Questions tagged [adjectives]
An adjective is a word that describes a noun. In English the adjective usually (but not always) precedes the noun it describes.
1,419
questions
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1answer
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What part of speech is up in the sentence, the time is up
This sentence, the time is up, is confusing me. I think up is a preposition
0
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1answer
24 views
“to be keenly interested in”
It is correct to use "to be keenly interested in", but "to be keen on sth" means "to be interested in sth", and so, isn't it essentially saying "interestedly ...
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0answers
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Which one is correct in this case? [closed]
1.I can't remember the name of this music sung by Madona.
2. We need to buy more fruit. There isn't much in the fridge.
12
votes
3answers
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Is “drawable” a correct word?
In French, we have the word "dessinable" which is an adjective for something that can be "dessiné" or in English that can be drawn.
However, when I search the term "drawable&...
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31 views
Adjective to compare two things [closed]
Gold isn't ________ as platinum.
a) as expensive
b) expensive
c) the most expensive
b) expensed
0
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0answers
24 views
Can banana A longer than banana B be called as 'short banana'? [closed]
Banana A is longer than banana B, and B is shorter than A. Though, can A be called as 'short banana' and B can be called as 'long banana'? Strictly saying, even though words have the same definition, ...
1
vote
1answer
46 views
Clear-watered pond - is this right?
Is "clear-watered" an adjective like "soft-petalled"?
Is it right to say, "The clear-watered pond was serene to look at"
5
votes
2answers
910 views
How to understand “They were not looking at you funny”?
A quote from the movie The Guardians of the Galaxy vol 2:
They were not looking at you funny.
How to explain the syntactic construction of this sentence? Why does the speaker put funny at the end?
I ...
0
votes
0answers
21 views
Is it always possible to use the pattern “the + adjective”?
I found out that it's possible to use the definite article "the" with adjectives, to refer to a group of people with a particular characteristic, e.g. the rich, the disabled, the poor, and ...
0
votes
1answer
18 views
Prepositional Phrase vs Participle Phrase
Following the meeting, we all had a chat.
In the above sentence, what is Following used as. Is it a adjective or preposition or both?
Also,is following the meeting a prepositional phrase or participle ...
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0answers
35 views
To which person “who” is referring? Trump or Netanyahu
Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump, abandoned the nuclear agreement in 2018 – a move welcomed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu, who criticised the sanctions relief it offered and
warned of ...
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votes
1answer
71 views
Is 'I'm' a verb, noun, adjective, or adverb? [closed]
I am currently doing my online work, and I was sorting verbs, nouns, adjectives and adverbs. I was doing well, until 'I'm' came up. I would really appreciate it if someone could answer my question, is ...
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be careful that-clause and be careful wh-clause
I'll be more careful what I say in the future.
We were very careful that he didn't find out.
The that-clause in sentence 2 is a complement of the adjective careful. The wh-clause in sentence 1 seems ...
0
votes
2answers
42 views
Differences between 'pointy' and 'pointed' when describe a noun?
Which sentence below is right? If both, are there any differences?
Wolves have pointed faces.
Wolves have pointy faces.
The definitions of each are very similar:
Pointy: Having a pointed tip or end....
0
votes
0answers
24 views
“Adjective Complements” in major English grammar books?
Are there any major English grammar books (like CGEL, PEU, etc.) that list "adjective complements" as one of main constituents of a predicate (or a sentence pattern)?
https://www....
2
votes
1answer
13 views
I don't like speaking in public (is public an adjective or noun here?)
I speak to the public.
I am speaking in public. It doesn't seem grammatically correct at all
I am speaking "in public" .
I am speaking "out in the open." We don't say, 'I am ...
1
vote
1answer
23 views
How can I use the world “neighboring ” and associate it with a country?
I'm trying to say the following context, but I'm not sure which structure I can go with ??
Different Versions of the context :
1- I'm just reciting USA'S neighboring countries.
2- I'm just reciting ...
