ADJECTIVE PHRASE

WHAT IS AN ADJECTIVE
PHRASE?
An adjective phrase, or an adjectival
phrase, is more than a group of
words with an adjective in it. It's
actually a group of words that
describe a noun or pronoun in a
sentence, thus functioning as an
adjective.
How Can I Identify an Adjective
Phrase?
The trick to identifying an adjective
phrase is to look at the first word
within the group of words. If the first
word is an adverb or a preposition,
there's a good chance you're looking
at an adjective phrase.
Ask yourself, what is this phrase
modifying? Is it describing a
noun? If it is, in fact, modifying the
noun or subject of a sentence,
then you're looking at an adjective
phrase.
What Does an Adjective Phrase
Consist Of?
An adjective phrase can be formed
out of an intensifier and an adjective.
An example might be:
• The dazzlingly beautiful woman
walked down the street.
• Sometimes, one adjective isn't descriptive
enough. In this case, a string of adjectives can
work together as an adjective phrase to
describe a noun, such as: She had the
most silky, smooth, and radiant hair I've ever
seen.
• In the sentence, "Monica is a sweet girl," there
is one adjective, namely, sweet. However, in
the sentence, "Monica is a sweet, intelligent,
beautiful girl," we see an adjectival phrase that
paints a much more in-depth picture of Monica.
 What Can Adjective Phrases Do in a
Sentence?
• Adjective phrases don't simply modify nouns. They can
also modify pronouns. Let's look at two examples:
• He is from Boston.
• Tom is from Boston.
• Each of these sentences has an adjective phrase. In the
first example, the adjective phrase from Boston points
back to the pronoun (and subject) "he." In the second
example, the adjective phrase from Boston points back to
the noun (and subject) "Tom."
It doesn't matter if the noun is a pronoun
or not; the adjective phrase still functions
in the same manner. So, if you're looking
for a more complex way to modify a
noun - beyond a simple adjective - try
using an adjective phrase. You can
either use several adjectives in a row,
begin a phrase with a preposition, or
start with an adverb to modify the noun
at hand.
 Examples of Adjective Phrases
Of course, the best way to understand this type of
phrase is to see it in action. Let's take a look at an
example with an adjective and one with an
adjective phrase:
• The beautiful house sits atop the hill.
• The house that is so beautiful sits atop the hill.
These two sentences mean the
same thing. However, the former has
an adjective, while the latter has an
adjectival phrase.
Here's another example:
• The angry dog barks all day long.
• The dog that seems very
angry barks all day long.
Again, these two sentences mean the same thing.
However, the former has an adjective, while the latter
has an adjectival phrase.
Some adjective phrases modify nouns or noun phrases.
Here are a few examples:
• The very small kitten jumped at the big dog.
• The cost of the car was way too high.
• The man covered with sweat trudged his way home.
• Something in the corner was moving.
• The big bug under the blanket is coming toward me.
Other adjective phrases modify the predicate of
the sentence. Here are some examples:
• Extra buttons came with the coat.
• Gremlins cause mischief inside of
machines.
• We were saddened by the news of his
demise.
• The brownies smell deliciously sweet.
• I was delighted he was chosen for the part.
 Adjective phrases can also modify objects and will
follow the word they are modifying. Here are
some examples:
• She wanted to paint her room lemony yellow.
• My new kitten makes me very happy.
• I sometimes pity people living in large cities.
• We are collecting money for children born
with heart defects.
• They were proud of their team winning the
championship.
 Adjective Phrases Provide Greater
Detail
A well-chosen adjective phrase can give a
sentence more life and personality. A single
adjective alone may be all the spice you need,
but if it can be built out into an adjective phrase,
you may be able to provide readers with greater
detail.
When you're ready to sprinkle some adjective
phrases into your writing, head over to 
Adjective Phrase Examples for more ideas.
Exercise
• The movie was not too terrible.
• A person smarter than me needs to
figure this out.
• The final exams were unbelievably
difficult.
• This pie is very delicious and extremely
expensive.
• Everyone was extremely delighted when
the winner was announced.
• The new outfit was very pricey but really
beautiful.
• Mom said the cost of a car is way too
high.
• Faster than a speeding bullet, Superman
saved the day.
• Students upset about the rising cost of
tuition staged a rally.
• That complex has quite small but
cheap apartments.
• Her eyes were incredibly
mesmerizing to the young man.
• The highly emotive actor gave a
wonderful performance.
• Your apple pie smells very tempting.
• Eating out is usually not very healthy.
• The extremely tired kitten fell asleep
by her food dish.
• She is rather fond of skiing.
• By the end of the date, I was fairly
bored with him.
• The overly enthusiastic fans painted
their bodies with the team's colors.
• A dog covered in mud makes a mess
in a car.
• The valedictorian was far too
serious about her GPA.
Predicate Adjective
• A predicate adjective is an adjective that
follows a linking verb and modifies (i.e.,
describes) the subject of the linking verb.
•  Predicate adjective contrasts with an
attributive adjective, which typically sits
immediately before the noun it modifies.
For Example:
 Examples of Predicate Adjectives
• Lee seems drunk.
• (The linking verb is "seems.")Everything is funny as
long as it is happening to somebody else.
• (The linking verb is "is.")If you look good, you don't
need a purpose in life.
• (The linking verb is "look.")What can you say about a
society which says that God is dead,
and Elvis is alive?
• (In both cases, the linking verb is "is.")
 Identifying Predicate Adjectives
• The verb to be (in its various forms,
e.g., am, are, is, was, were, will be, has
been, have been).
• The "sense" verbs (e.g., to feel, to look, to
smell, to taste, to sound).
• The "status" verbs (e.g., to appear, to
become, to continue, to grow, to seem, to turn).
A linking verb will always be completed by an
adjective (a predicate adjective) or a noun (
a predicate nominative).