an adjective modifying what?

Question

Hi,Can you tell me the adjective "big" is modifying "blue" or "ball"?the big blue ballIf I want to add "round" and "torned", where should I put them, and any commas will be neccesary?

Lazarus · Accepted Answer

AnonymousHi,

Can you tell me the adjective "big" is modifying "blue" or "ball"?

the big blue ball

If I want to add "round" and "torned", where should I put them, and any commas will be neccesary?

"Big" is modifying "ball."

Also, do you mean "torn"?
"Torn" doesn't really work with "ball," at least not to me.
The sentence would be "The big, round, blue ball."

Anonymous · Answer

Hi,

In a big blue ball, is seems to me that the adjective is modidfying "blue ball", not the ball, thus a comma between "big" and "blue" unnecessary. Isn't it?

the big blue ball or

the big, blue ball

Can anyone give me some clear examples of a "comma necessary" multiple adjective situation and those that do not need comma ?

Matress · Answer

Anonymous
Hi,

In a big blue ball, is seems to me that the adjective is modidfying "blue ball", not the ball, thus a comma between "big" and "blue" unnecessary. Isn't it?

the big blue ball or (What is big? The ball; what is blue? The ball.)

the big, blue ball (the comma ins't necessary here)

Can anyone give me some clear examples of a "comma necessary" multiple adjective situation and those that do not need comma ?

Order of adjectives

The order of the adjectives is usually like this:

opinion (= what you think about something)
size
age
shape
colour
origin (= where something comes from)
material (= what something is made of)
purpose (= what something is used for)

Some examples:

a big old black cat
a large Irish drum
a set of six wooden dining chairs
a dirty old ski jacket
a beautiful leather briefcase

a charming, elegant, blond-haired girl.

We do not usually put more than three adjectives together.

Here are some other ways of adding more information:

* She had a shiney, red sports car, wich was brand-new.

* Along, flowing wedding dress, made of silk.

By the way, who are you?

Rishonly · Answer

"By the way, who are you? "

He/she is an anonymous, Matress.

Anonymous · Answer

Rishonly"By the way, who are you? "

He/she is an anonymous, Matress.

I know, but it'll be a good idea if he/she or "sth" register himself/herself or "itself". The last one is just a joke!

Gotcha?

Matress · Answer

Rishonly
"By the way, who are you? "

He/she is an anonymous, Matress.

I know, but it 'll be a good idea if he/she or "sth" register herself/himself or "itself". The last one is just a joke! In fact , if I don't know who is I think I can say "it", do I?

Rishonly · Answer

"It" is funny. <img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' alt='Emotion: smile'/>

Anonymous · Answer

Isn't the correct spelling "shiny?"

Grammarfreak · Answer

LazarusBig" is modifying "ball."

In grammar terms, adjective describes, and adverb modifies. Learners should be careful not to be confused.
If there are two adjective used in a sentence such as the example, you may use a hyphen and write " the big-blue ball".

LazarusIf I want to add "round" and "torned", where should I put them, and any commas will be neccesary?

Then you may use adverbial phrases and clauses as adjuncts to give more information to the sentence. For example: I live in the two-story house with red-tile roof which has three bedrooms and two baths with a detached garage .
Avoid packing too many adjectives in the description of an object. This is not recommended: " Did you see the big, blue, plastic and torn ball?"

By the way, a ball is understood to be "round", just as sugar is sweet.

an adjective modifying what?

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