Blessed Love

Poltak Sirait Blog

The Siraits

Poltak Sirait Blog

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Sosialisasi Perundang-undangan Kebudayaan

Brothers in Law

Poltak Sirait Blog

My Beloved Daddy

Your Blessing upon me always

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Thursday, March 26, 2015

DKN XII AP (updated)

Enroll below the page than click your class.
Roll Ke halaman bawah dan klik sesuai kelas.
 






 

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

The differences between Men and Women

Let's get fun with these....



Monday, March 23, 2015

FINAL LISTENING PRACTICE

Listen to then fill in your worksheet


TPI AL HASANAH 2015 - FINAL LISTENING PRACTICE TEST
WORKSHEET (A)
A Activity 1

A. Where does he work?

B. I work in

C. I cook in a hotel or restaurant

D. What does he do?


Activity 2
Give an appropriate answer/completeness to the sentences below:

Dialog A : What do?

Dialog B : to a of

Dialog C : What does the man do?

Dialog D : He devices.

Dialog E : I’d

Dialog F : What is Jenny’s father job?


WORKSHEET (B)
A Activity 1.

A. My daily works are

B. I look after

C. I am a

D. I work in


Activity 2
Give an appropriate answer/completeness to the sentences below:

Dialog A : He and in the restaurant.

Dialog B : ma’am?

Dialog C : What is the man job?

Dialog D : No , He

Dialog E : I’m , been fully booked.

Dialog F : What does Jenny’s father do?


PERUBAHAN UN 2015

UN 2015 TUDAK MENENTUKAN KELULUSAN.


Saturday, March 21, 2015

Learning English with Song#Soledad by Westlife

Song: Soledad - Westlife

I Nothingville That could did image just keeping left more
the things will you

If only you could see the tears in the world you behind
If only you could heal my heart just one time
Even when I close my eyes
Theres an of your face
And once again I come Ill realise
Youre a loss I cant replace
Soledad
Its a for the lonely
Since the day that you were gone
Why did you leave me
Soledad
In my heart were the only
And your memory live on
Why you leave me
Soledad
Walking down the streets of
Where our love was young and free
Cant believe what an empty place
It has come to be
would give my life away
If it could only be same
Cause I conceal the voice inside of me
is calling out your name
Time will never change the you told me
After all were meant to be love bring us back to you and me
If only you see
SCORE:

Learning English with Song #Céline Dion - My Heart Will Go On






Song: My Heart Will Go On - Celine Dion

In Near across between for in
on till to

Every night my dreams


I see you. I feel you.

That is how I know you go .

Far the distance

And spaces us

You have come show you go .

, far, wherever you are

I believe that the heart does go

Once more you open the door

And youre here my heart

And my heart will go and

Love can touch us one time

And last a lifetime

And never go were one

Love was when I loved you

One true time I hold

my life well always go

, far, wherever you are

I believe that the heart does go

Once more you open the door

And youre here my heart

And my heart will go and

There is some love that will not

go away

Youre here, there's nothing I fear,

And I know that my heart will go

Well stay forever this way

You are safe my heart

And my heart will go and

Source : http://www.learnenglishthroughsongs.com/ ; https://www.youtube.com/

Season and Weather

Indonesia  has just 2 seasons but the weather has similarity in several countries as well as in Indonesia. Get clear with the weather here... The Waether

Uses of Must

Must is one of Modals Verb that often uses in daily conversation. Get close with it here...Must

Simple Conditionals Trick



Conditionals is one vocational grade lesson and may difficult to tackle by some students. Here is a simple trick to understand it. Nice learning

www.grammar.cl ;
www.vocabulary.cl ;
www.woodwardenglish.com Download :

<Conditional trick>

Friday, March 20, 2015

Happy 4th Birthday my son

2011

2012

2013

2015
Four years ago you were a baby, as time goes you are 4 years old now and ready for school. You are my pride and my successor. Thanks God Mula Jadi Nabolon always . Happy Birthday.

Thursday, March 19, 2015

Silsilah Marga Batak (Bataks Clan Family Tree)

Batak societies are patriarchally organized along clans known as Marga. A traditional belief among the Toba Batak is that they originate from one ancestor "Si Raja Batak", with all Margas descended from him. A family tree that defines the father-son relationship among Batak people is called tarombo. In contemporary Indonesia, Batak people have a strong focus on education and a prominent position in the professions, particularly as teachers, engineers, doctors and lawyers. (en.wikipideia.org)

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

XII AP 1 Remedial Test

Please submit your remedial sheet on Thursday March, 19 2015.
Remedial dikumpul pada hari Kamis, 19 Maret 2015.

Monday, March 16, 2015

DKN XI AP

Roll ke halaman bawah dan pilih sesuai kelas.

