Proper Adjectives for intermediate learners
Proper adjectives are commonly used in English. They tend to modify nouns and pronouns. in this lesson, we will learn more about them.
What Are Proper Adjectives?
Why Do We Use Proper Adjectives?
As mentioned above, the major use of proper adjectives is to modify a proper noun. Take a look at some examples below:
I have a
The
Warning!
Please note that proper adjectives are always capitalized because they are made of proper nouns.
Proper adjectives can modify nouns, pronouns, or be subject complements in statements. Study the following examples carefully:
He is an
Here, the adjective is modifying a noun.
They are
Here, the proper adjective comes after a liking verb, therefore it is a subject complement.
Different Types of Proper Adjectives
Since these adjectives come from proper nouns, we have thousands of them in English. Take a quick look at the list below:
- Countries: Italian, Irish, Japanese, Hungarian
- Religions: Christian. Buddhist, Satanist
- Cities: Chicagoan, Venetian
- Famous People: Jacobean, Elizabethan, Victorian
Tip!
The Differences Between Proper Adjectives and Proper Nouns
The main difference between proper adjectives and proper nouns is that proper nouns are the root words for proper adjectives, but we can never find a root word for a proper noun. Study the following examples carefully:
I really enjoy watching
Here, the root word for 'German' is 'Germany' and it is a proper adjective.
Look at the beautiful
Here, 'London' is a proper noun and has no root words.