2. We use adjectives to describe or give more
information about nouns. In a noun phrase, an
adjective usually goes between a determiner
and a main noun.
I need to make some
determiner
important
adjective
decisions.
main noun
The two cars were traveling at the same speed.
3. What’s the idea of this essay?
Tom is a teenager.
Most of the time, we only use one or two
adjectives before a noun.
main
typical
5. We can use the –ing and –ed forms of verbs as
adjectives.
Medicine is an profession.
(The profession of medicine interests me.)
Bookmarks have a number of uses.
(The number of uses for bookmarks surprises me.)
GRAMMAR TERM: We call the –ing form of a verb
the present participle.
surprising
interesting
6. Planes have space for luggage.
(The space for luggage on planes is limited by the airline.)
English is a course.
(English is required by the university.)
GRAMMAR TERM: We call the –ed form of a verb is
the past participle.
Notice the difference in meaning between
the –ing and –ed adjectives.
limited
required
8. Multi-word adjectives are formed from more
than one word.
Liz is looking for a full-time job.
Your essay has well-developed ideas.
Joe is a hard-working man.
9. Multi-word adjectives are formed from more
than one word.
Heart disease is an age-related illness.
We had to do group-building exercises.
10. Most multi-word adjectives are spelled with a
hyphen. Examples of multi-word adjectives
include:
adjective + noun
adverb + -ed participle
adverb + -ing participle
noun + -ed participle
noun + -ing participle
full-time
well-developed
hard-working
age-related
group-building
11. Notice that we can also use more than one
adjective in a noun phrase.
Toy Story is a full-length animated movie.
The restaurant serves delicious slow-cooked meals.
