Grammar

1. LessonPlan for Adjectives:
Teacher’s Name: Saba Ashraf
Age Level of Class: 16 to 17years
Size of Class: 40 students
Date of Presentation: 1/12/ 2015.
Estimated Time of Lesson: 15 minutes
Teaching Point: To teach about Adjectives and Adjective phrases
Pre-assessment activity: Students will be asked to answer the following questions before
starting a lecture.
 What is a phrase?
 Define an Adjective.
Relationship to Current Unit: By recalling about phrases and adjectives students will be able to
understand about the current lesson more easily.
Material: text book, handouts, white board and audio-visual aids.
Criterion Level: Students will be able to understand 80% of the lesson in class through
Question-Answer activities.
Objectives:
1) Students will be able to define and identify Adjectives.
2) Students will be able to recognize the difference between gradable and non-gradable.
3) Students will be able to define the manners of adjectives.

2. Procedures
Step1:Preparation (pre-assessment activity/Brain Storming)
“Parts of speech” are the basic types of words that English has. Most grammar books say that
there are eight parts of speech: nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, conjunctions,
prepositions and interjections. We will add one more type: articles.It is important to be able to
recognize and identify the different types of words in English, so that you can understand
grammar explanations and use the right word form in the right place..
Step 2: Presentation
Introducing Topic
Adjectives:
Adjective (A) is a descriptive word that qualifies and describes nouns, usually making its
meaning more specific. Adjectives are sometimes called “describing words” in that, as far as
meaning is concerned, they define attributes characteristics.
Examples:
1. Susan is clever
2. The doctor is very late
3.My sister is fond of animals.
The two most distinctive properties of adjectives are their characteristic functions and
characteristic gradability.
properties of
adjectives
Functions Gradability

3. Adjectives functions as the head of adjective phrase. Most of adjectives have two main function.
Attributive Adjectives:
Attributive adjectives are those that sits inside the noun phrase and functions as pre-modifiers
within NPs. For example.
A larger dog attacked me.
The fat dog chased a girl.
Predicative Adjectives:
A predicate adjective is an adjective that follows a linking verb and modifies(i.e., refers back to)
the subject of the linking verb.
A predicate adjective contrasts with an attributive adjective, which typically sits immediately
before the noun it modifies.
 Lee seems drunk.
(The linking verb is seems.)
 Everything is funny as long as it is happening to somebody else.
(The linking verb is is.)
 If you look good, you don't need a purpose in life.
(The linking verb is look.)
Functions
Attributive
Predicative

4. Gradable adjectives Many adjectives describe qualities that can be measured in degrees,
such as size, beauty, age, etc. These adjectives are often called gradable adjectives, because they
can be used in comparative or superlative forms, or with grading adverbs such as very or
extremely, to show that a person or thing has more or less of a particular quality. The following
are some examples of common gradable adjectives used with grading adverbs:
Don’t talk to Jenny, she’s very angry.
Sorry, I can’t stop, I’m extremely busy.
I’m worried about Tom, he’s dreadfully unhappy.
This is a very important matter.
That slice of cake is rather big.
Non-gradable adjectives
Some adjectives describe qualities that are completely present or completely absent. They do not
occur in comparative and superlative forms, and cannot be used with adverbs such as very or
extremely, because we don’t usually imagine degrees of more or less of the quality being
described. They are referred to as non-gradable adjectives. Non-gradable adjectives do
sometimes occur with non-grading adverbs such as completely which emphasize the extent of
the quality, e.g.:
The questions were completely impossible.
The food was absolutely superb.

5. Gradable and non-gradable
Note that, sometimes, confusion arises because some adjectives have both gradable and non-
gradable senses with similar meanings e.g.:
She sounded slightly foreign.
He’s advising on foreign policy.
In the first example, foreign is gradable because it refers to a measurable quality, whereas in the
second, foreign is non-gradable because it refers to a particular type (of policy).
Some Adjectives are non-gradable in their central meaning but sometimes they commonly
develop additional figurative senses in which they are gradable. For example, Australian in its
primary sense has the categorical meaning but in its metaphorically extended sense it means’
pertaining to the Australian stereotype’ “He is very Australian.”
A particular type of grad ability is known as comparison. Comparing is a property associated
with many adjectives. Including the most commonly occurring ones, expressed by the three
separate inflectional forms known as absolute, comparative and superlative.
The lowest point on the scale is known as the ABSOLUTE form, the middle point is known as
the COMPARATIVE form, and the highest point is known as the SUPERLATIVE form. Here
are some more examples:

6. Absolute Comparative Superlative
dark darker darkest
new newer newest
old older oldest
young younger youngest
In most cases, the comparative is formed by adding -er , and the superlative is formed by
adding -est, to the absolute form. However, a number of very common adjectives are irregular in
this respect:
Absolute Comparative Superlative
good better best
bad worse worst
far farther farthest
Some adjectives form the comparative and superlative using more and most respectively:
Absolute Comparative Superlative
important more important most important
miserable more miserable most miserable
recent more recent most recent
Adjective phrase structure:
An Adjective phrase is accompanied by one or more dependents. There are two types of
dependents modifiers and complements. Modifiers are always optional while complements are
controlled by the headword and are normally not omissible.

7. Adverb modifier ( or premodification):
It is used for modifying, describing or qualifying constituents which precede the head for
example,
Very naughty
Quite long enough
The head:
which is an Adj or participle serving as the focus of the Phrase e.g happy, excited etc.
Cadj( post modification):
• An adjective complement is a clause or phrase that adds to the meaning of an adjective
or modifies it.
• angry that his shirt was stained
• Afraid of the dark
Step 3: Practice
True/ False
 Adjectives functions as the head of adverb phrase.
adjective
phrase
Pre-modifier
- adverb phrase
Head
Complement
Post-modifier

8.  A predicate adjective is an adjective that follows a linking verb.
 Superlative quality of young is “younger”.
 Adjective phrase qualify noun.
Short Answer-Question.
 Define Adjective.
 What is attributive adjective.?
 Explain three degrees of adjectives.
Choose the right answer.
 Which word is adjective?
A. Agreeable B. Anybody C.Whatever
 Which word is adjective?
A. Calmly B. Lazy C. Minerals
 ……… is used as pre-modifier in adjective phrases.
A. Adverb B. Noun C, Verb
 ……………. is highest degree of adjective.
A. Absolute B. comparative C. Superlative
Step 4: Production
 98% preview the lesson fully.
 70% discuss with group members happily.
 90% listen carefully and 75% have the answers. 50% are willing to answer the questions.
Test of the whole lesson will be taken and grading of the students will be done on the basis of
this test.
Answer key:
True /false 1. F 2, T 3. F 4. T
Mcqs. 1.a 2. b 3. A 4. C
Homework task:
 Write down any five adjective phrases.
 What is the difference between adjective and adverb.
 Search in detail adjective phrase structure.