Sunday, March 15, 2015

My LAN Speed

Important....!

TANAH AIR Jalan Hening Merawat Warisan Parmalim

TANAH AIR Jalan Hening Merawat Warisan Parmalim
Kebersahajaan, welas asih, dan semangat menaati aturan menjadi tiga pilar keyakinan yang mewujud dalam harmoni hidup penghayat Parmalim, kepercayaan asli kaum Batak. Berabad-abad, kredo ini lentur menghadapi tantangan peradaban hingga terus diwariskan ke generasi berikutnya. Di jalan hening, mereka setia merawat warisan nilai leluhur dan moyangnya.

Saturday, March 14, 2015

Tamiang Martapian (Doa Mandi)


Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Silsilah SIRAIT SIAGIAN#Pomparan Ni Ompu Mangisi Sirait (Parsarune)

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Blog Slide







Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Tunjangan Guru Cair Awal April 2015

ANGGARAN yang dikucurkan pemerintah untuk membayar tunjangan profesi guru (TPG) semakin membengkak. Tahun lalu, anggaran pembayaran TPG yang ditransfer ke daerah (untuk PNS daerah) sekitar Rp 60,5 triliun. Tahun ini, alokasi itu naik menjadi Rp 70,2 triliun.
Direktur Pembinaan Pendidik dan Tenaga Kependidikan (P2TK) Ditjen Pendidikan Dasar (Dikdas) Kemendikbud Sumarna Surapranata mengatakan, alokasi anggaran TPG paling besar memang disalurkan ke daerah langsung. “Sedangkan anggaran di Kemendikbud hanya sekitar Rp 6,2 triliun,” katanya di Jakarta kemarin.
Pejabat yang akrab disapa Pranata itu menuturkan, anggaran TPG yang ditransfer ke daerah untuk membayar tunjangan profesi guru-guru PNS. Sementara itu, anggaran TPG yang dikelola Kemendikbud untuk membayar tunjangan profesi guru non-PNS alias guru swasta dan guru bantu. Pranata menyatakan, kenaikan anggaran TPG itu banyak penyebabnya.
Seperti bertambahnya jumlah sasaran penerima dan kenaikan gaji pokok guru PNS secara berkala. Dia berharap, tahun ini, pencairan TPG tepat waktu, jumlah, dan sasaran. “Total anggaran TPG itu siap ditransfer ke pemkab atau pemkot,” ujarnya. Tetapi, tidak dikucurkan semuanya. Pranata menyatakan, pengucuran anggaran TPG dari Kementerian Keuangan (Kemenkeu) itu dibagi menjadi empat tahap.
Pencairan tahap pertama dipakai untuk membayar rapelan TPG periode Januari–Maret. Pranata memperkirakan pencairan periode pertama itu berjalan antara 9–16 April. Saat ini, Direktorat P2TK Kemendikbud masih mempersiapkan penerbitan surat keputusan pencairan tunjangan (SKPT). Mulai tahun ini, diberlakukan regulasi baru untuk pencairan TPG dari Kemenkeu ke pemkab atau pemkot.
Pemkab dan pemkot wajib melaporkan progres pencairan di setiap tahapan. Jika mereka tidak melaporkan, transfer dana tahap berikutnya akan ditunda. “Kami tidak ingin ada penimbunan uang TPG di daerah,” jelasnya. Ketika sudah jelas guru calon penerima, maka TPG harus segera dicairkan.
Jika dalam praktiknya nanti TPG tidak kunjung cair, Pranata menyatakan, harus dicari titik persoalannya. Dari status gurunya yang bermasalah, atau faktor-faktor lain. Tapi menurut dia, biasanya masalah sepele. Yakni, rekening guru itu sudah mati, sehingga harus membuat rekening baru.
Banyak guru yang membuka rekening khusus untuk menampung pencairan TPG. Ketika saldo tinggal sedikit dan TPG baru cair, beberapa bulan kemudian, rekening bisa ditutup otomatis oleh pihak bank. Untuk mengantisipasi masalah tersebut, guru-guru penerima TPG diharapkan mulai mengecek status rekening masing-masing.(wan/jpnn/che/k8)
Dikutip dari : http://kaltimpost.co.id/berita/detail/134025-tunjangan-guru-cair-awal-april.html

Conditional Sentences

IF Conditional 

Because conditional sentences are quite complex in both form and meaning, they are a problem for most learners of English. If you have a good understanding of the English tense system and of the modal auxiliaries, you will find it easier to understand and use conditional sentences. (The sentence you just read is a predictive conditional sentence.) All conditional sentences contain a dependent clause and an independent clause. The dependent clause usually begins with if; it expresses a condition. The independent clause expresses a result of the condition. The if-clause is usually first, but the order of the clauses is usually not important. Thus, these two sentences have basically the same meaning:

If she goes to the store, she will buy ice cream.

