An adjective phrase is simply an entire phrase used as an adjective to modify a noun. These modifiers usually appear beside the noun they modify, as in the following sentences:
- The chair in the living room is my favorite place to watch TV.
The phrase in the living room modifies chair.
- He was as cool as a cucumber.
The phrase as cool as a cucumber modifies he.
An example of how adjective modifiers work is given in the following sentence:
- The red wagon is in the metal shed.
The word red modifies wagon because it describes the color of the wagon. The word metal modifies shed because it gives a detail about the type of shed where the wagon is stored. No adverbial or adjectival phrase is used here, just one modifier.
- The red wagon, which is in the metal shed, is now no longer used.
In this example, the phrase which is in the metal shed follows the red wagon. The phrase modifies or tells more about the wagon and where it is located. Also, a modifier usually precedes the word or words that it modifies. Words that signal an adjective phrase include: at, between, by for, from, in, of, on, to, and with.
- She was completely and utterly exhausted from her shopping.
In this example, a shopper was tired from her shopping spree. The pronoun in this sentence is she. The verb is a compound verb (more than one verb), was exhausted. The adverb modifiers are completely and utterly, which describe how the shopper felt. These two words modify the verbs in the sentence . The adverbial phrase from her shopping tell us more about the shopping trip.
The following words signal adverbial phrases:
| although | since |
| as | so after |
| as if | than |
| as though | that |
| become | though |
| before | unless |
| even if | until |
| even though | when |
| if on the condition that | where |
| in order that | wherever |
| provided that | while |
Note: If in doubt about the use of a word, consult a dictionary.