Category Archives: Adjective Phrase

Adjective Phrase

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** Adjective Phrase:

An adjective phrase is a phrase that tells us something about the noun it is modifying. The head (principal) word in an adjective phrase will be an adjective.

  • The girl in white is my sister.
  • Lenin was a leader second to none.
  • A thing of beauty is a joy for ever.
  • The boy playing with the toy is my brother.
  • The nearby motel offers cheap but comfortable rooms. (In this example, the head adjective starts the adjective phrase.)
  • These are unbelievably expensive shoes.(In this example, the head adjective ends the adjective phrase.)
  • Sarah was fairly bored with you. (In this example, the head adjective is in the middle of the adjective phrase.)
    • The extremely tired lioness is losing patience with her overly enthusiastic cub.
    • My mother was fairly unhappy with the service.
    • Her baking always smells very tempting.
    • The consequences of agreeing were far too serious.
    • The dog covered in mud looked pleased with himself.
  • The beautifully carved frames are worth more than the painting.
  • The frames beautifully carved by monks are worth more than the painting.
  • The curtains look far too long.(This is a predicative adjective phrase. The linking verb is look.)
  • The frames were beautifully carved by monks. (This is a predicative adjective phrase. The linking verb is were.)

>More Example:

  • The extremely tired lioness is losing patience with her overly enthusiastic cub. (Both adjective phrases are used attributively. They appear inside the noun phrases The extremely tired lioness and her overly enthusiastic cub.)
  • My mother was fairly unhappy with the service. (The adjective phrase is used predicatively. It appears outside the noun phrase My mother. The linking verb is was.)
  • Her baking always smells very tempting. (The adjective phrase is used predicatively. It appears outside the noun phrase Her baking. The linking verb is smells.)
  • The consequences of agreeing were far too serious. (The adjective phrase is used predicatively. It appears outside the noun phrase The consequences of agreeing. The linking verb is were.)
  • The dog covered in mud looked pleased with himself. (In this example, the first adjective phrase is used attributively. It appears inside the noun phrase The dog covered in mud. The second is used predicatively. It appears outside the same noun phrase. The linking verb is looked.)

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