Harvey's Elementary Grammar and Composition · Lesson 78–80 · Part 2: Part II: The parts of speech in full

63. Definitive adjectives and parsing adjectives

Goal: Your child can sort definitive adjectives (pronominal and numeral) and parse any adjective.

⏱ About 30 minutes · 6 steps

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You'll need

  • The book, open to this lesson
  • Paper and a pencil (or a slate)

What's in the book

Lesson 78 lists pronominal adjectives (demonstratives, distributives, indefinites) and numeral adjectives (cardinals, ordinals, multiplicatives). Lessons 79 and 80 give the order of parsing an adjective, two models and twelve sentences.

The lesson, step by step

  1. Review

    Ask for the three degrees of good, bad and beautiful.

  2. Number words

    Read:

    Cardinals denote the number of objects; as, two, four, a thousand.

    Ordinals mark the position of an object in a series; as, second, fourth, thousandth.

    Multiplicatives denote how many fold; as, twofold, fourfold.

  3. Pronominal adjectives

    Read the book's lists of demonstratives (like this, that), distributives (like each, every, either) and indefinites (like some, any, few). The book notes:

    Some pronominals can be compared like descriptive adjectives; as, few, fewer, fewest; much, more, most.

  4. The order of parsing

    Read the book's order:

    1. An adjective, and why? 2. Descriptive or definitive, and why? 3. Compare it, if it admits of comparison. 4. Degree of comparison? 5. What does it modify? Rule.

    Then read Model I:

    Fearful storms sweep over these islands.

  5. Parse

    Parse the adjectives in a few of these:

    I saw a large drove of cattle.

    Every man received a penny.

    Two men wanted the fourth horse.

  6. Use it today

    Find a cardinal and an ordinal number on a calendar or a page today.

Answers to the book's problems

Examples: large: descriptive, large, larger, largest, positive, modifies drove. modern: descriptive, modifies history. Newfoundland: descriptive (from a proper noun), modifies dog. smallest: descriptive, superlative of small, modifies lemon. Every: definitive (distributive), modifies man. Either: definitive (distributive), modifies road. most honorable: descriptive, superlative, belongs to course (predicate). twofold: definitive, numeral (multiplicative), modifies view. What: interrogative adjective, modifies noise. Two: cardinal, modifies men; fourth: ordinal, modifies horse.

Worked out for this site from the scan. If a number in your copy differs, trust the book.

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