Adjectives: Definition, Identification, Types of Adjectives

English Grammar JSS 1 First Term Lesson Notes

Subject: Grammar
Class: JSS 1
Term: First Term
Week: 4
Age: 10-12 years
Topic: Adjectives
Duration: 40 Minutes

Behavioural Objectives:

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. Define and identify adjectives in sentences.
2. Recognize different types of adjectives.
3. Use adjectives effectively in their writing.

Keywords:

• Adjective
• Descriptive words
• Types of adjectives
• Identification

Set Induction:

Start by asking students to describe a favorite object or person using descriptive words. Write these words on the board and highlight that these are adjectives.

Entry Behaviour:

Students may have a basic understanding of descriptive words but need detailed knowledge on adjectives and their types.

Learning Resources and Materials:

• Whiteboard and markers
• Flashcards with examples of adjectives
• Handouts with exercises on adjectives

Building Background/Connection to Prior Knowledge:

Students may have used descriptive words in earlier lessons but need to understand how to identify and classify adjectives.

Embedded Core Skills:

• Reading comprehension
• Writing skills
• Vocabulary development

Reference Books:

• Lagos State Scheme of Work
• English Grammar textbooks

Instructional Materials:

• Flashcards
• Whiteboard
• Handouts

Content:

I. Definition and Identification of Adjectives

1. Definition:
   Adjectives are words that describe or modify nouns or pronouns. They provide more information about an object, person, or place.
2. Examples:
   • The bright sun
   • A tall building
   • The happy child
3. Identification:
   To identify adjectives, look for words that describe the qualities or states of nouns or pronouns. For example, in the sentence “The big dog ran fast,” “big” is the adjective describing the noun “dog.”

II. Types of Adjectives

1. Descriptive Adjectives:
   Describe the qualities or characteristics of a noun.
   • Example: Beautiful, young, colorful
2. Quantitative Adjectives:
   Indicate the quantity or amount of a noun.
   • Example: Some, few, many
3. Demonstrative Adjectives:
   Point out specific nouns.
   • Example: This, that, these, those
4. Possessive Adjectives:
   Show ownership or relation.
   • Example: My, your, his, her
5. Interrogative Adjectives:
   Used in questions to inquire about nouns.
   • Example: Which, what, whose
6. Comparative Adjectives:
   Compare two nouns, showing the difference in degree.
   • Example: Taller, smarter
7. Superlative Adjectives:
   Show the highest degree of a quality among three or more nouns.
   • Example: Tallest, smartest

Topic: Adjectives: definition, identification and types

 Content: What Is an Adjective?

  Adjectives are words that modify(change) nouns, pronouns and other adjectives. 

How to Identify Adjectives

 In the sentence “he was fast,” the word “fast” is an adjective that describes the pronoun “he.”

 Here’s a special sentence that uses all the letters of the English language: “The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.” 

In this sentence, the words “quick,” “brown” and “lazy” are adjectives (and so is the word “the,” but we’ll explain this later!). All these words are describing or somehow modifying a noun.

So, you might already know about adjectives like these, like “quick,” “beautiful” and “ugly,” which are used to describe people, places and things.But did you know that adjectives have many other uses? Words like “every,” “the” and “my” are also adjectives. When you say “my cat,” the word “my” is modifying the word “cat.” It’s describing that cat as your possession, or something that belongs to you. Likewise for the word “every” in the phrase “every cat.”As you can see, adjectives have many uses!

Types of Adjectives

Remember that adjectives can modify as well as describe other words, and you’ll find it much easier to identify different types of adjectives when you see them.

1. Articles: There are only three articles, and all of them are adjectives: a, an, and the.Because they are used to discuss non-specific things and people.

“a” and “an” are called indefinite articles.

 For example: I’d like a…..

Let’s go on an….