7
votes
4answers
949 views
Is it natural to use “difficult” about a person?
This is said by an idiot husband in a story I'm writing:
Don't mind her. She's just got her period. That's why she's a little difficult.
Is it perfectly natural to use "difficult" about a ...
1
vote
1answer
19 views
Adverb or Adjective?
How to use and differentiate between linking verb and main verb?
For example, in the below sentences, should I use adjective or adverb:
He did great / greatly.
She dances amazing / amazingly.
He ...
0
votes
1answer
39 views
tasty dishes vs delicious meals
Is there some difference in these phrases or not?
tasty dishes
vs
delicious meals
Maybe "delicious meals" are more tasty than "tasty dishes"?
Are "Dishes" and "...
0
votes
0answers
20 views
What's the adjective of the word “use”
If I want to say "popular" about the cars.
Cars were more (popular) than now days
In the sense that they were used a lot, what's the adjective I should use?
Not popular, but... (adjective ...
2
votes
1answer
32 views
What is the function of “unmodified” in “It is passed unmodified to the next block”?
What I have learnt so far, an adverb can be placed adjacent to a verb. For example,
It is directly passed to the next block.
or
It is passed directly to the next block.
I found a sentence as ...
3
votes
3answers
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Should I put (a) before an adjective for noun that is singular?
I wouldn't mind having friends from a different age category.
"a different age" is an adjective for "category".
Do we say "a different age category" or "different ...
2
votes
1answer
38 views
Rich of VS Rich in
I know that we say that something is full of something, so why that doesn't apply to "rich of"? For instance:
The country is rich in oil.
rather than
The country is rich of oil
0
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0answers
27 views
Applying adjective/adverb to nouns/verbs in a conjunction sentence
Take this simple sentence for example:
I like dogs and cats.
Which means I like dogs and I like cats. Simple.
What if I add an adjective "big" before the word "dogs"?:
I like big ...
0
votes
2answers
41 views
Which usage is better?: “the beautiful voice of a woman” or “a woman's beautiful voice”
Are both of these sentences grammatically correct?
a. He heard singing from the other room. It was a woman's beautiful voice.
b. He heard singing from the other room. It was the beautiful voice of a ...
1
vote
2answers
22 views
Adjective or Adverb?
When someone asks "How are you doing?". Is it:
I am doing bad.
I am doing badly.
Though I always hear the first one, I think the second is more correct because here, doing acts as a verb(...
0
votes
1answer
34 views
“The Dancing Queen” is using dancing applicable here?
I was watching a movie last night and It was a musical one. The movie involved a song named "The Dancing Queen".
Now, I know that the word "Dancing" is not an adjective. For ...
0
votes
2answers
22 views
i've a bit of confusion in using “has/have been”
have been is basically used to express the action that was started in past and is still happening up to present.
Now sometimes we use have been in the following contexts as well:-
your device has ...
1
vote
0answers
31 views
Adjective to describe someone in a very good mood
A cheerful/high-spirited Jeff came up to the bar.
Which adjective would be the best suited in the above sentence to describe that Jeff seems in a very good mood?
Would "cheerful" or "...
2
votes
2answers
40 views
'A high pyramid' or 'a tall pyramid'—which is correct and why?
It seems the more I learn the language, the more complicate it becomes for my mind.
At school, our teacher taught us that 'tall' is used for people and 'high' for inanimate objects. Then, when I got ...
0
votes
1answer
17 views
A term for only a pre-noun and a post-noun adjective
The red ball is expensive.
The ball is red.
The answer is absolutistic in its nature.
The absolutistic answer that he provided didn't quite fit the
given problem.
In the four examples above I can ...
0
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0answers
22 views
Why is it “you look beautiful” and not “you look beautifully”? [duplicate]
You look beautiful
"Beautiful" is an adjective here. We often use "adverbs" to modify "verbs". Here the verb is "look" and instead of an adverb, we have an ...
