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Let's dive into your question about the term for a word that describes nouns and pronouns. The term you're looking for is
ADJECTIVE. An adjective is a part of speech that modifies, or describes, a noun or a pronoun. It provides additional information about the noun or pronoun, such as the quality, quantity, or identity of the noun or pronoun.
Adjectives are versatile and can be used in various ways to enhance the meaning of a sentence. Here are some key points about adjectives:
1. Function: The primary function of an adjective is to modify a noun or a pronoun. It adds descriptive information to the noun or pronoun, making the meaning of the sentence clearer and more precise.
2. Position: Adjectives usually come before the noun or pronoun they modify, although there are some exceptions. For example, in the phrase "an old car," the adjective "old" comes before the noun "car."
3. Comparison: Adjectives can be compared to show differences in quality or quantity. They have comparative and superlative forms. For example, "bigger" is the comparative form of "big," and "biggest" is the superlative form.
4. Types: There are several types of adjectives, including:
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Descriptive adjectives: These describe the qualities of a noun or pronoun. Examples include "beautiful," "happy," and "tall."
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Demonstrative adjectives: These indicate which noun or pronoun is being referred to. Examples include "this," "that," "these," and "those."
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Interrogative adjectives: These are used to ask questions about a noun or pronoun. Examples include "which" and "what."
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Possessive adjectives: These show ownership or possession. Examples include "my," "your," "his," "her," "its," "our," and "their."
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Quantitative adjectives: These indicate the quantity or amount of a noun or pronoun. Examples include "many," "few," "several," and "some."
5. Agreement: Adjectives must agree with the noun or pronoun they modify in terms of number (singular or plural) and gender (masculine, feminine, or neuter) if the language has gender distinctions.
6. Usage: Adjectives can be used as the predicate of a sentence, following a linking verb like "to be" or "to seem." For example, in the sentence "The sky is blue," "blue" is an adjective that serves as the predicate.
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Articles and determiners: Articles ("a," "an," "the") and determiners ("this," "that," "these," "those") often work in conjunction with adjectives to provide additional information about the noun or pronoun.
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Adjective clauses: Adjectives can also function as part of an adjective clause, which provides more information about a noun. For example, in the sentence "The book that I read was fascinating," "that I read" is an adjective clause modifying the noun "book."
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