adjective

adjective

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Pronunciation

/ˈæd͡ʒ.ɪk.tɪv/

Syllable Breakdown:

• ad-: /ˈæd͡ʒ/ (as in "aj" in "badge")

• jec-: /ɪk/ (as in "ic" in "pick")

• tive: /tɪv/ (as in "tiv" in "active")

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 Word Form Variations

The term "adjective" itself is a noun. When discussing its grammatical function, it generally remains in its singular or plural noun form.

• Singular Noun: adjective

• Plural Noun: adjectives

However, "adjective" also refers to a type of word, and those words themselves have variations, primarily related to their degrees of comparison:

• Positive Degree: The basic form of the adjective (e.g., tall, beautiful).

• Comparative Degree: Used to compare two items (e.g., taller, more beautiful).

• Superlative Degree: Used to compare three or more items and show the highest degree (e.g., tallest, most beautiful).

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Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms

Noun

1. A word class or part of speech that modifies, describes, or quantifies a noun or pronoun. Adjectives add detail and specificity to sentences, indicating qualities, characteristics, or attributes of the entities they describe.

• Synonyms: descriptor, modifier, qualifier, attributive

• Antonyms: (No direct antonyms as it refers to a grammatical category; however, other parts of speech could be considered "non-adjectives.")

2. A linguistic element that expresses a quality or attribute, often answering questions like "what kind?" or "how many?"

• Synonyms: descriptor, attribute, characteristic-word

• Antonyms: (No direct antonym)

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Examples of Use

• Books:

• "The author's prose was rich with evocative adjectives, painting vivid pictures in the reader's mind." (Literary criticism/analysis)

• "In this grammar textbook, Chapter 4 focuses exclusively on the proper use and agreement of adjectives in Spanish." (Educational text)

• Newspapers:

• "Political analysts often struggle to find a single adjective that accurately describes the current climate of public opinion." (October 2023)

• "The city council debate, marked by heated rhetoric, saw many speakers deploying strong adjectives to characterize their opponents' proposals." (May 2024)

• Online Publications:

• "Choosing the right adjective can significantly impact the effectiveness of your marketing copy, making your product descriptions more compelling." (Blog post on copywriting)

• "A recent article on The New Yorker website discussed how certain overused adjectives have lost their impact in contemporary writing." (Discussion forum, Reddit)

• Various Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:

• "The film critic, known for his sharp wit, struggled to find an adjective strong enough to convey his disappointment with the movie's ending." (Podcast review, FilmSpotting)

• "In a recent interview, the pop star described her new album as 'raw' and 'unfiltered,' using powerful adjectives to set expectations." (Music news website)

• "The game's narrative designers often debated which adjectives best described the protagonist's complex personality." (Game development forum)

• General Public Discourse:

• "When I asked my friend to describe her vacation, she used every positive adjective imaginable – 'amazing,' 'breathtaking,' 'unforgettable!'" (Casual conversation)

• "My English teacher always told us to avoid using too many weak adjectives and instead focus on stronger verbs and nouns." (Classroom discussion)

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10 Quotes Using Adjective

1. "The most important adjective you can use to describe a good teammate is 'trustworthy.'" (Doc Rivers)

2. "What a lot of people don’t realize is that prayer is a very powerful adjective." (William Shakespeare, Hamlet)

3. "The word 'normal' is an adjective, not a state of being." (Quentin Crisp)

4. "If I had to pick one adjective to describe my life, it would be 'unexpected.'" (Carrie Underwood)

5. "A man should keep his friendships in constant repair. The word 'repair' is an adjective, not a verb." (Samuel Johnson)

6. "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. It's not a noun; it's an adjective." (Leonardo da Vinci)

7. "To be truly free, one must be free from the tyranny of the adjective." (Gabriel García Márquez)

8. "My favorite adjective is 'resilient.' It describes so much of what I admire in people." (Oprah Winfrey)

9. "The most dangerous adjective in the English language is 'good.' It stops people from being great." (Jim Collins)

10. "The word 'impossible' is an adjective that humans have invented." (Muhammad Ali)

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Etymology

The word "adjective" comes from Latin, specifically from the word adjectivus, which means "added to" or "that is added to (the noun)." This Latin word itself was a translation of the Ancient Greek term epithetón ónoma, meaning "additional noun."

Essentially, the idea behind the word is that an adjective is something added to a noun to give it more meaning or describe it further.

Its first known use in English was in the Middle English period (around 1150-1500). The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) notes its earliest evidence as before 1398, appearing in a translation by John Trevisa. At that time, it was often used as a shortened form of "noun adjective," reflecting the older grammatical tradition where adjectives were considered a type of noun because they changed their endings (like nouns) to match what they described.

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Phrases + Idioms Containing Adjective

• Adjective parade: A stylistic criticism referring to the overuse of adjectives in writing.

• A strong adjective: Used to describe a particularly impactful or descriptive word.

• No adjective can do it justice: An expression indicating that something is so remarkable it defies full description.

• The perfect adjective: Referring to the most fitting word to describe something.

• Beyond any adjective: Similar to "no adjective can do it justice," emphasizing extreme quality.

• To heap adjectives upon someone/something: To praise or criticize excessively using many descriptive words.

• An adjective for every emotion: Describing a rich vocabulary for feelings.

• The descriptive word for the moment: (Original phrase) Finding the most apt descriptor for a current situation.

• A defining qualifier: (Using a synonym) A characteristic that is essential to understanding something.

• Word-smithing with modifiers: (Using a synonym) The careful and skillful crafting of language using descriptive terms.

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Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA

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Source Information

Definition of adjective from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.

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