Business English at Work

2003 Glencoe/McGraw-Hill

Adjectives
Adjective
An adjective is a word that modifies
(describes) a noun or a pronoun.
Several adjectives often appear in one
sentence.
More than one adjective may describe the
same noun or pronoun.

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Adjectives
continued

Adjective

An adjective answers these questions:

What kind? green, old, round, strong
Which one? this, that, these, those
How many? two, few, 300, two-thirds, all,
some
Whose? hers, Marias, companies
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PP 12-2b

Adjectives
Limiting Adjectives
Indicate how many.
May be numbers or words.
We must wait six weeks for the new chairs.
Lisa charges a $200 consulting fee.

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PP 12-3

Adjectives
Descriptive Adjectives
Before Nouns
Answer the question What kind?
Usually precede nouns or follow linking verbs.
Are placed as closely as possible to the noun
or pronoun they modify.
We request sealed bids for the workstation
estimates.
Back disorders may result from poor posture.
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Adjectives
Descriptive Adjectives
After Linking Verbs
Modify nouns or pronouns used as subjects.
Act as complements (predicate adjectives).
Proper office lighting is important.
The noise in this office seems excessive.

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Adjectives
Possessive Adjectives
Possessive pronouns such as my, her, his,
your, its, our function as adjectives.
Modify a noun or a pronoun.
Answer the question whose?
You should use a keyboard that meets your needs.
He liked his chair at work so much that he bought one
for his home office.
Richards degree is in marketing.
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Adjectives
Proper Adjectives
Proper adjectives are proper nouns or words derived
from proper nouns that function as adjectives. They
answer the question which?
Capitalize most proper adjectives as you would proper
nouns.
We selected the Italian desk lamps.
Do not capitalize proper adjectives when they lose their
connections with the proper nouns from which they were
derived.
Shelly recommends a light blue venetian blind.
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Adjectives
Demonstrative Adjectives
The four demonstrative adjectives that modify
nouns are this, that, these, those. These
adjectives answer the question which one? or
which ones?
Use this or that with singular nouns.
Use these and those with plural nouns.

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Adjectives
continued

Demonstrative Adjectives

Examples
We recommend this computer monitor for employees
with vision problems.
We will have difficulty complying with that safety
regulation.
Many of these injuries are unnecessary.
Are you sure those keyboards reduce wrist discomfort?

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Adjectives
Compound AdjectivesHyphenated
Before and After Nouns
Some compound adjective combinations use
hyphens when appearing before or after nouns or
in other locations in a sentence.
This work-related injury could have been prevented.
This office was described to me as fast-paced.

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Adjectives
Compound AdjectivesHyphenated
Only Before Nouns
Some compound adjective combinations use a hyphen
when appearing before a noun.
This well-known furniture company is the one we
selected.
When these combinations appear in other locations in a
sentence, they do not require hyphens.
We selected this furniture company because it is
well known.
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Adjectives
Common Compound Adjectives
Do not use a hyphen when an adjective plus a
noun combination is widely recognized as a
concept or institution.
Our real estate agent recommended moving to a new
location.
Most of our positions require more than a high school
education.
To avoid wrist injury, learn the keystroke combinations
for your word processing program.
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Adjectives
Nouns with Numbers
Use a hyphen to connect a number (words or
figures) and a noun to form a compound adjective
before a noun.
A 4-foot workstation

A 15-pound object

Do not use a hyphen when the expression

consisting of a number and noun follows the noun.
A workstation that is 4 feet
An object that is 15 pounds
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Adjectives
Numerical Compound Adjectives
Use hyphens in the numbers between 21 and
99 when the numbers are written as words.
Eighty-two out of one hundred adults will suffer
back problems at some point in their lives.
Our note to the bank is for $35,533 (Thirty-five
thousand five hundred thirty-three dollars).

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Adjectives
Series of Compound Adjectives
Use a hyphen in a series of compound
adjectives even though the base noun does
not follow each adjective.
Are you able to lift 15-, 20-, or 30-pound objects?
We had an opportunity to choose 4-, 6-, or 8-foot
workstations.

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Adjectives
Self Words
Use a hyphen when self is connected to
another word to form a compound adjective.
self-confidence
self-reliant
self-fulfilling
self-worth

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Adjectives
Fewer/Less
Use fewer with plural nouns that can be counted.
Use less with singular nouns that refer to degree
or amount or to things that cannot be counted.
Using computer function keys causes fewer hand
injuries.
Simple ergonomic changes cost less money to implement
than you might imagine.
Treehorn Books had fewer complaints after lowering the
bookshelves.
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