She will buy ice cream if she goes to the store.
You have probably noticed that different teachers, textbooks, and Web sites sometimes explain the same thing in different ways. This seems to be especially true of conditional sentences. However, two different explanations can both be correct, especially if the difference is due to the fact that complicated material has been organized in different ways. This is often true of explanations of conditionals that you find in your textbooks. Here conditional sentences are divided into three types based on their meanings: real, predictive, and imaginative conditional sentences.
Also see The Sentence, Modal Auxiliaries, Verbs A-L, Verbs M-Z, Tenses, and Adverb Clauses.

A. Real conditional sentences can express generalizations and inferences.
1. Generalizations include facts that are always true and never change, and they include present or past habitual activities that are or were usually true.
Real conditionals expressing generalizations usually have the same tense (usually simple present or simple past) in both clauses. However, if the simple present tense is used in the if-clause, will + verb can be used in the main clause without changing the meaning.
Examples of real conditional sentences expressing facts:

If water boils, it turns to steam.

If water boils, it will turn to steam.
Examples of real conditional sentences expressing habitual activities:

If he eats breakfast, he feels better all day.

If he eats breakfast, he will feel better all day.

If he ate breakfast, he felt better all day.
These generalizations can also be expressed by using when or whenever instead of if:

When water boils, it turns to steam.

When he eats breakfast, he feels better all day.

When he ate breakfast, he felt better all day.
2. Inferences are often expressed in real conditional sentences.
Real conditionals expressing inferences usually have parallel verb phrases in both clauses. However, if a modal which explicitly expresses an inference (must or should, for example) is used in the main clause, parallel verb phrases are not used.
Examples of real conditional sentences expressing inferences:

If today is Wednesday, it is George’s birthday.

If I can do it, anyone can do it.

if it is raining, the streets are getting wet.

If he was at school, he saw the accident.

If today is Wednesday, it must be George’s birthday.

If I can do it, anyone must be able to do it.

if it is raining, the streets must be getting wet.

If he was at school, he must have seen the accident.

B. Predictive conditional sentences can express predictions and plans.
1. Predictive conditional sentences usually contain simple present tense in the if-clause and will or be going to in the result clause. However, a weaker modal of prediction (may or should, for example) can be used in the result clause to express less certainty.
2. Examples of predictive conditional sentences:

If the exam is hard, many students are going to fail.

If Mary does well on the final exam, she will get an A in the class.

If George does well on the final exam, he may get an A in the class.

If Fred studies, he should pass the exam.

C. Imaginative conditional sentences are the most difficult for many learners of English because of the unusual relationship between form (the tenses used) and meaning.
In this type of conditional sentence, past tense refers to present or future time; past perfect tense refers to past time. Another problem for many learners of English is that were (not was) is used with singular subjects. Be is the only English verb with two past tense forms, but only one of them (were) is used in imaginative conditional sentences.
Imaginative conditional sentences can express hypothetical or contrary-to-fact events or states.
1. Hypothetical events or states are unlikely but possible in the present or future.
Imaginative conditional sentences expressing hypothetical events or states have a past tense verb in the if-clause and would + verb (or might or could + verb) in the result clause.
Examples of hypothetical conditional sentences (present and/or future time):

If George had enough money, he would buy a new car.

If I won the lottery, I would buy you a present.

If she knew the answer, she would tell us.
(George probably does not have enough money; I probably will not win the lottery; she probably does not know the answer.)
2. Contrary-to-fact events or states are either impossible in the present time or did not happen in the past.
Imaginative conditional sentences expressing present contrary-to-fact events or states have a past verb in the if-clause and would + verb (or might or could + verb) in the result clause. Some examples:

If I were you, I would not do that.

If she studied for exams, she would get better grades.

If it were raining, the streets would be wet.

(I am not you; she doesn’t study for exams; it isn’t raining.)
Imaginative conditional sentences expressing past contrary-to-fact events or states have a past perfect verb in the if-clause and would + have + verb (or might or could + have + verb) in the result clause. Some examples:

If George had had enough money, he would have bought a new car.

If I had won the lottery, I would have bought you a present.

If she had known the answer, she would have told us.

(George did not have enough money; I did not win the lottery; she did not know the answer.)