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votes
1answer
44 views
“He is small enough to walk.” But baby wasn't walking so why didn't they use “small” instead of “small enough”? [duplicate]
I'm confused because in my textbook there's a sentence:
He is small enough to walk.
because baby was so small that he couldn't walk.
Why didn't they just use small instead of small enough?
0
votes
1answer
27 views
Has verb3 or Has been verb3
The light has gone for a while now.
The light has been gone for a while now.
I think both of these are correct but can't understand why. Could you please shed some light on it?
0
votes
1answer
55 views
Is the subject complement a noun or an adjective here?
It's well-known that a subject complement can be a noun or an adjective. It's not hard to make out what part of speech the subject complement belongs to— For example, in He is a pilot and She is ...
0
votes
1answer
51 views
How do I use 'amicable' in a sentence?
I've made some sentences with the word 'amicable':
An amicable family.
Our relationships are amicable.
We get on amicably.
Does it sound normal for a native English speaker?
If my sentences are ...
0
votes
1answer
29 views
Why do we say “main site header” and “main site style” instead of “site main header” and “site main style”?
When I want to say that a website has a main header, I and almost everyone else say the main site header, but I feel this is wrong because the adjective refers to the header, not the website. The same ...
1
vote
1answer
37 views
What's the difference between 'time-consuming' and 'time-consumed'?
How do I distinguish whether to use v-ing or v-ed within compound adjective?
0
votes
1answer
12 views
Difference between 'a place good for' and 'a good place for'
Take a look at these sentences:
a. This is a place good for business.
b. This is a good place for business.
Is there any difference between the meanings of the above sentences?
0
votes
1answer
54 views
Can articles modify adjectives?
I came across a sentence where a modifier seemed to be modifying an possessive adjective. These are not the same sentences but they work similarly (the article's and adjectives I'm wondering about are ...
0
votes
2answers
16 views
In the sentence “we always buy toilet paper in bulk”, does 'in bulk' function as an adverb or adjective?
Does in bulk modify buy as in we buy loads of toilet paper or does it elaborate on the number of toilet papers we buy? Is one way of seeing it less wrong than the other?
Based on my intuition, I am ...
0
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0answers
3 views
Can I refer to those certificates as Qualification certificates?
I have qualified some exams. Now I need to send those certificate to a recruiter. Can I refer to those certificates as Qualification certificates?
0
votes
3answers
53 views
What is the adjective/verb describing someone who is repeatedly explaining itself in an argument when rest of the people already got the point
I don't remember if it is adjective describing a person or action, but I had come across an adjective describing someone who is constantly reapiting itself when trying expalining something. It occures ...
0
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1answer
13 views
Using “lacking” without specifying an exact area
There is an adjective "lacking" which could be used in a form like "lacking in sth", e.g.
He is lacking in confidence.
Is it possible to use it without providing specific area, e....
25
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10answers
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Why do you say “air conditioned” and not “conditioned air”?
For a non-native English speaker, it seems that "air" is a noun and "conditioned" is an adjective. Following the correct word order, the adjective should precede the noun, so it ...
0
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1answer
22 views
How does ellipses work in these sentences?
In the book Angel and Demons, Dan Brown says under chapter 3:
The camber was dark. Medieval. Stone.
To me it looks like a very telegraphic kind of describing a space, which is very different than ...
1
vote
1answer
28 views
Had been operative Vs had been operated
What is the difference between had been operative and had been operated.
Example :
the machines had been operative at the premises.
the machines had been operated at the premises.
Would it be ...
0
votes
1answer
19 views
The known unknowns
Is "known" an adjective while "unknown" is a noun here?
The known unknowns of T cell immunity to COVID-19
Abstract: Tremendous progress has been made in understanding the role of ...
0
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1answer
24 views
Adjective form of “develop” as a transitive verb
Can I use developing as an adjective, in reference to something that has developed something else? That is, if I say "It was a developing experience", does it work in the sense 'the ...
