The drawback of these tests is that they rely on the sentence “sounding normal” or not. It’s not always easy to identify adjectives as coordinate or cumulative, but there are two tests that we can apply in order to help us figure it out. Tests For Identifying Coordinate Adjectives That would break up their cumulative effect! If adjectives are cumulative, don’t put a comma between them. Furry is modifying just the noun cats, and three is modifying the phrase furry cats.
These adjectives also live up to their name.Ĭumulative adjectives describe, not only the noun, but the combination of the next adjective and the noun.Ĭumulative adjectives build upon one another to modify a noun.Īlthough it might not seem like it, three and furry are modifying the noun cats differently.
So, our next question is As opposed to what? How else would an adjective modify a noun?Įnter: cumulative adjectives. One way to learn about what something is is to learn about what something isn’t. This lesson might not be very helpful yet, but stay with me because the magic is about to happen! If adjectives are coordinate, put a comma or the word and between them. Long is modifying path, and narrow is modifying path. Long and narrow are modifying the noun path independent of each other. They perfectly fit the definition of coordinate! Which one? What kind? How many? Whose? What Are Coordinate Adjectives?Ĭoordinate adjectives modify the same noun independent of each other. They usually answer the adjective questions. That rule sounds simple, but it’s a bit hard to apply because no one knows what a coordinate adjective is!īefore we explore coordinate adjectives, let’s have a little refresher on adjectives.Īdjectives are words that describe nouns and pronouns. If you’ve ever Googled this question, you’ve probably landed on an article stating this rule: use a comma between coordinate adjectives.
Why do we use a comma between the adjectives long and narrow in sentence two, but not between the adjectives three and furry in sentence one? Have you ever wondered when you need to use a comma between adjectives? Some adjectives should have a comma between them and others shouldn’t.Ģ. When do you need a comma between adjectives?
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