2. Possessive Adjectives: As the name indicates, possessive adjectives are used to indicate possession. They are:*.My*.Your*.His*.Her*.Its*.Our*.Their. Possessive adjectives also function as possessive pronouns.
3. Demonstrative Adjectives: Like the article ‘the’, demonstrative adjectives are used to indicate or demonstrate specific people, animals, or things. Examples: These, those, this and that are demonstrative adjectives.

*.These books belong to her

*.This movie is my favorite.

*.Please put those cookies on the blue plate.

4. Coordinate Adjectives: Coordinate adjectives are separated with commas or the word ‘and’, and appear one after another to modify the same noun. The adjectives in the phrase: bright, sunny day and long and dark night are coordinate adjectives. In phrases with more than two coordinate adjectives, the word ‘and’ always appears before the last one; for example: The sign had big, bold, and bright letters.

Be careful, because some adjectives that appear in a series are not coordinate. In the phrase green delivery truck, the words green and delivery are not separated by a comma because green modifies the phrase delivery truck. To eliminate confusion when determining whether a pair or group of adjectives is coordinate, just insert the word ‘and’ between them. If ‘and’ works, then the adjectives are coordinate and need to be separated with a comma.

5. 5. Numbers Adjectives: When they’re used in sentences, numbers are almost always adjectives. You can tell that a number is an adjective when it answers the question “How many?”

*.The stage coach was pulled by a team of six.

*.He ate twenty hot dogs during the contest, and was sick afterwards.

6. 6. Interrogative Adjectives: There are three interrogative adjectives:which, what,and whose. Like all other types of adjectives, interrogative adjectives modify nouns. As you probably know, all three of these words are used to ask questions.

*.Which option sounds best to you?

*.What time should we go?

*.Whose socks are those?

7. Indefinite Adjectives: Like the articles a, and an, indefinite adjectives are used to discuss non-specific things. You might recognize them, since they’re formed from indefinite pronouns. The most common indefinite adjectives are any, many, no, several,and few.

*.Do we have any peanut butter?

*.Grandfather has been retired for many years now

*.There are no bananas in the fruit bowl.

*.I usually read the first few pages of a book before I buy it.

*.We looked at several cars before deciding on the best one for our family.

Questions:

1. An adjective that describes the color of a noun is called a __________ adjective.
   a) Demonstrative
   b) Descriptive
   c) Quantitative
   d) Possessive
2. The word “happy” in the sentence “The happy child played outside” is an example of a __________ adjective.
   a) Possessive
   b) Quantitative
   c) Descriptive
   d) Comparative
3. “These” in “These books are new” is a __________ adjective.
   a) Demonstrative
   b) Quantitative
   c) Descriptive
   d) Superlative
4. “My” in “My car is blue” is a __________ adjective.
   a) Interrogative
   b) Possessive
   c) Demonstrative
   d) Comparative
5. Adjectives that compare two nouns are called __________ adjectives.
   a) Superlative
   b) Demonstrative
   c) Comparative
   d) Descriptive
6. The word “few” in “Few students passed the exam” is an example of a __________ adjective.
   a) Demonstrative
   b) Quantitative
   c) Descriptive
   d) Possessive
7. “Which” in “Which book do you want?” is a __________ adjective.
   a) Interrogative
   b) Superlative
   c) Possessive
   d) Demonstrative
8. An adjective that shows ownership, like “his”, is called a __________ adjective.
   a) Demonstrative
   b) Interrogative
   c) Possessive
   d) Comparative
9. The adjective “smartest” shows the __________ degree of comparison.
   a) Superlative
   b) Demonstrative
   c) Quantitative
   d) Comparative
10. “Bright” in “The bright sun” is an example of a __________ adjective.
    a) Descriptive
    b) Demonstrative
    c) Interrogative
    d) Possessive
11. “This” in “This chair is comfortable” is a __________ adjective.
    a) Demonstrative
    b) Quantitative
    c) Descriptive
    d) Superlative
12. The adjective “older” compares __________ nouns.
    a) More than two
    b) Two
    c) None
    d) One
13. “His” in “His house is large” is a __________ adjective.
    a) Quantitative
    b) Demonstrative
    c) Possessive
    d) Interrogative
14. “Many” in “Many students passed the test” is an example of a __________ adjective.
    a) Possessive
    b) Quantitative
    c) Superlative
    d) Descriptive
15. The adjective “best” is a __________ adjective.
    a) Demonstrative
    b) Comparative
    c) Superlative
    d) Interrogative

