English Language Arts
Grade 3
15 min
Does the adjective tell you what kind or how many?
Does the adjective tell you what kind or how many?
Tutorial Preview
1
Introduction & Learning Objectives
Learning Objectives
Define an adjective as a word that describes a noun.
Identify adjectives in simple sentences.
Differentiate between adjectives that tell 'what kind' and adjectives that tell 'how many'.
Sort a list of adjectives into 'what kind' and 'how many' categories.
Use 'what kind' adjectives to write a descriptive sentence.
Use 'how many' adjectives to write a descriptive sentence.
If you saw a dog, how would you tell a friend about it? Was it a big, fluffy dog or a tiny, brown dog? 🐶 Let's learn the special words that make our stories colorful!
Today, we are learning about special describing words called adjectives. We will focus on two types of adjectives: ones that tell 'what kind' and...
2
Key Concepts & Vocabulary
TermDefinitionExample
AdjectiveA word that describes a noun. It gives more information about a person, place, or thing.In 'the happy dog', the word 'happy' is the adjective because it describes the dog.
NounA word for a person, place, or thing.In 'the happy dog', the word 'dog' is the noun.
'What Kind' AdjectiveAn adjective that tells you about the quality of a noun, like its color, size, or shape.The 'blue' sky. 'Blue' tells you what kind of sky it is.
'How Many' AdjectiveAn adjective that tells you the number or quantity of a noun.I have 'ten' fingers. 'Ten' tells you how many fingers.
Describing WordAnother name for an adjective. It's a word that helps you paint a picture in someone...
3
Key Rules & Conventions
The 'What Kind' Question
To find this type of adjective, ask: 'What kind of [noun]?'
If a word in the sentence answers this question, it's an adjective telling you 'what kind'. For the sentence 'The big cat sat,' you would ask, 'What kind of cat?' The answer is 'big'.
The 'How Many' Question
To find this type of adjective, ask: 'How many [nouns]?'
If a word in the sentence answers this question, it's an adjective telling you 'how many'. For the sentence 'I see five birds,' you would ask, 'How many birds?' The answer is 'five'.
Adjective Placement Rule
Adjectives usually come right before the noun they describe.
Look for describing words ju...
5 more steps in this tutorial
Sign up free to access the complete tutorial with worked examples and practice.
Sign Up Free to ContinueSample Practice Questions
Challenging
You want to write a sentence about a cat that has one adjective telling WHAT KIND and one adjective telling HOW MANY. Which sentence does this?
A.The cat has four paws.
B.The fluffy cat is sleeping.
C.One black cat crossed the road.
D.The cat is very playful.
Challenging
A writer changes the sentence 'The dogs barked' to 'The three angry dogs barked.' What two things did the writer want to tell the reader by adding these adjectives?
A.What the dogs were doing and where they were.
B.How many dogs there were and what kind of dogs they were.
C.What kind of dogs they were and why they were barking.
D.How many dogs there were and what color they were.
Challenging
Read the short paragraph: 'The little girl found a shiny penny. She put it in her pocket with her other coins. She had five coins in total.' Which adjective is the only one that tells HOW MANY?
A.little
B.shiny
C.other
D.five
Want to practice and check your answers?
Sign up to access all questions with instant feedback, explanations, and progress tracking.
Start Practicing Free