4.2 Adjectives, Adverbs, Prepositions & Conjunctions

4.2 Adjectives, Adverbs, Prepositions & Conjunctions

Quick Summary: Modifiers (adjectives and adverbs) and connectors (prepositions and conjunctions) give sentences precision, detail, and structure. Mastering how modifiers function and selecting appropriate conjunctions are vital skills evaluated across CPEA sentence completion and error correction tasks.

Adjectives: Classification & Degrees of Comparison

An adjective is a word that modifies or describes a noun or a pronoun. Adjectives answer key descriptive questions: Which one? What kind? How many? How much?

Types of Adjectives

Comparative and Superlative Degrees

Adjectives change form when comparing two or more entities.

• Positive Degree: Describes one item (fast, beautiful, good).
• Comparative Degree: Compares two items. Formed by adding -er or using more/less (faster, more beautiful, better).
• Superlative Degree: Compares three or more items. Formed by adding -est or using most/least (fastest, most beautiful, best).

Comparative (2 items): "Kevon is taller than Devon."
Superlative (3+ items): "Kevon is the tallest student in Grade 6."

Irregular Adjective Forms

• Good -> Better -> Best
• Bad -> Worse -> Worst
• Little -> Less -> Least
• Much / Many -> More -> Most
• Far -> Farther (distance) / Further (additional depth) -> Farthest / Furthest

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Adverbs: Types & Functions

An adverb modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. Adverbs answer questions such as: How? (Manner), When? (Time), Where? (Place), To what extent? (Degree), How often? (Frequency).

Classification of Adverbs

Distinguishing Adjectives from Adverbs

A common error tested in the CPEA is confusing adjectives with adverbs.

• Incorrect: "The girl ran quick to catch the school bus." (Quick is an adjective).
• Correct: "The girl ran quickly to catch the school bus." (Quickly is an adverb modifying the verb ran).
• Adverb vs. Adjective after Linking Verbs: Verbs of sense (look, taste, smell, feel, sound) and linking verbs (seem, appear, become, be) are followed by adjectives, not adverbs.
  • "The mango tastes sweet." (Adjective describing mango).
  • "She feels happy." (Adjective describing she).

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Prepositions and Prepositional Phrases

A preposition is a word showing the relationship between a noun or pronoun (called the object of the preposition) and another word in the sentence.

Common Prepositions

about, above, across, after, against, along, among, around, at, before, behind, below, beneath, beside, between, by, down, during, for, from, in, inside, into, near, of, off, on, onto, out, over, through, to, toward, under, until, up, with, without.

Prepositional Phrases

A prepositional phrase includes the preposition, its object, and any modifiers attached to that object.

• Example: "The bird perched on the highest branch of the mahogany tree."
  • Phrase 1: on the highest branch (Preposition: on; Object: branch)
  • Phrase 2: of the mahogany tree (Preposition: of; Object: tree)

Preposition Usage Errors to Avoid

1. Between vs. Among:
   • Use between when referring to two distinct persons or things. ("Divide the sweets between Nathan and Sariah.")
   • Use among when referring to three or more persons or things. ("Distribute the books among all the Grade 6 pupils.")
2. Unnecessary Prepositions: Avoid redundant prepositions at the end of sentences ("Where is the school at?" should be "Where is the school?").
3. Preposition Idioms: Certain words require specific prepositions:
   • agree with a person / agree to a plan
   • different from (never different than)
   • interested in
   • similar to

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Conjunctions: Coordinating vs. Subordinating

A conjunction connects words, phrases, or clauses. Selecting the correct conjunction establishes logical clarity in sentence structure.

1. Coordinating Conjunctions

Coordinating conjunctions connect elements of equal grammatical importance (word to word, phrase to phrase, or independent clause to independent clause). Remember the acronym FANBOYS:

• For (explains reason / cause)
• And (adds information)
• Nor (presents negative choice)
• But (shows contrast)
• Or (presents an alternative)
• Yet (presents contrast/concession)
• So (shows result/consequence)

Example: "The candidate reviewed her notes, so she felt confident during the examination."

2. Subordinating Conjunctions

Subordinating conjunctions join an independent main clause to a dependent (subordinate) clause, establishing relationships such as cause, contrast, time, condition, or purpose.

3. Correlative Conjunctions

Correlative conjunctions work in pairs to join grammatically equal elements:

• either...or
• neither...nor
• not only...but also
• both...and

Example: "She is not only intelligent but also hardworking."