Ordering Adjectives Practice

Adjectives

Definition

 

Adjectives are words that describe or modify another person or thing in the sentence. The Articlesa, an, and the — are adjectives.
  • the tall professor
  • the lugubrious lieutenant
  • a solid commitment
  • a month's pay
  • a six-year-old child
  • the unhappiest, richest man
If a group of words containing a subject and verb acts as an adjective, it is called an Adjective Clause. My sister, who is much older than I am, is an engineer. If an adjective clause is stripped of its subject and verb, the resulting modifier becomes an Adjective Phrase: He is the man who is keeping my family in the poorhouse.
Before getting into other usage considerations, one general note about the use — or over-use — of adjectives: Adjectives are frail; don't ask them to do more work than they should. Let your broad-shouldered verbs and nouns do the hard work of description. Be particularly cautious in your use of adjectives that don't have much to say in the first place: interesting, beautiful, lovely, exciting. It is your job as a writer to create beauty and excitement and interest, and when you simply insist on its presence without showing it to your reader — well, you're convincing no one.
Consider the uses of modifiers in this adjectivally rich paragraph from Thomas Wolfe's Look Homeward, Angel. (Charles Scribner's, 1929, p. 69.) Adjectives are highlighted in this color; participles, verb forms acting as adjectives, are highlighted in this blue. Some people would argue that words that are part of a name — like "East India Tea House — are not really adjectival and that possessive nouns — father's, farmer's — are not technically adjectives, but we've included them in our analysis of Wolfe's text.
He remembered yet the East India Tea House at the Fair, the sandalwood, the turbans, and the robes, the cool interior and the smell of India tea; and he had felt now the nostalgic thrill of dew-wet mornings in Spring, the cherry scent, the cool clarion earth, the wet loaminess of the garden, the pungent breakfast smells and the floating snow of blossoms. He knew the inchoate sharp excitement of hot dandelions in young earth; in July, of watermelons bedded in sweet hay, inside a farmer's covered wagon; of cantaloupe and crated peaches; and the scent of orange rind, bitter-sweet, before a fire of coals. He knew the good male smell of his father's sitting-room; of the smooth worn leather sofa, with the gaping horse-hair rent; of the blistered varnished wood upon the hearth; of the heated calf-skin bindings; of the flat moist plug of apple tobacco, stuck with a red flag; of wood-smoke and burnt leaves in October; of the brown tired autumn earth; of honey-suckle at night; of warm nasturtiums, of a clean ruddy farmer who comes weekly with printed butter, eggs, and milk; of fat limp underdone bacon and of coffee; of a bakery-oven in the wind; of large deep-hued stringbeans smoking-hot and seasoned well with salt and butter; of a room of old pine boards in which books and carpets have been stored, long closed; of Concord grapes in their long white baskets.
An abundance of adjectives like this would be uncommon in contemporary prose. Whether we have lost something or not is left up to you.

Position of Adjectives

Unlike Adverbs, which often seem capable of popping up almost anywhere in a sentence, adjectives nearly always appear immediately before the noun or noun phrase that they modify. Sometimes they appear in a string of adjectives, and when they do, they appear in a set order according to category. (See Below.) When indefinite pronouns — such as something, someone, anybody — are modified by an adjective, the adjective comes after the pronoun:
Anyone capable of doing something horrible to someone nice should be punished.
Something wicked this way comes.
And there are certain adjectives that, in combination with certain words, are always "postpositive" (coming after the thing they modify):
The president elect, heir apparent to the Glitzy fortune, lives in New York proper.
See, also, the note on a- adjectives, below, for the position of such words as "ablaze, aloof, aghast."

Degrees of Adjectives

Adjectives can express degrees of modification:
  • Gladys is a rich woman, but Josie is richer than Gladys, and Sadie is the richest woman in town.
The degrees of comparison are known as the positive, the comparative, and the superlative. (Actually, only the comparative and superlative show degrees.) We use the comparative for comparing two things and the superlative for comparing three or more things. Notice that the word than frequently accompanies the comparative and the word the precedes the superlative. The inflected suffixes -er and -est suffice to form most comparatives and superlatives, although we need -ier and -iest when a two-syllable adjective ends in y (happier and happiest); otherwise we use more and most when an adjective has more than one syllable.
GrammarRock
Click on the "scary bear" to read and hear George Newall's "Unpack Your Adjectives" (from Scholastic Rock, 1975).
Schoolhouse Rock® and its characters and ABCother elements are trademarks and service marks of American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. Used with permission.

PositiveComparativeSuperlative
richricherrichest
lovelylovelierloveliest
beautifulmore beautifulmost beautiful
Certain adjectives have irregular forms in the comparative and superlative degrees:
Irregular Comparative and Superlative Forms
goodbetterbest
badworseworst
littlelessleast
much
many
some
moremost
farfurtherfurthest