15 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

1. What is an adjective?
   An adjective is a word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun.
2. Can you give an example of a descriptive adjective?
   Yes, “beautiful” in “The beautiful flower” is a descriptive adjective.
3. What are quantitative adjectives used for?
   They indicate the quantity or amount of a noun, like “many” or “few.”
4. How do demonstrative adjectives work?
   They point out specific nouns, such as “this,” “that,” “these,” and “those.”
5. What is the purpose of possessive adjectives?
   They show ownership or relation, like “my,” “your,” “his,” and “her.”
6. What is an interrogative adjective?
   It is used in questions to inquire about nouns, such as “which,” “what,” and “whose.”
7. What is the difference between comparative and superlative adjectives?
   Comparative adjectives compare two nouns, while superlative adjectives show the highest degree among three or more nouns.
8. Can adjectives be used in both writing and speaking?
   Yes, adjectives enhance both writing and speaking by providing more detail.
9. How can I identify an adjective in a sentence?
   Look for words that describe or give more information about a noun or pronoun.
10. Are there any common mistakes with adjectives?
    Yes, common mistakes include using the wrong type of adjective or placing adjectives in incorrect positions.
11. Can adjectives be used with more than one noun?
    Yes, adjectives can describe multiple nouns in a sentence.
12. What is an example of a comparative adjective?
    “Taller” in “John is taller than Mike” is a comparative adjective.
13. What role do adjectives play in a sentence?
    They add detail and specificity to nouns or pronouns.
14. How do you know if an adjective is used correctly?
    It should appropriately describe the noun or pronoun it modifies.
15. Can adjectives be used in different forms?
    Yes, adjectives can change form for comparative and superlative degrees.

Presentation:

Step 1: Define adjectives and their types.
Step 2: Provide examples and explain each type of adjective.
Step 3: Conduct exercises to identify and use adjectives in sentences.

Teacher’s Activities:

1. Explain the definition and types of adjectives.
2. Provide examples and work through exercises with students.
3. Monitor and correct students’ use of adjectives in sentences.

Learners’ Activities:

1. Identify adjectives in provided sentences.
2. Complete exercises on different types of adjectives.
3. Use adjectives in their own writing and sentences.

Assessment:

Weekend Assignment

1. Find the adjective or adjectives that fit in each of the blanks best.
2. We visited the museum, where we saw ____________ artifacts.A. A lot of B. Ancient C. John’s D. A room filled with
3. I received ______________ awards at the ceremony today. A.The manager’s B.Two C. Information about D.Motivation at the
4. Please get me a bag of ____________ apples. A. Interesting B.Ripe red C.Oranges and D. Real 
5. The president sat in a _______________ chair. A. Important B. Barber’s C.Funny D. Leather 

5.________________ weather is the norm in San Francisco. A. Blue B. Big C.Foggy D.The best

1. Complete the following sentences using the appropriate form of the adjective given in the brackets.
2. He is ………………… than his neighbors. (rich)
3. The brides were much……………… than the grooms. (young)
4. He is too …………………… to be taught. (intelligent)
5. He is ………………… than I thought him to be. (clever)
6. When the old woman became……………………, she began to moveabout. (strong)
7. He is much ………………… now. (good)
8. The offer was too ………………… to be true. (good)
9. He fishes with …………………… success than I do. (great)
10. Shakespeare is the…………………… playwright in English. (great)
11. The pain was …………………… than he could bear. (much)
12. The ………………… thing of all was that his son was rude to him. (bad)
13. Jane was the ………………… player of the two. (good)