Identifying adjectives Worksheet Practice Exercises with Answers

An adjective is a word that refers to a characteristic of a noun. How can you identify an adjective?

If you can put a word between the and a noun (like boy, or idea), then that word is an adjective.

Quick Tip 16.1

If you can put a word between the and a noun (for example, the boy), then that word is an adjective.

For example, since we can say the tall boy, tall is an adjective. Similarly, we can say the silly boy, the interesting boy, and the young boy. Therefore, silly, interesting, and young are all adjectives.

A number of adjectives, all used in the phrase the _____ boy are listed below. The adjectives are underlined:

1. the brilliant boy
2. the embarrassed boy
3. the blonde boy
4. the hungry boy
5. the delightful boy

Compare these phrases to *the very boy, *the a boy, and *the talk boy. Very, a, and talk are not adjectives.

What do adjectives actually do? Adjectives always tell us something about a noun. Another way of saying this is that they modify a noun. In the phrases we've just looked at, the underlined adjectives tell us something about, or modify, the noun boy.

Question 1. Which of the following words are adjectives? See if they sound right when you put them here: the _____ thing. Check the appropriate column.
Answer:
Adjective - Not an adjective
Sample: have - [Not an adjective]
(1) yellow - [Adjective]
(2) wonderful - [Adjective]
(3) these - [Not an adjective]
(4) quickly - [Not an adjective]
(5) unreliable - [Adjective]

Exam Tip: Apply the "the _____ thing" test to each word - if it sounds natural, it is an adjective.

Question 2. Underline the adjectives in the sentences below. In each case, the adjective will be between the and a noun. A sentence may have more than one adjective.
Answer:
(1) The strange robots marched towards the city.
(2) It was the last day of school.
(3) We tugged at the enormous gate.
(4) The billowing smoke alerted us to the fire.
(5) The sudden sandstorm forced the surprised bathers to flee the beach.

Exam Tip: Always check if a word fits between "the" and the noun - this confirms it is an adjective modifying that noun.

As we've said, a good way to decide if a word is an adjective is to see if it can be placed between the and a noun. But that doesn't mean that that's the only place where an adjective can occur; it's just a way to test a word to see if it's an adjective.

Here are some sentences where the adjective is in a different place. In each case, the adjective is underlined.

(6) He is a tall boy.
(7) My best friend loves chocolate cake.
(8) The house had a low roof.
(9) Large cars are harder to drive than small cars.

Let's make sure that each of the underlined words above passes the adjective test, that is, that it can appear between the and a noun.

(10) tall: the tall boy
(11) best: the best movie
(12) chocolate: the chocolate bar
(13) low: the low ceiling
(14) large: the large window
(15) small: the small window

As you can see, each of these words passes the adjective test. Notice also that each of these words describes a characteristic of a noun.

Question 3. Use the adjective test to find the adjectives in each of the sentences below. A sentence may have more than one adjective.
Answer:
(1) Evenings were a special time for the family.
(2) The next week was a busy one in the store.
(3) There's an unusual idea floating around.
(4) I turned a corner in the long hall.
(5) A dirty fork had fallen to the floor.

Exam Tip: Remember to apply the "the _____ noun" test to confirm each word is truly an adjective.

What do you notice about the underlined adjectives in the phrases below?

(16) the delicious rich cake
(17) my tall, red-haired, entertaining friend
(18) a bright, colorful, blue, striped pattern

As you can see, a noun can have more than one adjective modifying it. In fact, there is no limit to the number of adjectives that can modify a noun (except the patience and tolerance of the listener!).

Question 4. Underline the adjectives in each of the sentences below. Some of the nouns will be modified by more than one adjective.
Answer:
(1) They went off to see an old, gloomy, historic mansion in southern England.
(2) She had anticipated his sudden arrival.
(3) Angela ignored his annoying, persistent questions.
(4) I must get rid of my decrepit, banged-up little old car.
(5) We wouldn't want to cross this wide, busy street, would we?

Exam Tip: When multiple adjectives describe one noun, they all modify the same noun - test each one with "the _____ noun".

Remember that sometimes a word can function as one word category, or part of speech, in one sentence, and as another word category in another sentence (see Lesson 2). For example, let's look at the word cream. In the sentence I brought the cream, cream is a noun. But in the sentence That's a cream cake, cream is an adjective, telling us more about the noun cake.

Question 5. In each of the sentences below, decide if the underlined words are functioning as nouns or adjectives.
Answer:
(1) The window ledge is too narrow for a plant. - adjective
(2) That window is stuck shut. - noun
(3) This has been a chilly spring. - noun
(4) I'm enjoying this spring weather. - adjective
(5) The morning hours are not my best. - adjective

Exam Tip: Apply the "the _____ noun" test - if the word fits between "the" and a noun, it is an adjective in that context; otherwise, it is a noun.

Question 6. In each of the sentences below, decide if the underlined words are functioning as nouns, verbs, or adjectives.
Answer:
(1) He goes to a day school. - adjective
(2) I work during the day. - noun
(3) The defendant will shock them when they hear his response. - verb
(4) It was a terrible shock. - noun
(5) I will voice my opinion if I want to. - verb

Exam Tip: Check if the word describes a noun (adjective), names a person, place, or thing (noun), or shows an action (verb).

Question 7. In each of the sentences below, identify the word category of each word in each sentence.
Answer:
(1) A light rain fell.
determiner - adjective - noun - verb

(2) Ernie's friend likes a good argument.
determiner - noun - verb - determiner - adjective - noun

(3) His employee received that small bonus.
determiner - noun - verb - determiner - adjective - noun

(4) Some big cars take premium gasoline.
determiner - adjective - noun - verb - adjective - noun

(5) This question deserves a serious answer.
determiner - noun - verb - determiner - adjective - noun

Exam Tip: Identify each word's role - determiners come before nouns, adjectives describe nouns, verbs show action, and nouns name things.