Be careful not to form comparatives or superlatives of adjectives which already express an extreme of comparison — unique, for instance — although it probably is possible to form comparative forms of most adjectives: something can be more perfect, and someone can have a fuller figure. People who argue that one woman cannot be more pregnant than another have never been nine-months pregnant with twins.
Grammar's ResponseAccording to Bryan Garner, "complete" is one of those adjectives that does not admit of comparative degrees. We could say, however, "more nearly complete." I am sure that I have not been consistent in my application of this principle in the Guide (I can hear myself, now, saying something like "less adequate" or "more preferable" or "less fatal"). Other adjectives that Garner would include in this list are as follows:
         absolute         impossible         principal
         adequate         inevitable         stationary
         chief         irrevocable         sufficient
         complete         main         unanimous
         devoid         manifest         unavoidable
         entire         minor         unbroken
         fatal         paramount         unique
         final         perpetual         universal
         ideal         preferable         whole

From The Oxford Dictionary of American Usage and Styleby Bryan Garner. Copyright 1995 by Bryan A. Garner. Published by Oxford University Press, Inc., www.oup-usa.org, and used with the gracious consent of Oxford University Press.

Be careful, also, not to use more along with a comparative adjective formed with -er nor to use most along with a superlative adjective formed with -est (e.g., do not write that something is more heavier or most heaviest).
The as — as construction is used to create a comparison expressing equality:
  • He is as foolish as he is large.
  • She is as bright as her mother.

Premodifiers with Degrees of Adjectives

Both adverbs and adjectives in their comparative and superlative forms can be accompanied by premodifiers, single words and phrases, that intensify the degree.
  • We were a lot more careful this time.
  • He works a lot less carefully than the other jeweler in town.
  • We like his work so much better.
  • You'll get your watch back all the faster.
The same process can be used to downplay the degree:
  • The weather this week has been somewhat better.
  • He approaches his schoolwork a little less industriously than his brother does.
And sometimes a set phrase, usually an informal noun phrase, is used for this purpose:
  • He arrived a whole lot sooner than we expected.
  • That's a heck of a lot better.
If the intensifier very accompanies the superlative, a determiner is also required:
  • She is wearing her very finest outfit for the interview.
  • They're doing the very best they can.
Occasionally, the comparative or superlative form appears with a determiner and the thing being modified is understood:
  • Of all the wines produced in Connecticut, I like this one the most.
  • The quicker you finish this project, the better.
  • Of the two brothers, he is by far the faster.
Authority for this section: A University Grammar of English by Randolph Quirk and Sidney Greenbaum. Longman Group: Essex, England. 1993. Used with permission.

Less versus Fewer
When making a comparison between quantities we often have to make a choice between the words fewer and less. Generally, when we're talking about countable things, we use the word fewer; when we're talking about measurable quantities that we cannot count, we use the word less. "She had fewer chores, but she also had less energy." The managers at our local Stop & Shop seem to have mastered this: they've changed the signs at the so-called express lanes from "Twelve Items or Less" to "Twelve Items or Fewer." Whether that's an actual improvement, we'll leave up to you. We do, however, definitely use less when referring to statistical or numerical expressions:
  • It's less than twenty miles to Dallas.
  • He's less than six feet tall.
  • Your essay should be a thousand words or less.
  • We spent less than forty dollars on our trip.
  • The town spent less than four percent of its budget on snow removal.
In these situations, it's possible to regard the quantities as sums of countable measures.

Taller than I / me ??
When making a comparison with "than" do we end with a subject form or object form, "taller than I/she" or "taller than me/her." The correct response is "taller than I/she." We are looking for the subject form: "He is taller than I am/she is tall." (Except we leave out the verb in the second clause, "am" or "is.") Some good writers, however, will argue that the word "than" should be allowed to function as a preposition. If we can say "He is tall like me/her," then (if "than" could be prepositional like like) we should be able to say, "He is taller than me/her." It's an interesting argument, but — for now, anyway — in formal, academic prose, use the subject form in such comparisons. We also want to be careful in a sentence such as "I like him better than she/her." The "she" would mean that you like this person better than she likes him; the "her" would mean that you like this male person better than you like that female person. (To avoid ambiguity and the slippery use of than, we could write "I like him better than she does" or "I like him better than I like her.")

More than / over ??
In the United States, we usually use "more than" in countable numerical expressions meaning "in excess of" or "over." In England, there is no such distinction. For instance, in the U.S., some editors would insist on "more than 40,000 traffic deaths in one year," whereas in the UK, "over 40,000 traffic deaths" would be acceptable. Even in the U.S., however, you will commonly hear "over" in numerical expressions of age, time, or height: "His sister is over forty; she's over six feet tall. We've been waiting well over two hours for her."


