Proper Adjectives

In the sentence "My mom's favorite music is from the Elizabethan era," which word is the proper adjective?

• music

• favorite

• Elizabethan

• era

Answer explanation

A proper adjective is a word derived from a proper noun. 'Elizabethan' comes from the proper noun 'Elizabeth' (for Queen Elizabeth I) and modifies the noun 'era'.

Which of the following words is a common adjective, not a proper adjective?

• Martian

• delicious

• Spanish

• Victorian

Answer explanation

'Delicious' is a common adjective that describes a general quality. The other options are proper adjectives because they are derived from the proper nouns Mars, Spain, and Victoria.

True or False: A proper adjective should always be capitalized, no matter where it is in a sentence.

• True

• False

Answer explanation

Proper adjectives are derived from proper nouns, which are always capitalized to indicate they are specific names. Therefore, the adjective form also must be capitalized.

Fill in the blank: My family is from Brazil, so we are ________.

• Brazilian

• Brazilish

• Brazilese

• Brazilic

Answer explanation

The correct proper adjective for Brazil is 'Brazilian,' which is formed using the common suffix '-ian'. The other suffixes are not used for this proper noun.

Which sentence correctly uses a proper adjective?

• We ate at a fantastic italian restaurant.

• My friend is learning the Japanese language.

• She wore a beautiful, Colorful scarf.

• I bought a new pair of french fries.

Answer explanation

'Japanese' is a proper adjective derived from 'Japan' and is correctly capitalized. In the other options, 'italian' should be capitalized, 'Colorful' is a common adjective that shouldn't be capitalized, and 'french' in 'french fries' is a lexicalized term not capitalized.

True or False: The proper adjective for someone from the country of the Netherlands is 'Netherlandish'.

• True

• False

Answer explanation

This is an example of an irregular formation. The correct and standard proper adjective for the Netherlands is 'Dutch'.

Fill in the blank: The tour guide showed us some beautiful ________ pottery from the Ming dynasty.

• China

• Chinesian

• Chinese

• Chinian

Answer explanation

The correct proper adjective to describe something from China is 'Chinese,' formed with the '-ese' suffix. Using the proper noun 'China' as an adjective is incorrect here, and the other forms do not exist.

In which sentence is a proper noun used as a modifier, rather than being a true proper adjective?

• We are studying Shakespearean sonnets.

• I love the taste of Swiss cheese.

• The Johnson family lives next door.

• My favorite team is the Chicago Bulls.

Answer explanation

In 'Chicago Bulls,' the proper noun 'Chicago' directly modifies 'Bulls' without changing its form. In contrast, 'Shakespearean' and 'Swiss' are true proper adjectives because they were formed from the proper nouns 'Shakespeare' and 'Switzerland'.

Fill in the blank: Cleaning the entire garage in one afternoon was a ________ task.

• Herculean

• herculean

• Hercules

• hercules

Answer explanation

The word 'herculean' comes from the proper noun 'Hercules,' but its meaning is so common now that it has become a genericized adjective and is no longer capitalized.

Which sentence correctly capitalizes the regional adjective?

• We are driving to southern California for vacation.

• I prefer the culture of the American South.

• My grandparents live in a western state.

• The storm is moving toward the East coast.

Answer explanation

'South' is capitalized when it refers to a specific, named cultural region. Simple directional words like 'southern,' 'western,' and 'east' are not capitalized unless they are part of a formal name.