Adjectives Definition with Exercise

What are Adjectives?

Adjectives are words that modify nouns or pronouns. Modify means “describe” or “limit.” Adjectives answer these questions: Which one? How many? What kind? How much?

Each engineer designed several original aircraft but had no success flying them.

Adjectives usually stand before the words they modify. Sometimes, however, they follow. Ex.

Airships, real and imaginary, are fascinating.

Notice how adjectives can change the meaning of a sentence. Ex.

The foolish, absentminded inventor designs silly, useless planes.

The creative, brilliant inventor designs marvelous new planes.

Definite & Indefinite Articles

The articles a, an, and the are adjectives. The is called a definite article because it refers to specific persons, places, or things. A and an are indefinite articles because they refer to any person, place or thing in general.

Name the first aeroplane. (a specific aeroplane)

Name an aeroplane or a helicopter. (any aeroplane or helicopter)

Summary

An adjective modifies a noun or pronoun. Use adjectives to add details to your writing.

Adjective Practice Exercise

Name the adjectives in each sentence. Remember to include articles.

1. The brilliant Leonardo da Vinci lived in the sixteenth century. _______________________________________________________________________________

2. He designed three different aircraft and the first parachute. _______________________________________________________________________________

3. A glider, lightweight but large, was original, too. _______________________________________________________________________________

Adjective Exercise

A. Write the adjectives, including articles, in each sentence.

4. There is an old story about Daedalus, a great inventor, and Icarus, an only son. _______________________________________________________________________________

5. Daedalus had worked for the cruel King Minos of Crete but longed for a peaceful life in Athens. _______________________________________________________________________________

6. Minos refused to release him; therefore, the clever Daedalus planned a strange escape. _______________________________________________________________________________

7. He built two ornithopters. _______________________________________________________________________________

8. The machines had movable wings with soft feathers and linen fastenings. _______________________________________________________________________________

9. Some wax held on the many feathers. _______________________________________________________________________________

10. Young Icarus flew behind Daedalus at a moderate height. _______________________________________________________________________________

11. Then the foolish boy became bold. _______________________________________________________________________________

12. He flew too near the hot sun, and the thin wax melted. _______________________________________________________________________________

13. Luckless Icarus fell into the deep blue sea.  _______________________________________________________________________________

B. Choose adjectives below that answer the questions in the blanks to complete the paragraph. Write the paragraph.

In the —————– (14. which one?)  century ——————- (15. how many?) —————– (16. what kind?) brothers in France sent up a balloon filled with ————– (17. what kind?) air. Later Jacques Charles had even ————— (18. how much?) success with a hydrogen balloon. In the —————- (19. which one?) year Jean Pilatre de Rosier made the ————– (20. which one?) ————– (21. what kind?) flight in a balloon.

C. The sentences below contain the overworked adjective good. Rewrite the sentences, using more specific adjectives.

22. It was a good flight. _______________________________________________________________________________

23. The wind was good. _______________________________________________________________________________

24. The pilot seemed good. _______________________________________________________________________________

25. She made a good takeoff. _______________________________________________________________________________

26. We had good seats. _______________________________________________________________________________

27. The visibility was good. _______________________________________________________________________________

28. Our view of the sunset was especially good. _______________________________________________________________________________