Fiction, Adjective Phrases and Adjective Clauses
2020-05-15
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1Are you thinking of ways to pass the time and improve your English?
2In our electronic age, an old-fashioned kind of activity might be just what you need.
3Reading fiction is a great way to learn and explore new worlds.
4Today we will discuss one of the most important ways that writers use grammar to express images and ideas: different kinds of adjectives.
5We begin with some definitions.
6Nora Bacon is an English professor at the University of Nebraska Omaha.
7She has written about language, grammar and writing for several publications.
8Bacon also wrote a book, called "The Well-Crafted Sentence."
9In it, she notes that one of the biggest differences between spoken and written English is the use of 'adjectivals:' adjectives, adjective phrases, and adjective clauses.
10They are much more common in writing than in speaking, she notes.
11As many of you know, adjectives are words that add meaning to nouns.
12Consider this example.
13Toni Morrison was a writer.
14This statement does not have an adjective. It is a very simple, factual statement.
15Here is how an adjective could change the sentence:
16Toni Morrison was a great writer.
17The adjective great adds meaning to the noun, writer.
18This statement gives information about the speaker or writer's opinion of Morrison.
19Here is an important thing to remember about adjectives.
20Adjectives do not agree with the nouns they go with; they are neither singular nor plural.
21A final "s" is never added to an adjective, notes Betty Azar, a grammar expert we have noted in other Everyday Grammar programs.
22Here is an example that shows what she means:
23Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald were great writers.
24Note that the noun writers is plural.
25But the adjective great is the same as in our sentence about Toni Morrison.
26Sometimes, adjectives appear as phrases - groups of words.
27These adjective phrases can be part of the noun phrase, or they can come before or after it.
28Let me give you an example. Imagine you are reading a horror story:
29A thick, dark, oppressive fog covered the city.
30A fog, thick, dark, and oppressive, covered the city.
31Thick, dark, and oppressive, the fog covered the city.
32Writers often use these kinds of phrases to establish or develop a kind of feeling, or mood, in their story.
33Adjective clauses, also called relative clauses, are groups of words that have a subject-verb pair.
34Some words, such as that, which, or who, often lead into adjective clauses.
35Think back to our example about the fog.
36Here is how it might change if it had an adjective clause.
37The fog that covered the city was dark and thick.
38In general, the adjective clause comes after the noun that it is describing.
39Adjective clauses often answer questions like "What kind of?" or "Which one?"
40Sometimes writers leave out words such as that or who. With time, you will begin to recognize when these words do not appear.
41If you would like to learn more about words that disappear from relative clauses, read The Mystery of the Disappearing That.
42You can find it on our website, learningenglish.voanews.com.
43Let us turn to another example, this one from My Grandmother's Choice by writer Amy Tan.
44Tan describes an old picture she rediscovered.
45She wrote the following words:
46"The dark-jacketed woman next to her is a servant..."
47The term dark-jacketed acts like an adjective and describes the noun, woman. But something might be missing...
48Let's think about the example again, with one small change:
49"The dark-jacketed woman (who is) next to her is a servant..."
50The adjective clause is who is next to her is a servant. The words who is do not appear.
51You have now learned about all kinds of adjectives.
52These adjective structures are one of the most important tools that writers use to bring their stories to life.
53The next time you are reading a book - science fiction, mystery, romance - try to find examples of adjectives, adjective phrases, and adjective clauses.
54Over time, you will begin to understand how writers develop their special, unique, and wonderful styles.
55And that's Everyday Grammar.
56I'm Ashley Thompson.
57And I'm John Russell.
1Are you thinking of ways to pass the time and improve your English? In our electronic age, an old-fashioned kind of activity might be just what you need. 2Reading fiction is a great way to learn and explore new worlds. 3Today we will discuss one of the most important ways that writers use grammar to express images and ideas: different kinds of adjectives. 4We begin with some definitions. 5Adjectives 6Nora Bacon is an English professor at the University of Nebraska Omaha. She has written about language, grammar and writing for several publications. 7Bacon also wrote a book, called "The Well-Crafted Sentence." In it, she notes that one of the biggest differences between spoken and written English is the use of 'adjectivals:' adjectives, adjective phrases, and adjective clauses. They are much more common in writing than in speaking, she notes. 8As many of you know, adjectives are words that add meaning to nouns. Consider this example. 9Toni Morrison was a writer. 10This statement does not have an adjective. It is a very simple, factual statement. 11Here is how an adjective could change the sentence: 12Toni Morrison was a great writer. 13The adjective great adds meaning to the noun, writer. 14This statement gives information about the speaker or writer's opinion of Morrison. 15Here is an important thing to remember about adjectives. Adjectives do not agree with the nouns they go with; they are neither singular nor plural. A final "s" is never added to an adjective, notes Betty Azar, a grammar expert we have noted in other Everyday Grammar programs. 16Here is an example that shows what she means: 17Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald were great writers. 18Note that the noun writers is plural. But the adjective great is the same as in our sentence about Toni Morrison. 19Adjective phrases 20Sometimes, adjectives appear as phrases - groups of words. 21These adjective phrases can be part of the noun phrase, or they can come before or after it. Let me give you an example. Imagine you are reading a horror story: 22A thick, dark, oppressive fog covered the city. 23A fog, thick, dark, and oppressive, covered the city. 24Thick, dark, and oppressive, the fog covered the city. 25Writers often use these kinds of phrases to establish or develop a kind of feeling, or mood, in their story. 26Adjective clauses 27Adjective clauses, also called relative clauses, are groups of words that have a subject-verb pair. 28Some words, such as that, which, or who, often lead into adjective clauses. Think back to our example about the fog. Here is how it might change if it had an adjective clause. 29The fog that covered the city was dark and thick. 30In general, the adjective clause comes after the noun that it is describing. 31Adjective clauses often answer questions like "What kind of?" or "Which one?" 32Sometimes writers leave out words such as that or who. With time, you will begin to recognize when these words do not appear. 33If you would like to learn more about words that disappear from relative clauses, read The Mystery of the Disappearing That. 34You can find it on our website, learningenglish.voanews.com. 35An example from Amy Tan 36Let us turn to another example, this one from My Grandmother's Choice by writer Amy Tan. Tan describes an old picture she rediscovered. She wrote the following words: 37"The dark-jacketed woman next to her is a servant..." 38The term dark-jacketed acts like an adjective and describes the noun, woman. But something might be missing... 39Let's think about the example again, with one small change: 40"The dark-jacketed woman (who is) next to her is a servant..." 41The adjective clause is who is next to her is a servant. The words who is do not appear. 42Closing thoughts 43You have now learned about all kinds of adjectives. These adjective structures are one of the most important tools that writers use to bring their stories to life. 44The next time you are reading a book - science fiction, mystery, romance - try to find examples of adjectives, adjective phrases, and adjective clauses. 45Over time, you will begin to understand how writers develop their special, unique, and wonderful styles. 46And that's Everyday Grammar. 47I'm Ashley Thompson. 48And I'm John Russell. 49John Russell wrote this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 50______________________________________________________________ 51Words in This Story 52old-fashioned - adj. traditional or not modern; of or relating to the past: such as no longer used or accepted 53fiction - n. stories about people and events that are not real; literature that tells stories which are imagined by the writer 54grammar - n. the whole system and structure of a language or languages in general 55phrase - n. a group of two or more words that express a single idea but do not usually form a complete sentence 56clause - n. grammar: a part of a sentence that has its own subject and verb 57plural - adj. a word meaning more than one in number 58jacket - n. a piece of clothing, placed over the shoulders and extending to the waist or hips 59unique - adj. being one of a kind