Phrases, Adjectives, Determiners to Describe Autumn
2021-10-01
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1North America is now in the fall season - a time of cooler temperatures, colorful leaves, and seasonal treats.
2Fall is a season we describe in terms of colors and feelings.
3Yellow or orange leaves fill many trees.
4And people feel happiness or calmness when they walk outdoors.
5In this week's Everyday Grammar, we will explore the connection between fall and grammar.
6You will learn about how to describe fall through noun phrases, adjectives and determiners - markers of nouns.
7Let's start with a few important terms and ideas.
8Noun phrases are groups of words that act like a noun in a sentence.
9Noun phrases can appear as the subject of a sentence, or they can appear in the predicate - the part of the sentence that says something about the subject.
10Consider the following statement:
11A cool wind suggested the arrival of fall.
12The words a cool wind make up a noun phrase and act as the subject of the sentence.
13In the sentence's predicate, the words the arrival of fall are another example of a noun phrase.
14Let us consider each of the words in a cool wind individually. Wind is a noun.
15Cool is an adjective.
16The word a is a determiner - it identifies the beginning of the noun phrase and tells whether it is general or specific.
17Think of determiners as markers of nouns or noun phrases.
18They act like a sign to show that a noun is coming.
19These determiners mark the beginning of a noun phrase - much like the way changing leaves might mark the arrival of fall.
20Determiners include words such as the, a, an, this, those.
21Some grammar books say some kinds of pronouns - his, her, their - act as determiners as well.
22For example:
23Their new tree has such beautiful leaves!
24When you can identify determiners, your ability to identify nouns and adjectives will improve.
25And you will be better able to understand sentences in which you do not know the meaning of all of the individual words.
26Imagine you are reading a book that describes the fall.
27You might read something like the following:
28The -[blank]- leaves fell from the tree.
29The sentence begins with the determiner the.
30Then there is the noun leaves.
31But what about the missing word?
32You know that it is likely an adjective.
33It is a term that describes something about the noun.
34Ask yourself what kinds of adjectives usually describe leaves.
35Now let's add the word:
36The radiant leaves fell from the tree.
37You can probably tell that radiant means something close to bright or colorful.
38After all, the term is describing leaves.
39And leaves are generally described as bright or colorful.
40But the sentence could have been different, as in:
41The amber leaves fell from the tree.
42In this case, amber means a color that is between yellow and orange.
43But still, the adjective connects with the general idea of light and color.
44All the examples we have explored use a determiner to mark the beginning of a noun phrase.
45But English sentences do not always have such words.
46Consider the following statement:
47Large pumpkins lined the road.
48In this case, the subject is large pumpkins - a noun phrase that consists of an adjective, large, and a noun, pumpkins.
49Still, the general idea is that the adjective comes before the noun.
50The next time you read in English, pay careful attention to how the writers use determiners, adjectives and noun phrases.
51Note when determiners are present and when they are not.
52With time, you will use adjectives, noun phrases and determiners to create your own descriptions - perhaps of a happy fall day, perhaps of another time altogether.
53I'm John Russell.
1North America is now in the fall season - a time of cooler temperatures, colorful leaves, and seasonal treats. 2Fall is a season we describe in terms of colors and feelings. Yellow or orange leaves fill many trees. And people feel happiness or calmness when they walk outdoors. 3In this week's Everyday Grammar, we will explore the connection between fall and grammar. You will learn about how to describe fall through noun phrases, adjectives and determiners - markers of nouns. 4Let's start with a few important terms and ideas. 5Noun phrases, adjective, determiners 6Noun phrases are groups of words that act like a noun in a sentence. Noun phrases can appear as the subject of a sentence, or they can appear in the predicate - the part of the sentence that says something about the subject. 7Consider the following statement: 8A cool wind suggested the arrival of fall. 9The words a cool wind make up a noun phrase and act as the subject of the sentence. In the sentence's predicate, the words the arrival of fall are another example of a noun phrase. 10Let us consider each of the words in a cool wind individually. Wind is a noun. Cool is an adjective. The word a is a determiner - it identifies the beginning of the noun phrase and tells whether it is general or specific. 11Determiners can mark the beginning of noun phrases 12Think of determiners as markers of nouns or noun phrases. They act like a sign to show that a noun is coming. These determiners mark the beginning of a noun phrase - much like the way changing leaves might mark the arrival of fall. 13Determiners include words such as the, a, an, this, those. Some grammar books say some kinds of pronouns - his, her, their - act as determiners as well. 14For example: 15Their new tree has such beautiful leaves! 16Determiners can help you identify nouns and adjectives 17When you can identify determiners, your ability to identify nouns and adjectives will improve. And you will be better able to understand sentences in which you do not know the meaning of all of the individual words. 18Imagine you are reading a book that describes the fall. You might read something like the following: 19The -[blank]- leaves fell from the tree. 20The sentence begins with the determiner the. Then there is the noun leaves. But what about the missing word? 21You know that it is likely an adjective. It is a term that describes something about the noun. Ask yourself what kinds of adjectives usually describe leaves. 22Now let's add the word: 23The radiant leaves fell from the tree. 24You can probably tell that radiant means something close to bright or colorful. After all, the term is describing leaves. And leaves are generally described as bright or colorful. 25But the sentence could have been different, as in: 26The amber leaves fell from the tree. 27In this case, amber means a color that is between yellow and orange. But still, the adjective connects with the general idea of light and color. 28What if you don't see a determiner? 29All the examples we have explored use a determiner to mark the beginning of a noun phrase. 30But English sentences do not always have such words. 31Consider the following statement: 32Large pumpkins lined the road. 33In this case, the subject is large pumpkins - a noun phrase that consists of an adjective, large, and a noun, pumpkins. 34Still, the general idea is that the adjective comes before the noun. 35The next time you read in English, pay careful attention to how the writers use determiners, adjectives and noun phrases. Note when determiners are present and when they are not. 36With time, you will use adjectives, noun phrases and determiners to create your own descriptions - perhaps of a happy fall day, perhaps of another time altogether. 37I'm John Russell. 38John Russell wrote this lesson for Learning English. Susan Shand was the editor. 39_____________________________________________________________ 40Words in This Story 41fall - n. the season between summer and winter : the season when leaves fall from trees 42grammar - n. the entire system and structure of a language 43specific - adj. precise or exact 44pumpkin - n. a large, round, orange vegetable used as food and sometimes as a decoration