Nominal adjectives (or substantive adjectives) are adjectives that can serve as nouns in a sentence, usually preceded by the definite article the (e.g., “The wealthy can be heartless”).
Other examples of nominal adjectives are:
An adjective phrase is a group of words that acts as an adjective in a sentence by modifying a noun (e.g., “the weathered gray house”).
An adverbial phrase (or adverb phrase) is a group of words that acts as an adverb in a sentence by modifying a verb, adjective, adverb, or entire clause (e.g., “He ran very quickly”).
Adjective phrases can contain adverbs (e.g., “the exceptionally smart dog”). To distinguish between adjective phrases and adverb phrases, think about what the phrase modifies in the sentence.
Yes, “fast” is an adjective used to describe someone or something as “capable of moving at great speed.”
It can also be used as some other parts of speech, including:
A QuillBot Grammar Check can help ensure you’re using words like “fast” correctly.
When adjectives of different categories are used to describe the same noun or pronoun, these are cumulative adjectives, and they must be listed according to the following order:
So, if a sentence uses the adjectives “silk” (material), “19th-century” (age), “delicate” (physical quality), and “ruby-red” (color) to describe a kimono (the noun), the adjectives should occur in this order: “a delicate 19th-century ruby-red silk kimono.”
“Gothic” is a proper adjective with several meanings, depending on the context:
QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can make sure you use “Gothic” correctly.
A proper adjective is formed from a proper noun and is typically capitalized.
Proper adjectives include terms derived from locations, languages, and ethnicities (e.g., “Bostonian,” “Sino-Tibetan,” “South Asian”); individuals’ names (such as “Keynesian,” “Darwinian,” “Newtonian”); and religious terms (e.g., “Rastafarian,” “Christian,” “Talmudic”) among other proper nouns.
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