The Order of Adjectives in a Series

It would take a linguistic philosopher to explain why we say "little brown house" and not "brown little house" or why we say "red Italian sports car" and not "Italian red sports car." The order in which adjectives in a series sort themselves out is perplexing for people learning English as a second language. Most other languages dictate a similar order, but not necessarily the same order. It takes a lot of practice with a language before this order becomes instinctive, because the order often seems quite arbitrary (if not downright capricious). There is, however, a pattern. You will find many exceptions to the pattern in the table below, but it is definitely important to learn the pattern of adjective order if it is not part of what you naturally bring to the language.
The categories in the following table can be described as follows:
  1. Determiners — articles and other limiters. See Determiners
  2. Observation — postdeterminers and limiter adjectives (e.g., a real hero, a perfect idiot) and adjectives subject to subjective measure (e.g., beautiful, interesting)
  3. Size and Shape — adjectives subject to objective measure (e.g., wealthy, large, round)
  4. Age — adjectives denoting age (e.g., young, old, new, ancient)
  5. Color — adjectives denoting color (e.g., red, black, pale)
  6. Origin — denominal adjectives denoting source of noun (e.g., French, American, Canadian)
  7. Material — denominal adjectives denoting what something is made of (e.g., woolen, metallic, wooden)
  8. Qualifier — final limiter, often regarded as part of the noun (e.g., rocking chair, hunting cabin, passenger car, book cover)
# THE ROYAL ORDER OF ADJECTIVES #
DeterminerObservationPhysical DescriptionOriginMaterialQualifierNoun
SizeShapeAgeColor
abeautifuloldItaliantouringcar
anexpensiveantiquesilvermirror
fourgorgeouslong-
stemmed
redsilkroses
hershortblackhair
ourbigoldEnglishsheepdog
thosesquarewoodenhatboxes
thatdilapidatedlittlehuntingcabin
severalenormousyoungAmericanbasketballplayers
somedeliciousThaifood
#This chart is probably too wide to print on a standard piece of paper. If you click HERE, you will get a one-page duplicate of this chart, which you can print out on a regular piece of paper.
It would be folly, of course, to run more than two or three (at the most) adjectives together. Furthermore, when adjectives belong to the same class, they become what we call coordinated adjectives, and you will want to put a comma between them: the inexpensive, comfortable shoes. The rule for inserting the comma works this way: if you could have inserted a conjunction — and or but — between the two adjectives, use a comma. We could say these are "inexpensive but comfortable shoes," so we would use a comma between them (when the "but" isn't there). When you have three coordinated adjectives, separate them all with commas, but don't insert a comma between the last adjective and the noun (in spite of the temptation to do so because you often pause there):
a popular, respected, and good looking student
See the section on Commas for additional help in punctuating coordinated adjectives.

Capitalizing Proper Adjectives

When an adjective owes its origins to a proper noun, it should probably be capitalized. Thus we write about Christian music, French fries, the English Parliament, the Ming Dynasty, a Faulknerian style, Jeffersonian democracy. Some periods of time have taken on the status of proper adjectives: the Nixon era, a Renaissance/Romantic/Victorian poet (but a contemporary novelist and medieval writer). Directional and seasonal adjectives are not capitalized unless they're part of a title:
We took the northwest route during the spring thaw. We stayed there until the town's annual Fall Festival of Small Appliances.
See the section on Capitalization for further help on this matter.

Collective Adjectives

When the definite article, the, is combined with an adjective describing a class or group of people, the resulting phrase can act as a noun: the poor, the rich, the oppressed, the homeless, the lonely, the unlettered, the unwashed, the gathered, the dear departed. The difference between a Collective Noun (which is usually regarded as singular but which can be plural in certain contexts) and a collective adjective is that the latter is always plural and requires a plural verb:
  • The rural poor have been ignored by the media.
  • The rich of Connecticut are responsible.
  • The elderly are beginning to demand their rights.
  • The young at heart are always a joy to be around.

Adjectival Opposites

The opposite or the negative aspect of an adjective can be formed in a number of ways. One way, of course, is to find an adjective to mean the opposite — an antonym. The opposite of beautiful is ugly, the opposite of tall is short. A thesaurus can help you find an appropriate opposite. Another way to form the opposite of an adjective is with a number of prefixes. The opposite of fortunate is unfortunate, the opposite of prudent is imprudent, the opposite of considerate is inconsiderate, the opposite of honorable is dishonorable, the opposite of alcoholic is nonalcoholic, the opposite of being properly filed is misfiled. If you are not sure of the spelling of adjectives modified in this way by prefixes (or which is the appropriate prefix), you will have to consult a dictionary, as the rules for the selection of a prefix are complex and too shifty to be trusted. The meaning itself can be tricky; for instance, flammable and inflammable mean the same thing.
A third means for creating the opposite of an adjective is to combine it with less or least to create a comparison which points in the opposite direction. Interesting shades of meaning and tone become available with this usage. It is kinder to say that "This is the least beautiful city in the state." than it is to say that "This is the ugliest city in the state." (It also has a slightly different meaning.) A candidate for a job can still be worthy and yet be "less worthy of consideration" than another candidate. It's probably not a good idea to use this construction with an adjective that is already a negative: "He is less unlucky than his brother," although that is not the same thing as saying he is luckier than his brother. Use the comparative less when the comparison is between two things or people; use the superlative least when the comparison is among many things or people.
  • My mother is less patient than my father.
  • Of all the new sitcoms, this is my least favorite show.

