Below are explanations for the two Adjective Samples:

Adjectives from The Brothers Karamazov

It came to pass that, settling permanently in Paris he, too, forgot the sickly child, especially when the Revolution of February broke out, making a permanent impression on his mind that he remembered all the rest of his life.

As the interactive exercise instructs, the first step is to highlight any words that could be adjectives:

It came to pass that, settling permanently in Paris he, too, forgot the sickly child, especially when the Revolution of February broke out, making a permanent impression on his mind that he remembered all the rest of his life.

There appear to be two adjectives in this sentence:

1. SICKLY: has adjective-making morpheme (-ly); precedes and modifies a noun (CHILD)
2. PERMANENT: precedes and modifies a noun (IMPRESSION)

Challenge Sample from The Brothers Karamazov

While he was wearying every one with his tears and complaints, and turning his house into a sink of debauchery, a faithful servant of the family, Grigory, took the three-year-old Mitya into his care.

Again, the first step is to highlight any words that might be adjectives:

While he was wearying every one with his tears and complaints, and turning his house into a sink of debauchery, a faithful servant of the family, Grigory, took the three-year-old Mitya into his care.

For this sample, there appears to be only one adjective in this sentence:

1. FAITHFUL: has adjective-making morpheme (-ful); precedes and modifies a noun (SERVANT)

Brief Preview of Future Analyses

While there is only one adjective, there are a number of other elements in the second sentence that are functioning adjectivally. The prepositional phrase OF DEBAUCHERY is adjectival, modifying the noun SINK. As stated previously, the compound nominal THREE-YEAR-OLD is functioning adjectivally to modify the noun MITYA.

Tips to Keep in Mind

When reviewing for adjectives (or adjectivals), begin by analyzing in context and determining "who the word is hanging out with." Adjectives (and adjectivals) always modify nouns (or nominals), and, more often than not, they will be in close proximity to (either immediately before or immediately after) the noun that they are modifying. This goes for prepositional phrases, non-finite verb phrases, and relative clauses, as well, which are the most common structures to function adjectivally. This proximity is probably the most common KEY MARKER for adjectives. When in doubt, use the adjective tests or a substitution test to verify.

If you have questions about these sample analyses, please contact your instructor or start a conversation in your work group.