RIC-6242 Primary Grammar and Word Study - Book C

Parts of speech
Adjectives
Focus
Common adjectives
Definition
• An adjective is a describing word. It adds meaning
to or changes the meaning of a noun or a pronoun.
Example:
These are comfortable shoes.
(describes the noun, ‘shoes’)
The car is shiny.
(describes the noun, ‘car’)
Note: The adjective does not always come before the
noun.
She is kind.
(describes the pronoun, ‘she’)
Explanation
The use of suitable adjectives not only makes our
written or spoken language more interesting, it gives
the reader or listener a clearer understanding.
Worksheet information
• Discuss what a describing word or adjective is with
the students. Ask them to think of a suitable word
to describe the colour/type of their eyes, hair or an
article of clothing they are wearing.
Example:
I have brown eyes.
I have straight hair.
I’m wearing white socks.
Encourage them to use the adjective in context in a
sentence.
• Read the story ‘A visit from Planet Pogo’ with the
students, helping them to identify the adjectives.
If students first identify the noun, they can ask
questions such as ‘What kind?’ in front of it to find
the adjective; for example, in the first sentence, the
word ‘noise’ is a noun in this context.
Ask: ‘What kind of noise?’ and the answer is ‘A loud
noise’ (i.e. ‘loud’ is the adjective). Point out that not
all nouns will have a word that describes them;
e.g. ‘homework’ in line 1. Note: The first word in
sentence 4, ‘It’, is a pronoun representing the noun
‘spaceship’ and the adjective that describes it is
‘silver’.
• Students answer the questions, highlighting or
circling the adjectives in the story. This activity is
intended to reinforce the importance of choosing
suitable adjectives to make a story more interesting
and to give the reader/listener a clearer picture.
• In Activity 2, students can choose more than one
adjective to describe their alien. Share student
responses with the class when the activities are
completed.
Ideas for further practice
• Give pairs of students a paper bag (or similar) with
an object inside. Students decide on four suitable
adjectives to describe the object and write them in
large letters on a sheet of paper. They hold up the
words and other students try to guess what is in the
bag. Further adjectives can be suggested if students
are unable to guess.
• Display an object from the classroom or a large
picture that represents a noun such as a building
or an animal. Students brainstorm to list suitable
adjectives to describe it. Suggest more inappropriate
examples and ask students why they are not
suitable.
Example:
‘skinny’ would not describe an apple.
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Answers
1. (a) a loud noise
(b) silver
(c) a dust storm
(d) a large bucket, old cloths and the green
garden hose
(e) a shiny, silver spaceship
2.–3. Teacher check
Primary grammar and word study 12
www.ricpublications.com.au R.I.C. Publications ®
ISBN 978-1-74126-766-2