There are two places for adjectives
in a sentence:
before a noun and after the main verb in a sentence.
| Ambassador Jones is an honest man. | The ambassador seemed honest. |
Adjectives are called modifiers
because they do something to change or modify a noun. Close
your eyes and think about "a man." What comes to mind? Not much, huh? Now,
close your eyes and think about "a tall, rich, of the word "man".
| The man is tall, rich and handsome. |
Note: Unlike many languages,
adjectives are placed before the noun
they modify in English. Also, there
are no "plural" adjectives in English,
so there is never an "s" added to
adjectives.
| Elsa likes hard candies. |
| Andreas likes sour apples. |
| Chefs need sharp knives. |
Linking
Verbs
When adjectives are placed after
the main verb, the verb is called
a linking verb. These are
most of the linking verbs:
| appear | be | become | feel |
| get | go | grow | keep |
| look | remain | seem | sound |
| stay | taste |
Examples:
The runner appeared tired
during the last third of the race.
I'm not angry.
As I explained the process, the
students became more curious.
Orpheus felt sad and angry
at the death of Eurydice.
Marcel got hungry as he listened
to the chef describe the meal.
The leaves go brown in the
fall.
Joanne grew uncomfortable
as she heard the charges against her.
Roger kept quiet so that
no one would notice him.
Racquel looked upset, so
we asked if we could help.
The men remained standing
during the entire performance.
Your daughter's fiance seems
very attentive.
Mark's plans for the holiday sound
exciting.
That new perfume smells sweet.
Mother, as usual, your apple pie
tastes delicious.
When the adjective is placed after
the verb, it is understood that
it is modifying the subject.
| The runner appeared tired. (It was the runner who was tired.) |
(c)David Tillyer 1998