Proper Adjectives

Proper Adjectives Definition

A proper adjective is a grammatical part of speech that derives itself from a proper noun. For instance, “China” is a proper noun; it is the name of a country. The word “Chinese” is an adjective (specifically, a proper adjective) because it is used to describe a noun, as in “Chinese food.” Because proper adjectives derive themselves from proper nouns (which are capitalized), proper adjectives should be capitalized.

Examples of Proper Adjectives

Some examples of proper adjectives would be the following:

The Italian minister visited our country yesterday.
(notice the proper adjective “Italian” describes the noun “minister”)

We were so happy to see Shakespearian actors on stage!
(notice the proper adjective “Shakespearian” describes the noun “actors”)

African drums are lots of fun to play.
(notice the proper adjective “African” describes the noun “drums”)

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