What are Proper Adjectives? | Definition and Examples

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What Are Proper Adjectives?

Proper adjectives are adjectives derived from proper nouns, and they are always capitalized.

Examples:

American citizens

a Kentuckian rifle

How to Form Proper Adjectives

  • In some instances, proper nouns can be used as proper adjectives without changing the word at all.

    Example:

    a Hollywood star

  • In other cases, proper adjectives are formed by adding one of the suffixes: -n, -ian, etc. to the proper nouns.

    Examples:

    American

    Orwellian

Types of Proper Adjectives

There are two types proper adjectives: those derived from names of people and those formed from names of places.

Examples:

Shakespearean play (Shakespeare - person)

American steak (America - place)

Two Types of Proper Adjectives – a Useful Chart

Name of People
Proper Adjectives
Name of Places
Proper Adjectives
Shakespeare
Shakespearean
China
Chinese
Darwin
Darwinian
Brazil
Brazilian
Christ
Christian
Mexico
Mexican

Click on the Circles to Spot the Six Proper Adjectives

Dutch
Alaskan
wonderful
Florida
Georgian
English
America
Jeffersonian
Mozartian
wittiest
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Purpose of Proper Adjectives

We use proper adjectives to avoid verbosity and make our speaking or writing concise and to the point.

Examples:

He is an American singer. (concise)

He is a singer based in America. (not concise)

Capitalizing Prefixes Attached to Proper Adjectives

Proper adjectives can often appear with prefixes; we should not capitalize these prefixes, unless they are proper nouns themselves.

Examples:

pan-American, anti-Semitic (Don't capitalize prefixes)

Afro-Caribbean, Afro-American (Capitalize prefixes)


Take a Proper Adjective Quiz Now!

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Sample Worksheets

Reinforce your skills using our free printable Adjective Worksheets.