Some Adjectival Problem Children

Good versus Well
In both casual speech and formal writing, we frequently have to choose between the adjective good and the adverb well. With most verbs, there is no contest: when modifying a verb, use the adverb.
He swims well.
He knows only too well who the murderer is.
However, when using a linking verb or a verb that has to do with the five human senses, you want to use the adjective instead.
How are you? I'm feeling good, thank you.
After a bath, the baby smells so good.
Even after my careful paint job, this room doesn't look good.
Many careful writers, however, will use well after linking verbs relating to health, and this is perfectly all right. In fact, to say that you are good or that you feel good usually implies not only that you're OK physically but also that your spirits are high.
"How are you?"
"I am well, thank you."
Bad versus Badly
When your cat died (assuming you loved your cat), did you feel bad or badly? Applying the same rule that applies to good versus well, use the adjective form after verbs that have to do with human feelings. You felt bad. If you said you felt badly, it would mean that something was wrong with your faculties for feeling.

Other Adjectival Considerations

Review the section on Compound Nouns and Modifiers for the formation of modifiers created when words are connected: a four-year-old child, a nineteenth-century novel, an empty-headed fool.
Review the section on Possessives for a distinction between possessive forms and "adjectival labels." (Do you belong to a Writers Club or a Writers' Club?)
Adjectives that are really Participles, verb forms with -ing and -ed endings, can be troublesome for some students. It is one thing to be a frightened child; it is an altogether different matter to be a frightening child. Do you want to go up to your professor after class and say that you are confused or that you are confusing? Generally, the -ed ending means that the noun so described ("you") has a passive relationship with something — something (the subject matter, the presentation) has bewildered you and you are confused. The -ing ending means that the noun described has a more active role — you are not making any sense so you are confusing (to others, including your professor).
The -ed ending modifiers are often accompanied by prepositions (these are not the only choices):
  • We were amazed at all the circus animals.
  • We were amused by the clowns.
  • We were annoyed by the elephants.
  • We were bored by the ringmaster.
  • We were confused by the noise.
  • We were disappointed by the motorcycle daredevils.
  • We were disappointed in their performance.
  • We were embarrassed by my brother.
  • We were exhausted from all the excitement.
  • We were excited by the lion-tamer.
  • We were excited about the high-wire act, too.
  • We were frightened by the lions.
  • We were introduced to the ringmaster.
  • We were interested in the tent.
  • We were irritated by the heat.
  • We were opposed to leaving early.
  • We were satisfied with the circus.
  • We were shocked at the level of noise under the big tent.
  • We were surprised by the fans' response.
  • We were surprised at their indifference.
  • We were tired of all the lights after a while.
  • We were worried about the traffic leaving the parking lot.

A- Adjectives

The most common of the so-called a- adjectives are ablaze, afloat, afraid, aghast, alert, alike, alive, alone, aloof, ashamed, asleep, averse, awake, aware. These adjectives will primarily show up as predicate adjectives (i.e., they come after a linking verb).
  • The children were ashamed.
  • The professor remained aloof.
  • The trees were ablaze.
Occasionally, however, you will find a- adjectives before the word they modify: the alert patient, the aloof physician. Most of them, when found before the word they modify, are themselves modified: the nearly awake student, the terribly alone scholar. And a- adjectives are sometimes modified by "very much": very much afraid, very much alone, very much ashamed, etc.

QuizRecognizing Adjectives


QuizAdjective Order


QuizAdjectives

WHO_WHOM_WHOSE_WHICH_THAT_WHERE_WHEN 

 

Adjective Clauses

See The Sentence for definitions of sentence, clause, and dependent clause. A sentence which contains just one clause is called a simple sentence.
A sentence which contains one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses is called a complex sentence. (Dependent clauses are also called subordinate clauses.)
There are three basic types of dependent clauses: adjective clauses, adverb clauses, and noun clauses. (Adjective clauses are also called relative clauses.)
This page contains information about adjective clauses. Also see Adverb Clauses and Noun Clauses.

A. Adjective clauses perform the same function in sentences that adjectives do: they modify nouns.

The teacher has a car. (Car is a noun.)

It’s a new car. (New is an adjective which modifies car.)

The car that she is driving is not hers.

(That she is driving is an adjective clause which modifies car. It’s a clause because it has a subject (she) and a predicate (is driving); it’s an adjective clause because it modifies a noun.)

Note that adjectives usually precede the nouns they modify; adjective clauses always follow the nouns they modify.

