Exploring Adjective Phrases: Definition, Significance, and Usage

The most important units of language are phrases, clauses, and sentences. These three provide structure to our language. Phrases and clauses provide meaning to sentences and are often used to express emotions effectively. Talking about phrases, adjective phrases are usually used to give detailed information about the subject or object in the sentence. In this blog article, you will understand the definition of adjective phrases, their meanings, and how to use them.

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Adjective Phrase – Definition and Meaning

The adjective phrase acts as an adjective in the sentence. They are groups of words that modify nouns or pronouns acting as a subject or object in the sentence. It is also denoted as an adjectival phrase. 

For example, 

1. The big, fat hen is lying on the table.

In the above sentence, the big and fat are the words in the adjective phrase that are used to modify the noun hen in the sentence.

2. Rita wore a gorgeous, long dress to the party.

In the above example, the dress of Rita is modified using phrases such as gorgeous and long so the words gorgeous and long are adjective phrases that are used here to describe the dress of Rita.

As you can see in the examples adjective phrases can be used as the subject in the sentence or they can even act as Predicative Adjectives which are usually used after the linking verbs in the sentences.

Quick Read: What are Comparative and Superlative Adjectives? Everything You Need to Know

How to Identify Adjective Phrases in a Sentence?

Here are some of the tips that will help you search for the adjective phrases in the sentence correctly. Don’t forget to check out these things in a sentence during your search:

Starts with An Adjective: The very first word in the sentence acts as an adjective phrase which modifies the adjacent noun or pronoun. For example The beautiful red roses in the garden.

Include Modifiers and Complements: Adjective phrases can include one or more adjectives or adverbs to modify nouns or pronouns in the sentence. It can also include complements in the form of a prepositional phrase that further modifies or provides a detailed description of the noun in the sentence. For example: The beautiful red roses in the garden. Here, in the garden is the prepositional phrase that gives further information about the place where are the roses.

Act as a Combined Unit:  The words in the phrase together work to modify the meaning of nouns and pronouns and they should be of the same entity.

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Significance of Adjective Phrases 

Adjective phrases play a crucial role in a sentence as they help to make the sentence more appealing and informative by highlighting the necessary details. Some of them are as follows:

Act as Modifier: Adjective phrases primarily work as the modifier or provide detailed descriptions of the noun or pronoun in terms of their qualities or characteristics in the sentence. For example, The tall slim girl is my sister. 

For Making Comparisons: Adjective phrases are also used for making comparisons between the two nouns or pronouns. For example, The new laptop is faster than the old laptop.

Act as Predicative Adjectives: Adjective Phrases also act as predicate adjectives in the sentence which are used to describe nouns or pronouns in detail but are used after the linking verbs in a sentence instead of in the beginning of the sentence. For example, The sweet is scrumptious and delightful. 

Examples of Adjective Phrases

Some of the examples of the adjective phrases are:

• The happy, cheerful children played in the park.
• The tiny, little flowers bloomed in the park.
• The shiny, new black car sparkled in the sun.
• The strong, muscular man is my brother.
• The taste of the soup is sour and blonde

Quick Read: What are Comparative and Superlative Adjectives? Everything You Need to Know

Adjective Phrasal Exercise

1. Identify the adjective phrase in the following sentences.
2. The girl in the blue shirt is my sister.
3. This trip was quite adventurous and risky.
4. Is the keyring on the table yours?
5. My brother is shorter than my sister.
6. The big new Porche is noticed by everyone.
7. Can you buy a dark, Nescafe chocolate coffee for me?
8. All the children love to read stories about the great powerful Ashoka.
9. The tall slim young man is my brother.
10. The books are interesting and informative.
11.  Children are playing in the big, green garden.

Answers 

1. The girl in the blue shirt is my sister.
2. Is the keyring on the table yours?
3. My brother is shorter than my sister.
4. The big new Porche is noticed by everyone.
5. Can you buy a dark, Nescafe chocolate coffee for me?
6. All the children love to read stories about the great powerful Ashoka.
7. This trip was quite adventurous and risky.
8. The tall slim young man is my brother.
9. The books are interesting and informative.
10.  Children are playing in the big, green garden.

FAQs

Explore more Exciting Reads on Adjectives Here!

Types of Adjectives
Predicate adjectives	Limiting adjectives
Comparative adjectives	Proper adjectives
Superlative adjectives	Participial adjectives
Compound adjectives	Interrogative adjectives
Distributive adjectives	Descriptive adjectives
Demonstrative adjectives	Numerical Adjectives
Attributive adjectives	Article Adjectives
Possessive adjectives

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