The phrase man eating shark refers to a man who is eating a shark.Heavy-metal is the compound adjective describing the detector.Īs you can see, the hyphen completely changes the meaning of the phrase by combining two words into one. The phrase a heavy-metal detector refers to a detector of heavy metals.Heavy and metal are separate adjectives describing the detector in this situation. The phrase a heavy metal detector refers to a metal detector that is heavy in weight.But other times, the adjectives combine to become one adjective joined by a hyphen. Sometimes these two adjectives remain separate, as two distinctive words describing the noun. In some situations, two adjectives may be used to describe a noun. Like adjectives, adverbs can also help add details to your writing. These are workhorse words like 'this', 'that', 'these', and other words like 'them': that car, this letter, those volunteers.Īdjectives are helpful when additional description is needed for a noun or pronoun. Which one? specifically describes which object is being referred to. Here are some more examples: fourteen cents,Ī few puppies, several kittens, a dozen books. Quantity can be specific ( four ducks) or general ( some ducks). The questions How many? and How much? refer to quantity of the noun or pronoun being described by the adjective.

Here are a few examples: the black car, the angry customer, the fashionable teen. It may describe physical characteristics or emotions. Adjectives also answer the following questions: What kind? How many? How much? Which one?ĭescriptions concerning What kind? offer descriptive details about the noun or pronoun. Pronouns, such as I, me, we, he, she, it, you, and they, take the place Remember, a noun is a person, place, or thing. Adverbs, like 'simply' and 'incredibly' modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.Īdjectives describe, quantify, or identify pronouns and nouns. Adjectives, like 'great', 'enormous', 'stony', 'long', and 'beautiful' modify nouns and pronouns.

We need adverbs and adjectives in order to be descriptive in our writing. But without modifiers, 'the Great Wall' would simply be 'the Wall'. It's incredibly long, snaking its stony way across the mountains and valleys of Asia, with beautiful towers standing tall every couple Have you ever seen a photo of the Great Wall of China? If not, look at the picture on your left.

What is adjective and adverb