12-2b An adjective answers these questions: What kind? green, old, round, strong Which one? this, that, these, those How many? two, few, 300, two-thirds, all, some Whose? hers, Maria’s, companies’ continuedcontinued
  • 4. Business English at Work AdjectivesAdjectives Limiting Adjectives PP 12-3 Indicate how many. May be numbers or words. We must wait six weeks for the new chairs. Lisa charges a $200 consulting fee.
  • 5. Business English at Work AdjectivesAdjectives Descriptive Adjectives Before Nouns PP 12-4 Answer the question What kind? Usually precede nouns or follow linking verbs. Are placed as closely as possible to the noun or pronoun they modify. We request sealed bids for the workstation estimates. Back disorders may result from poor posture.
  • 6. Business English at Work AdjectivesAdjectives Descriptive Adjectives After Linking Verbs PP 12-5 Modify nouns or pronouns used as subjects. Act as complements (predicate adjectives). Proper office lighting is important. The noise in this office seems excessive.
  • 7. Business English at Work AdjectivesAdjectives Possessive Adjectives PP 12-6 Possessive pronouns such as my, her, his, your, its, our function as adjectives. You should use a keyboard that meets your needs. He liked his chair at work so much that he bought one for his home office. Richard’s degree is in marketing. Modify a noun or a pronoun. Answer the question whose?
  • 8. Business English at Work AdjectivesAdjectives Proper Adjectives PP 12-7 Proper adjectives are proper nouns or words derived from proper nouns that function as adjectives. They answer the question which? We selected the Italian desk lamps. Capitalize most proper adjectives as you would proper nouns. Shelly recommends a light blue venetian blind. Do not capitalize proper adjectives when they lose their connections with the proper nouns from which they were derived.
  • 9. Business English at Work AdjectivesAdjectives Demonstrative Adjectives PP 12-8a The four demonstrative adjectives that modify nouns are this, that, these, those. These adjectives answer the question which one? or which ones? Use this or that with singular nouns. Use these and those with plural nouns.
  • 10. Business English at Work AdjectivesAdjectives Demonstrative Adjectives PP 12-8b Examples— We recommend this computer monitor for employees with vision problems. We will have difficulty complying with that safety regulation. Many of these injuries are unnecessary. Are you sure those keyboards reduce wrist discomfort? continuedcontinued
  • 11. Business English at Work AdjectivesAdjectives Compound Adjectives—Hyphenated Before and After Nouns PP 12-11 Some compound adjective combinations use hyphens when appearing before or after nouns or in other locations in a sentence. This work-related injury could have been prevented. This office was described to me as fast-paced.
  • 12. Business English at Work AdjectivesAdjectives Compound Adjectives—Hyphenated Only Before Nouns PP 12-12 Some compound adjective combinations use a hyphen when appearing before a noun. This well-known furniture company is the one we selected. When these combinations appear in other locations in a sentence, they do not require hyphens. We selected this furniture company because it is well known.
  • 13. Business English at Work AdjectivesAdjectives Common Compound Adjectives PP 12-13 Do not use a hyphen when an adjective plus a noun combination is widely recognized as a concept or institution. Our real estate agent recommended moving to a new location. Most of our positions require more than a high school education. To avoid wrist injury, learn the keystroke combinations for your word processing program.
  • 14. Business English at Work AdjectivesAdjectives Nouns with Numbers PP 12-14 Use a hyphen to connect a number (words or figures) and a noun to form a compound adjective before a noun. A 4-foot workstation A 15-pound object Do not use a hyphen when the expression consisting of a number and noun follows the noun. A workstation that is 4 feet An object that is 15 pounds
  • 15. Business English at Work AdjectivesAdjectives Numerical Compound Adjectives PP 12-15 Use hyphens in the numbers between 21 and 99 when the numbers are written as words. Eighty-two out of one hundred adults will suffer back problems at some point in their lives. Our note to the bank is for $35,533 (Thirty-five thousand five hundred thirty-three dollars).
  • 16. Business English at Work AdjectivesAdjectives Series of Compound Adjectives PP 12-16 Use a hyphen in a series of compound adjectives even though the base noun does not follow each adjective. Are you able to lift 15-, 20-, or 30-pound objects? We had an opportunity to choose 4-, 6-, or 8-foot workstations.
  • 17. Business English at Work AdjectivesAdjectives “Self” Words PP 12-17 Use a hyphen when self is connected to another word to form a compound adjective. self-confidence self-reliant self-fulfilling self-worth
  • 18. Business English at Work AdjectivesAdjectives Fewer/Less PP 12-29 Use fewer with plural nouns that can be counted. Use less with singular nouns that refer to degree or amount or to things that cannot be counted. Using computer function keys causes fewer hand injuries. Simple ergonomic changes cost less money to implement than you might imagine. Treehorn Books had fewer complaints after lowering the bookshelves.