B. A sentence which contains one adjective clause and one independent clause is the result of combining two clauses which contain a repeated noun. You can combine two independent clauses to make one sentence containing an adjective clause by following these steps:
1. You must have two clauses which contain a repeated noun (or pronoun, or noun and pronoun which refer to the same thing). Here are two examples:

The book is on the table. + I like the book.

The man is here. + The man wants the book.
2. Delete the repeated noun and replace it with a relative pronoun in the clause you want to make dependent. See C. below for information on relative pronouns.

The book is on the table. + I like which

The man is here. + who wants the book
3. Move the relative pronoun to the beginning of its clause (if it is not already there). The clause is now an adjective clause.

The book is on the table. + which I like

The man is here. + who wants the book
4. Put the adjective clause immediately after the noun phrase it modifies (the repeated noun):

The book which I like is on the table.

The man who wants the book is here.

C. The subordinators in adjective clauses are called relative pronouns.
1. These are the most important relative pronouns: who, whom, that, which.
These relative pronouns can be omitted when they are objects of verbs. When they are objects of prepositions, they can be omitted when they do not follow the preposition.
WHO replaces nouns and pronouns that refer to people. It cannot replace nouns and pronouns that refer to animals or things. It can be the subject of a verb. In informal writing (but not in academic writing), it can be used as the object of a verb.
WHOM replaces nouns and pronouns that refer to people. It cannot replace nouns and pronouns that refer to animals or things. It can be the object of a verb or preposition. It cannot be the subject of a verb.
WHICH replaces nouns and pronouns that refer to animals or things. It cannot replace nouns and pronouns that refer to people. It can be the subject of a verb. It can also be the object of a verb or preposition.
THAT replaces nouns and pronouns that refer to people, animals or things. It can be the subject of a verb. It can also be the object of a verb or preposition (but that cannot follow a preposition; whom, which, and whose are the only relative pronouns that can follow a preposition).
2. The following words can also be used as relative pronouns: whose, when, where.
WHOSE replaces possessive forms of nouns and pronouns (see WF11 and pro in Correction Symbols Two). It can refer to people, animals or things. It can be part of a subject or part of an object of a verb or preposition, but it cannot be a complete subject or object. Whose cannot be omitted. Here are examples with whose:

The man is happy. + I found the man’s wallet. =

The man whose wallet I found is happy.

The girl is excited. + Her mother won the lottery. =

The girl whose mother won the lottery is excited.
WHEN replaces a time (in + year, in + month, on + day,...). It cannot be a subject. It can be omitted. Here is an example with when:

I will never forget the day. + I graduated on that day.=

I will never forget the day when I graduated.
The same meaning can be expressed in other ways:

I will never forget the day on which I graduated.

I will never forget the day that I graduated.

I will never forget the day I graduated.
WHERE replaces a place (in + country, in + city, at + school,...). It cannot be a subject. It can be omitted but a preposition (at, in, to) usually must be added. Here is an example with where:

The building is new. + He works in the building. =

The building where he works is new.
The same meaning can be expressed in other ways:

The building in which he works is new.

The building which he works in is new.

The building that he works in is new.

The building he works in is new.

D. Adjective clauses can be restrictive or nonrestrictive.
1. A restrictive adjective clause contains information that is necessary to identify the noun it modifies. If a restrictive adjective clause is removed from a sentence, the meaning of the main clause changes. A restrictive adjective clause is not separated from the main clause by a comma or commas. Most adjective clauses are restrictive; all of the examples of adjective clauses above are restrictive. Here is another example:

People who can’t swim should not jump into the ocean.
2. A nonrestrictive adjective clause gives additional information about the noun it modifies but is not necessary to identify that noun. If a nonrestrictive adjective clause is removed from a sentence, the meaning of the main clause does not change. A nonrestrictive adjective clause is separated from the main clause by a comma or commas. The relative pronoun that cannot be used in nonrestrictive adjective clauses. The relative pronoun cannot be omitted from a nonrestrictive clause. Here is an example:

Billy, who couldn’t swim, should not have jumped into the ocean.

E. Adjective clauses can often be reduced to phrases. The relative pronoun (RP) must be the subject of the verb in the adjective clause. Adjective clauses can be reduced to phrases in two different ways depending on the verb in the adjective clause.
1. RP + BE = 0

People who are living in glass houses should not throw stones. (clause)

People living in glass houses should not throw stones. (phrase)

Mary applied for a job that was advertised in the paper. (clause)

Mary applied for a job advertised in the paper. (phrase)
2. RP + OTHER VERB (not BE) = OTHER VERB + ing

People who live in glass houses should not throw stones.(clause)

People living in glass houses should not throw stones. (phrase)

Students who sit in the front row usually participate more. (clause)

Students sitting in the front row usually participate more. (phrase)

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