Unit 10
Verbs and Nouns Used as Adjectives
Verbs Used as Adjectives
The present participle and the past participle of some verbs can be used as adjectives. The present participle is the form that ends in -ing (see also page 42):
Review the present participles in the following list:
These adjectives describe a person or thing that “performs the action of the verb.”
exercise 10-1
Select the word that best completes each sentence:
1. We left the movie before it ended because it was _____________________________.
2. The math test was too hard for me; I thought the word problems were very _____________________________.
3. I don’t like horror movies because they are _____________________________.
4. Helping other people is extremely _____________________________.
5. That novel has a lot of different stories happening at the same time; it is very ______________________.
6. The circus trapeze artist performed a lot of dangerous stunts. He was a ________________________ young man.
The past participle of the verb can also be used as an adjective. This is the verb form that often ends in -ed or -en. There are also quite a few irregular past participles that have different endings. (See page 144.) Following are examples of past participles that are commonly used as adjectives:
She is excited about her trip.
The toy is broken.
We were surprised to hear the news.
The child is lost.
Review the past participles in the following list:
exercise 10-2
Choose appropriate words from the previous list to fill in the blanks.
1. She needed glasses to read the _________________________________ words.
2. He couldn’t hear the _________________________________ words.
3. Police detectives are searching for the _________________________________ painting.
4. It is very dangerous to drive if you are _________________________________.
5. She lives alone now, as her children are all _________________________________.
6. The _________________________________ soldiers were taken to a hospital.
7. _________________________________ fabric is sturdier than knitted fabric.
8. He used his _________________________________ T-shirt for a rag.
9. The people could not read that book because it was on the king’s list of _________________________________ books.
10. Our new neighbor doesn’t talk very much; she is shy and _________________________________.
Often, the present participle adjective defines the cause of something. The past participle adjective defines the person affected:
exercise 10-3
Select the present participle adjective or the past participle adjective, depending on which best completes each sentence.
1. We thought the movie was fascinating/fascinated.
2. The children were not very interesting/interested in the story.
3. That is very surprising/surprised news.
4. I thought the questions were confusing/confused.
5. That movie was so scary, I was really terrifying/terrified.
6. When the band arrived, we were very exciting/excited.
7. My friend was captivating/captivated by that novel.
8. That store has a lot of satisfying/satisfied customers.
9. Waiting in line can be very frustrating/frustrated.
10. We were inspiring/inspired by our leader’s speech.
Nouns Used as Adjectives
Certain nouns can be used as adjectives to tell what the noun described is made of:
exercise 10-4
Write definitions for the following items.
1. a gold necklace _____________________________________________________________________
2. a metal hook _____________________________________________________________________
3. a plastic tray _____________________________________________________________________
4. a silver bracelet _____________________________________________________________________
5. an oak floor _____________________________________________________________________
6. a wicker basket _____________________________________________________________________
7. a dirt road _____________________________________________________________________
8. a silk blouse _____________________________________________________________________
9. a wool skirt _____________________________________________________________________
10. a cotton blanket _____________________________________________________________________
Certain nouns can be used as adjectives to tell what the noun described is meant to contain. In some cases the two words are written together as one word:
exercise 10-5
Write definitions for the following items.
1. a jewelry box ______________________________________________________________
2. an ashtray ______________________________________________________________
3. a trash can ______________________________________________________________
4. a picture frame ______________________________________________________________
5. a flour sack ______________________________________________________________
6. a key ring ______________________________________________________________
7. a grocery bag ______________________________________________________________
8. a glove compartment ______________________________________________________________
9. a lunchbox ______________________________________________________________
10. a garbage pail ______________________________________________________________
Certain nouns can be used as adjectives to tell the purpose of the noun described:
A potato peeler is used for peeling potatoes.
A dishwasher is used for washing dishes.
exercise 10-6
Write what each of the following is used for.
1. a nutcracker ______________________________________________________________
2. a can opener ______________________________________________________________
3. a fire extinguisher ______________________________________________________________
4. a CD player ______________________________________________________________
5. an ice pick ______________________________________________________________
6. a hair dryer ______________________________________________________________
7. nail polish remover ______________________________________________________________
8. a pencil sharpener ______________________________________________________________
9. spot remover ______________________________________________________________
10. a floor polisher ______________________________________________________________
Certain nouns can be used as adjectives to tell what is sold in the type of store described:
exercise 10-7
Write five other types of stores or shops.
1. ______________________________________________________________
2. ______________________________________________________________
3. ______________________________________________________________
4. ______________________________________________________________
5. ______________________________________________________________
Certain nouns define other nouns by their type:
exercise 10-8
Write the names of the items described.
Some adjectives are formed by adding the suffix -ed to a noun. These adjectives often follow another descriptive adjective to which it is closed up or connected by a hyphen:
Review the following noun 1 -ed adjectives:
exercise 10-9
Circle the most appropriate adjective to fill in each blank.
1. We didn’t want to do business with him because he was so _____________________________.
2. I wasn’t worried on the hike because our leader was _____________________________.
3. He got the job done efficiently because of his approach.
4. The meeting went on for hours because of too many _____________________________ speakers.
5. The school principal treats all cases equally; she is very _____________________________.
6. Try not to make him angry. He’s so _____________________________ he might make a scene.
Compound Adjectives
A noun connected to its modifiers by hyphens can be used as an adjective. The noun is used in singular form, even though it is modified by a plural marker:
exercise 10-10
Write definitions for the following.
1. a five-year plan ______________________________________________________________
2. a three-year warranty ______________________________________________________________
3. a lifetime guarantee ______________________________________________________________
4. a ten-minute discussion ______________________________________________________________
5. a three-pound weight ______________________________________________________________
6. a two-week vacation ______________________________________________________________
7. a two-year contract ______________________________________________________________
8. an all-day meeting ______________________________________________________________
9. an all-night party ______________________________________________________________
10. an everyday occurrence ______________________________________________________________