Page 32 - Basic English Grammar Student Textbook short

Study Section 6: Modifiers (Adjectives & Adverbs)

6.1 Connect

Modifiers are words that describe a person, place, or thing and help the reader visualize more
information about what is being modified. If we are talking about a lady named Maria. A modifier
tells us if Maria is happy, sad, depressed, or perhaps how tall Maria is. A modifier can tell us about
the action in the sentence. It can tell us how fast a car is traveling, or the color or make of the car.
So modifiers are really important to build some visual life into a sentence. Let’s learn about them
today….

6.2 Adjective – Basic

An adjective modifies a noun or a pronoun. It answers one of the following questions:
what kind? which one? how many? how much? whose?
• The hungry student put the black book next to Joseph's dog.
Without adjectives: The student put the book next to the dog.
• This mother taught her fifteen children that there was enough rice for everyone.
Without adjectives: The mother taught the children that there was rice for everyone.

happy student (what kind?) this book (which one?)

fifteen students (how many?) enough grace (how much?)

his chicken (whose?) Sarah's chicken (whose?)
(Notice that possessive pronouns function as adjectives.)

Practice: Write three adjectives to modify (describe) each of these nouns.
Example: your cabin: stinky hot colorful

1. your hair:
2. breakfast:

3. your pastor:
4. your doctor:

Practice 5A: Underline the modifiers in each sentence. Put an Asterix (*) under the noun or pronoun each
adjective modifies.

1. Two new classrooms have been built.
2. The young child tripped and fell.
3. My oldest sister went to the International Bible College.
4. The woman's bag holds new soap and dirty rags.
5. The large hill sparkled in the cold rain.
6. Be obedient children in the Lord.
7. You shall be holy, for I am holy.
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